My former husband, Sgt. Joseph Smith and I were fortunate enough to be the first military family to receive help from Run For The Troops. We had never heard from them before. We were invited to Boston/Andover by this wonderful group of patriots. Bill was incredibly kind, putting us up at Phillips Academy and arranging for us to enjoy the sights of Boston, even having his ex-wife (they were married at that time) Brooke take us on a duck tour! The next evening, we attended a dinner to honor my husband at a small venue (I think it was a town hall in Andover) where we met many wonderful people. They were kind and incredibly generous raising funds through a silent auction and donations towards a home that we were having built by Homes For Our Troops. On Sunday, we attended a 5k Run For The Troops race. I can’t even tell you how many folks participated and volunteered. Again, my husband and I were treated so well and met many wonderful people. These wonderful patriots, headed up by Bill Pennington raised several thousands of dollars that was donated toward the build of our home. We were so humbled by this generosity. These were people who had never met my husband or I, living several states away giving generously to a wounded veteran to ensure he had a home that would ensure he regained his independence.
I can honestly say, Bill Pennington is a beautiful human being with a heart of gold. His dedication to our troops and just helping people in general is something you don’t see much in this day and age. I don’t know what year RFTT is in, but what this organization does for our troops makes a difference in their lives. My husband was injured before we met. He said when he was injured, no one visited him, no family, no one from his battalion. He felt like no one cared whether he lived or died. When RFTT’s came along he was overwhelmed at the outpouring of love from this community. He said until then, he really felt like the American people could’ve cared less about the troops and the life changing injuries they came home with. These people showed him that was not true.
We attended the dinner and race a few more times after that year. Each year, we were treated so well. We made lifelong friends in Andover. Sadly, Joe passed away in August 2017 after suffering a massive stroke. That year, Bill invited Joe’s daughter, Tyler and I to attend the dinner and race. They honored Joe with his own table. It was beautiful and meant a lot.
I cannot begin to tell you what RFTT and the community means to me, and to every veteran that they honor. These folks come home broken, mentally, and physically. Many have the support of family, some do not. These people and foundations give them hope, that although their lives are forever changed, American patriots will ensure that they will get the support they need to live life as fully as possible, and that their service was not in vain.
- Debbi Smith, Recipient