Walter Reed and Ward 57
Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) in Washington DC is the first stop for many of America’s returning wounded service members from Iraq and Afghanistan. Known as “the amputee ward”, the orthopedic Ward 57 at WRAMC houses some of the most severely injured patients for weeks or even months. The painful sacrifice of losing one or more limbs is the new battle these service members and their families now fight.
Operation Ward 57
Operation Ward 57 was started to have a direct way for individuals and companies to show their support and raise funds for these courageous men and women who have given so much. The program is run through pro-football player Kerry Carter’s THINK BIG FOUNDATION, 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, Tax ID: 20-196-2446, in partnership with Atmosphere Artist Management LLC. This is a grass-roots, volunteer effort. Each person who buys a T-shirt, not only shows their support, but directly contributes to items for the Ward, patients, family members and staff.
Story Behind Ward 57
In January 2007 Deborah Semer joined her husband, SGT Scott
Cameron an LPN, who was transferred to Walter Reed Army Medical Center from Ft. Lewis. Upon arriving, Deborah picked up a copy of the Stripe military newspaper where she saw a picture of Condoleezza Rice and a soldier holding a Ward 57 T-shirt. She immediately bought one to support the program. That first batch of shirts she learned later, where funded by “The Angels of Mercy”.
Kerry Carter and Ward 57
In March, her husband asked Deborah to see about finding some Seahawks memorabilia for a young amputee patient from Seattle who is a big fan. Deborah contacted her fellow Seattle Arts Commissioner, Laura “Piece” Kelly, Executive Director of former Seahawk–turned-WA-Redskin-running back, Kerry Carter’s “Think Big” Foundation. Both Laura and Kerry immediately jumped in to help.
The Seattle Seahawks put together a gift package that included an NFL football personally autographed by QB Matt Hasselbeck. Deborah flew to DC with the items, where she met with Kerry and his Stanford football teammate, QB, Chris Lewis to personally deliver the items to the patient.
When the outpatient housing scandal hit WRAMC in March 2007 and hospital morale dropped to an all-time low, Deborah, Kerry and Piece created a partnership through the Think Big Foundation and Atmosphere Artist Management LLC to recreate the T-shirts to boost morale and raise funds for items needed at Ward 57.
