Congress could learn from Team Patriot vets

While a liberal press obsessed over the Trump impeachment inquiry launched by liberal House Democrats last week, the desperate plight of residents living in the hurricane-ravaged Bahamas went unreported.

It’s been a month since Hurricane Dorian made multiple landfalls in the Bahamas, battering the island paradise with winds of 185 mph for two days. In a speech to the U.N. General Assembly last Friday, Prime Minister Hubert Minnis called the intense storm, which changed lives forever, a “generational tragedy.” Fifty-six deaths have been confirmed so far, but 600 people are still missing.

The cleanup facing the Bahamas, which has a population of fewer than 400,000 people, is massive. A friend of mine who has flown over 30 relief supply missions into the stricken area said the devastation is like nothing he’s ever seen since he’s been a pilot. Schools, hospitals, gas stations, grocery stores and restaurants either completely disappeared or are damaged beyond repair. The blocks and blocks of total devastation are what one might expect to see after a nuclear bomb explosion.

For survivors, the misery seems never-ending. Many are still without power or water. The most densely populated areas affected by the storm face health risks from soil and water contamination and hazardous materials. The loss of power and lack of generators have led to a black market for bread and for life’s essentials that we take for granted.

About 17 percent of all Bahamians are homeless. In real numbers that’s 70,000 people who have lost almost everything. And 80 percent of the fishery infrastructure in Grand Bahama was destroyed. Fishing is an integral part of the region’s economy.

Relief organizations and a number of individual celebrities have stepped forward to help the survivors. Golfer Tiger Woods, singer/actor Justin Timberlake and their partners immediately stepped up with a $6 million pledge; basketball legend Michael Jordan pledged $1 million; and New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has appealed online for donations to a relief fund.

When it comes to responding to disasters outside our borders, American relief organizations never hesitate. One of the most inspiring outreaches we’ve learned about is “Team Patriot,” which gives wounded veterans and their spouses an opportunity to give back through U.S. Disaster Relief.

The volunteer group originated in 2012 after a group of veterans attended Operation Heal Our Patriots, an event under the umbrella of Evangelist Franklin Graham’s Samaritan’s Purse organization.

Graham, whose son, Edward, was wounded while on active duty in Iraq in 2007, is amazed to see how the veterans who have received help for extremely painful injuries are now helping others.

A good example of this faith-based, selfless compassion for others is Robert Bogus III, a Marine sergeant who sustained a double traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder and spinal injuries after an explosion destroyed his vehicle during a deployment in Iraq. Told he would never walk again, Bogus made a remarkable recovery, from being bedridden to a wheelchair, then progressing from a walker and eventually walking again.

The ordeal left emotional scars, however, and he and wife Hilary were on the brink of divorce before attending Operation Heal Our Patriots in 2014 in Alaska. The event helped save their marriage and inspired them to give back.

Bogus says Team Patriot’s mission to assist others has given him a new sense of fulfillment.

So after fighting for our country on foreign soil overseas, Team Patriot veterans focus on building up our country at home. It doesn’t get any more inspiring than that.

They’re doing more for the country than the stagnant Congress that’s been divided along political lines for the past three years.

By Jim Zbick | tneditor@tnonline.com