BAMC Patients Receive A REALLY Long-Distance Call
An Army astronaut
orbiting 220 miles above the earth did a somersault September 14
for wounded warriors recuperating at Brooke Army Medical Center,
Fort Sam Houston, TX.
Hooked up to BAMC through a NASA video teleconference, Col.
Jeffrey Williams (right) performed a sideways somersault for 15
wounded warriors talking with the astronaut, who serves as the
flight engineer and science officer for International Space Station
Expedition 13.
From his outpost in outer space, Williams quipped to the
wounded, "How often do you see a colonel do a somersault for
you?"
The video conference was arranged after Williams asked NASA to
reconnect him with the wounded warriors. Some of the BAMC patients
had already met the astronaut once on a video teleconference when
they toured the Johnson Space Center in Houston in June.
The first voice the group heard on the teleconference was the
Army astronaut, a West Point graduate.
"This is the International Space Station, can you hear me?"
Williams said. The group responded, "Loud and clear."
Williams told the wounded warriors that not a day goes by that
he doesn't think about troops fighting in the global war on
terrorism. As he welcomed the group "aboard" the International
Space Station, he said he considered the wounded warriors
heroes.
"I think very highly of those who are willing to serve our
country and put themselves in harm's way -- those who understand
what duty and service is," he said. "You all have demonstrated that
and made some obvious sacrifices."
Reviewing a busy week at the space station, he said the space
shuttle Atlantis had docked and that two completed space walks went
well. Williams said the view from the shuttle was fantastic, with
the shuttle orbiting the earth every 90 minutes.
For 22 minutes, Williams answered questions posed by the group.
He said he was looking forward to returning to Earth. "You can
relate to being in far-off places for way too long," he said.
Williams launched into space March 30 along with Russian
cosmonaut Pavel Vinogradov, arriving at the International Space
Station on April 1. The three-member crew, which also included
German astronaut Col. Thomas Reiter, is set to return to Earth in
two weeks.
The Army astronaut said that although he had spent a long time
in what he affectionately referred to as a "tin can" and away from
family, he never experienced any boredom in space. With free time,
he finds a window with a view to the Earth below.
The group asked him about sleeping in space. The Army astronaut
said he slips into a special sleeping bag in a crew area. "Sleeping
is a little tough to get used to," Williams said. "I want to find a
place to put my head, and you just don't do that up here."
The astronaut said that
although he was eating well and exercising on a treadmill, he had
dropped eight to 10 pounds.
Asked about the chow, Williams told the group that MREs --
meals, ready-to-eat -- also were available in space.
Asked where he we would eat first when he returned to the United
States, Williams gave a smart reply. "I'll probably eat a meal
prepared by my wife -- she's a great cook," he said. After that, he
said, he would be looking for Tex-Mex food or a big Texas
steak.
One of the wounded asked Williams if he thought the flight
doctors would ever allow an amputee to go up in space. "I'd say
never give up," Williams said. "Some of you and those who have gone
before you have proven that you can do some pretty incredible
things, even after amputation. So whatever your goals might be, I'd
say pursue them and don't give up."
From his perch in space, Williams said he was rooting for the
Army to win the upcoming West Point vs. Texas A&M match.(Alas,
a late rally by the Black Knights wasn't enough to hold off the
Aggies, who beat Army 28-24 Saturday -- Ed.)
The Army astronaut said he planned to visit BAMC with his wife
after getting back to Texas. Thanking the wounded for their
service, he signed off by reminding them that "the cause is
important, and I know you are thinking about your buddies back in
theater, as I am."
Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Sevald, who plans to go back to
teaching, said he hopes to use the videoconference experience in
his classroom. "I'll use this experience to motivate my students'
interest in history," Sevald said.
Navy Petty Officer Derek McGinnis said the videoconference to
the International Space Station was motivating to him, especially
since a fellow servicemember had asked to speak with the wounded
troops. "The military is a family and team," he said. "You can
overcome obstacles and go on to do bigger and better things."
(Aero-News salutes Nelia Schrum, Brooke Army Medical Center
Public Affairs.)