A few more pictures, then the rest will be on the photobucket site listed in Taylor's links.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
AnySoldier trip
We just got back from Missouri for a fund raising for anysoldier.com What a weekend!!! Not enough time or space to write about everything, but it was great!
We got to meet Marty Horn and his wonderful wife Sue and beautiful daughter Sasha for the first time, we have talked with Marty several times but this was the first in meeting him. Talk about a family devoting their time to this country! They are tireless and selfless in making sure that our troops are taken care of, and taken care of good! They have put their whole lives into http://www.anysoldier.com/ to make sure that ALL of our troops know they are appreciated and not forgotten, no matter what the crap news reports.
Friday, we got to meet Lt. Col. Mitch 'Taco' Bell. VERY COOL! Tanner doesn't impress easily and he was completely smitten with Taco! Taylor couldn't wait for Saturday when she would get to see her beloved Major Pain again! It was SUPPOSED to be that she got up bright and early and there would be a police escort and a hummer waiting to take her to the airport to surprise Major Pain, then whisk those two back to the opening ceremony. As fate would have it, Major Pain's flight was delayed and he had to spend some lovely time sitting in the terminal with the cleaning lady with a huge mole, telling her whole life story to him. (is this karma? ROFL!) So, Taylor was told that the escort was off and she was crushed.
But, she was still going to the airport to pick him up, it was just messing the whole thing up........but we got it to work. We showed up to the staging point around 10 a.m. and were amazed by the amount of bikes that showed up. The bikes were pulling out at 11 for a 2 hour ride, and Major Pain's plane wasn't landing until 1 p.m. just outside of the staging point (see why things got messed up?)
Our plan was to have Taylor's picture taken with ALL of the Patriot Guard Riders that showed up at the ending point so we didn't do anything like that and we later regretted it.
The National Anthem was sung just beautifully and so heartfelt by a Navy guy, and when I say he put his heart and soul into it, I mean he really did! Beautiful! There was a bagpipe player who played Amazing Grace and then he played the Marine Corps Hymn, time for Taco and Taylor to talk. Taylor was able to present to a Wounded Warrior a certificate of appreciation, Taco got one, Taylor got one and Marty and Sue got one. Taco talked a bit about Taylor and then Taylor got up and talked about what it meant to be an American, asked everyone to support their troops because we know our troops support us! She then presented Marty a check for anysoldier.com from the donations she was able to get for them.
We then took off to get to the airport to pick up Major Pain and we got special passes to get right back into the terminal. Taylor still had to go through the metal detectors and I could see a bit of the fear coming back to her from our very unfortunate last time going through one. We made it through OK and to try to make Taylor smile, I just belted out 'Yeah, you are not Taylor the Terrorist today!' As soon as I said it, Taco gave me a very stern look and very authoritatively told me to NOT say that again! (he is a commercial airline pilot) I had never given it a thought, good Lord help us had I gotten Taylor in trouble with the TSA yet again!!!!!
We walked a bit to get down to where Major Pain was and wouldn't you know it, as we rounded the corner, he almost ran smack right into us! He grabbed ahold of Taylor and flipped her in the air like she was a sack of potatoes. Look at her little face, I think it says it all!
He changed into his HOG gear likety split and we were off for the guys to get on their bikes and ride like the wind to try to make up the lost time. The weather God's however had a different idea. They no sooner got going at a good pace when the skies opened and it rained, not just a nice steady rain, but a torrential downpour. We stopped at an overpass for their safety and all laughed about it. The rain stopped and one bike took off, the sky opened again. He had to come down a side road to get back to the other side of the underpass. The rain stopped and off took another bike, the same thing......here came the rain. It went like this until half the bikes were on the OTHER side of the road headed in the OTHER direction. The kids got a big kick out of it.
We finally got going only to be hit by another blast of rain but they toughed it out and kept going. Pretty soon the sun shined a bit and they were getting dry, except for their boots. We pulled into a gas station and one guy took off his boots and when he turned it over, it was like pouring out 2 cups of water, Taylor laughed a good one because of that.
They were able to see that a huge wall of not good weather was coming from where they needed to go, so they decided it best to go away from it and around it. What should have been about a 2 hour ride ended up being more like over 5 hours! We however got to go through some beautiful rolling mountains (Ozarks) and even saw a castle. Some of these homes didn't just have land, but it was like estates. It was breathtaking country to see. Then we came upon some areas where you could swear you heard the dueling banjos from the movie Deliverance!
By the time we got to the ending point, most of the bikes were gone. But from what we understand, they had a great time. Taylor was able to give to Major Pain his certificate of appreciation and then we were able to witness Marty and Sue present a family of a fallen soldier a check from anysoldier and treatanysoldier. Very emotional to watch. But it made us so proud to know these people and to know that they care so deeply.
With everyone being gone, we didn't get a picture with Taylor and all her Missouri PGR family, but there were a few there and some American Legion Riders we got to snap a few with! While we searched in vain for some chocolate cigars for Taylor to be able to share with her brother and hero Marines, Taco and Major Pain....we couldn't find any! How priceless would that have been?! But we were able to get a few pics with her pretending to have the real thing!!!!!
The lady in charge, Della, did an outstanding job. She worked very hard to ensure this was a great day and it was. Our troops are very lucky to have such a strong supporter as herself.
We were able to meet many new people. One man, once he saw Taylor talk came up and asked if we knew a man named Kai (from Patriot Guard). We were shocked and said yes. Come to find out, this man was from a group of riders that know of Kai and Michigan's own JimmyK and he had remembered them posting about Taylor. Shows what a small world it is! It was great meeting you Harry!
We came away not feeling like we had met people for the first time, but felt like we were with long lost family. Being around so many wonderful people, we just know that Taylor is going to be even more determined to push on with her mission.
Della, great job!! Taco, thank you for taking the time, especially with Tanner and thank you for your service to our country. Major Pain, you know how we feel about you! THANK YOU. Marty and Sue, we are so honored to be able to help you, you in turn have helped us more then you will ever know. THANK YOU!
Another parade and giving support to Lester
The Daughters of The American Revolution are still honoring Taylor! They asked her to be in yet another parade and this was a really big one, it lasted well over an hour! We are proud of Taylor's accomplishments, but also so proud of the big sister she is. Each time she has been asked to be in a parade, she has always asked to make sure that her brother Tanner can be in it with her, after all, he is her 'wing man'. He loves being in them with her.
Just before we left for Missouri, we paid a visit to Lester. If some of you will remember the story of Lester from Taylor's Day, when he came and gave her a precious memento he had saved since WW11, a shiny beautiful Marine button off of the Blues uniform.
He is having some issues and had to have surgery last week, so we paid him a surprise visit and boy did he ever light up! We gave him one of Taylor's dog tags that were made up by woodmaster, and he immediately put them on and was so proud of them!
Please keep Lester in your prayers, he has a lot of history in him that we need to know about and he is a VERY proud American Veteran.
Just before we left for Missouri, we paid a visit to Lester. If some of you will remember the story of Lester from Taylor's Day, when he came and gave her a precious memento he had saved since WW11, a shiny beautiful Marine button off of the Blues uniform.
He is having some issues and had to have surgery last week, so we paid him a surprise visit and boy did he ever light up! We gave him one of Taylor's dog tags that were made up by woodmaster, and he immediately put them on and was so proud of them!
Please keep Lester in your prayers, he has a lot of history in him that we need to know about and he is a VERY proud American Veteran.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
MYSPACE
I would like for you to know that there is a poster on myspace.com that has Taylor's name and it is NOT our Taylor. It has been brought to my attention a few times, so I checked. While they have the same name and same age.......again......it is NOT our Taylor!
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Wonderful heartfelt gift
Taylor got a beautiful surprise gift in the mail yesterday. One of her fellow brother Marines was just horrified by the way Terrorist Taylor was treated at the airport when she was bringing home her spent casing from MOUT at Camp Lejeune and how her casing was taken from her from the over the top TSA agents.
He had told me a bit back that he had a special casing that he had had for a couple of years and was just waiting for that right time to do something with it and once he read what happened to her, he knew what that RIGHT thing was.
Here is what he sent to me in the email describing what it is:
When Pammie and I went to DC for our Marine Birthday Celebration in 2005, we attended the Ceremony at the Iwo Memorial at Arlington Ridge. The finale' was The Rifle Salute and TAPS. That was on November 10th. On the 11th, we returned to the memorial, and without the crowds from the day before, we went up close to the huge monument. In the small grassy area in front of it, I noticed something laying in the grass, almost hidden. It was one of the brass casings from the previous day's Rifle Salute, and I can't figure out how those Marines could've missed it. But I have it and intended to do "something" with it, rather than just keep it laying on my dresser, where it still sets. What I'd like to do is make some sort of "frame" for it, noting the "history" of this casing, so it could be wall-hung. I can't think of anyone more deserving to display this than Taylor.
So, she got her wonderful gift yesterday. When she opened up the package and saw the casing, her little face just lit up! Then, once she read what the plaque said and I told her that her brother Bill was replacing what was taken so horribly from her, she actually got tears in her eyes and in the one photo where she is holding up the plaque, you can see them.
This is what the plaque says:
On the 230th Marine Corps Birthday
November 10, 2005
The Ceremony at the Iwo Jima War Memorial
at Arlington Ridge
concluded with the Rifle Salute and 'Taps'.
On Veterans Day, November 11,
An empty .308 casing from one of those M-14 Rifles
was retrieved by the base of the Monument.
That casing is now being presented to
Our Little Sister Taylor,
Semper Fidelis
What a great gift! Thanks Bill!
(update on the TSA agents, I had called and talked to their manager about what happened. He told me he would talk to those involved and get right back with me. 2 weeks passed by and nothing, so I called him back. He told me he had spoken with those involved and right away he gave me the impression that nothing was being done, as he was told by the lady that searched her that she in fact told Taylor everything she was doing. He told me that everything they did was within regulations and they were doing their job. My frustrations got the best of me and I told him that if by doing her job she meant that she took my daughter off behind a wall and wouldn't let me in with her, told my daughter to spread eagle and that was ALL she said to Taylor, then yes, the lady did one hell of a job. He also asked me again why I did not state BEFORE we went through the metal detection unit about Taylor's medical condition. I asked him WHY would I do that if there was no reason to? I did not state to them before I went in I had skin cancer, what is the point of that? The fact is, once everything happened, and I tried to explain of Taylor's condition, I was flat out told it did NOT matter and I couldn't speak. The fact is, Taylor was taken away from me and I was not allowed to be with her. The fact is, Taylor was searched and patted down and not once explained to WHY or WHAT they were doing. The fact is, Taylor heard the man telling me the FBI was being called and she got incredibly upset and they did NOT care. Had everything went how the agents told their boss it did, I would not have called and I would not be upset. I told him I totally appreciate the job they do, I want to know that my child is safe while flying, I never want another 9-11 ever again. Nothing is being done as far as he was concerned because he talked to his agents and he felt comfortable in what they told him. Then he mentioned that there is no audio recording in that area so there is no way to prove anything. Nice huh? I am now in the process of writing a LONG letter to the head of TSA)
Saturday, June 9, 2007
History
In Kalamazoo, there was a wonderful Memorial Day 5 day symposium honoring our veteran's held by Lest We Forget Our Vet's. Each day was dedicated to a different era and a traveling museum with bits of history were there. A man also brought in his models of certain war scenes and they were very realistic and historically correct.
There were many who showed up for the WWll day and I guess it was quiet a day, we unfortunately were not able to make it but I wish we could have. This is a generation who we can learn so much from and yet, they are almost gone.
Sadly, for the Vietnam and Iraq wars, not many showed up. We aren't sure on why, maybe because it was during a work week? Anyways, we showed up and watched Laura DeRoo speak on behalf of the Blue Star Mothers. If some of you will remember, her son is SSgt. Gabriel DeRoo who the PGR had a mission for last summer and this is the one that we showed up on our own just to show support as Taylor read in the paper that the protesters were to be there and she told us 'We HAVE to go and show our support' and that is how we met the PGR.
Taylor and Tanner were able to meet Bob Heft, the creator of the flag as we know it today. They even got to hold onto the original flag he created many years ago and let me tell you, it is worth a LOT of money! The man that made the models also had several pieces of clothing and outfits from the different wars and he let Taylor put on a flack jacket vest and helmet from Vietnam, her little knees about buckled from the weight!
Taylor was able to stand up and talk for a few minutes as well. Always makes me so proud to see her stand in front of people and talk from her heart.
We also got a very wonderful gift in meeting LCpl Christopher B, who just got back from Iraq not to long ago. He and his mom drove all the way from Jackson so he and Taylor could meet. What a treat!
On Sunday, the PGR had a meet and greet and wouldn't you know it, the sky god's must have not been happy with a certain someone because they opened up with a fury and let it pour rain and thunder and lightening. There were a few times driving that we had to slow down because we couldn't see in front of us, so because of the weather, the turn out wasn't as good as it could have been but we had about 40 people there and several brave souls that even rode their bikes!
Taylor has been asked to be in another parade this coming weekend, she is pretty excited about being in yet another one.
There were many who showed up for the WWll day and I guess it was quiet a day, we unfortunately were not able to make it but I wish we could have. This is a generation who we can learn so much from and yet, they are almost gone.
Sadly, for the Vietnam and Iraq wars, not many showed up. We aren't sure on why, maybe because it was during a work week? Anyways, we showed up and watched Laura DeRoo speak on behalf of the Blue Star Mothers. If some of you will remember, her son is SSgt. Gabriel DeRoo who the PGR had a mission for last summer and this is the one that we showed up on our own just to show support as Taylor read in the paper that the protesters were to be there and she told us 'We HAVE to go and show our support' and that is how we met the PGR.
Taylor and Tanner were able to meet Bob Heft, the creator of the flag as we know it today. They even got to hold onto the original flag he created many years ago and let me tell you, it is worth a LOT of money! The man that made the models also had several pieces of clothing and outfits from the different wars and he let Taylor put on a flack jacket vest and helmet from Vietnam, her little knees about buckled from the weight!
Taylor was able to stand up and talk for a few minutes as well. Always makes me so proud to see her stand in front of people and talk from her heart.
We also got a very wonderful gift in meeting LCpl Christopher B, who just got back from Iraq not to long ago. He and his mom drove all the way from Jackson so he and Taylor could meet. What a treat!
On Sunday, the PGR had a meet and greet and wouldn't you know it, the sky god's must have not been happy with a certain someone because they opened up with a fury and let it pour rain and thunder and lightening. There were a few times driving that we had to slow down because we couldn't see in front of us, so because of the weather, the turn out wasn't as good as it could have been but we had about 40 people there and several brave souls that even rode their bikes!
Taylor has been asked to be in another parade this coming weekend, she is pretty excited about being in yet another one.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
MEMORIAL DAY PARADE
Memorial Day, what does it mean to most people? An extra long weekend? A day of cookouts and party? A day to watch a parade, but not get what it is about? Not in our family! I however am ashamed to say, that for many years it wasn't like that, we thought of it as a long weekend, a cookout and party, a parade, that is it, nothing else.
I am proud to say that through Taylor and because of Taylor, we understand what Memorial Day really is and what it really means. We understand we have a long weekend and cookouts and parties and parades because we are FREE to do so. We are free to do so because of the many of generations who have fought for our country and others. If there was no need for a Memorial Day, really think of how things would be for us.....
Taylor and Tanner were in the parade this year. Taylor all decked out and looking squared away, got to lead the rest of our local Heroes, what an honor! Tanner decked his bike out and showed how proud he is to be American by flying the colors.
Taylor wasn't feeling well, but she said there was no way she was going to miss being able to march to show how proud she is. It was hot out and the route was long, but Taylor kept the pace up right along all those grown men. She held her own and never faltered and never fell back. She led them with her head high the whole time. She stood side by side with her 'brothers' and raised a crisp beautiful salute when called to do so.
Not to take away from any of those men there, but there were maybe a few that didn't take it to seriously. There were a few middle agers there that didn't stand at attention, were turned around talking while the others were all showing their respect, raised the salute way after the others. Now on the other hand, there were many older men there, that stood out in that heat and did that long walk, stood tall as they could, stood silent. I am proud to say my daughter was with them. I stood there looking at all of them, seeing the pride they held within them, seeing how they moved forward when they must have been tired, and I wondered to myself.....what stories do these men have to tell? What have they done, where have they been? I think that my Gunny would love to meet these men and listen to the history they hold, I know I would.
(don't know why the pictures came out so small, I have tried to redo them and they still come out small, but they are added to her photobucket page link that is on the right)
Sunday, May 27, 2007
MICHIGAN WEEK PARADE
Taylor had been asked to be in the Michigan Week Parade and to ride with The Daughters of the American Revolution. Taylor was excited about this and wanted to know if her brother could ride along with her, the ladies were very kind and said yes he could. This is a huge parade and the weather was beautiful. Well, it was nice for the parade, but on the way there, the 2 ladies and Taylor and Tanner nearly froze to death on the way there in the convertible!
We found out that afterwards, the VFW was having the Grand Rapids District Pipe Band come in and play. If some of you remember, this is the Pipe Band that played at Taylor's Day. We were invited to come in for some food and to listen to the band, and you know how much Taylor loves the bagpipes so we didn't have to be asked twice! They played magnificent and they played Amazing Grace for Taylor, wow!
There was one man, Donnes, who let Taylor hold onto his pipes. Taylor thought it was so cool to do so, until they told her that the pipes were over 140 years old and worth a LOT of money! Give Taylor a machine gun and she is tough as nails, put a set of 140 year old pipes on her and she turned to jelly! She was scared to death and was so glad when he took them from her...........
Friday, May 18, 2007
She's a fighter, article in paper
Taylor was in the Kalamazoo Gazette today.
She is a fighter, giving back
Friday, May 18, 2007
By Sarita Chourey
schourey@kalamazoogazette.com 388-8575
Thirteen-year-old Taylor Batten can say she shot a machine gun.
Well, a simulator, anyway.
During a week at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, the Mendon girl ate meals with Marines at the chow hall, watched a graduation ceremony for the School of Infantry, and zapped enemies as they charged her on a dark screen.
Her goal, she said, is ``just being able to help the guys.''
The Mendon Junior High student had been invited to the base with her mother, while undergoing medical tests at the National Institutes of Health in Maryland and visiting the Naval Medical Center. Taylor has Turner Syndrome, a chromosomal condition that required five sinus surgeries and heart surgery, and left her with chronic-fatigue syndrome, scoliosis and impaired visual-spatial functioning.
Taylor's efforts to comfort wounded Marines last month at Camp Lejeune was good for both the veterans and for her daughter, her mother said.
``It was hard for me to tell who was more excited, Taylor or these guys,'' Cathy Batten said. ``You could just see their whole demeanor change as well.
``Their life right now is dedicated to their wounds, doctors visits, physical therapy. They're not well enough to be back with the guys. They're not well enough to be at home.''
Taylor, who is small for her age, has also volunteered in other ways to help injured veterans. She attends funerals, sends cards and care packages to soldiers stationed abroad. She has also held a blanket drive and sent 150 blankets to soldiers in Iraq.
In October, she was named an honorary U.S. Marine Private First Class and an honorary state-ride captain for the Patriot Guard Riders, an association of motorcyclists who honor fallen soldiers. She was promoted to honorary U.S. Marine sergeant and, most recently, to honorary gunnery sergeant.
``I just really feel like I need to help out,'' Taylor said.
That's why she's started a collection to raise funds for ``Hope for the Warriors.'' The program, initiated by the wife of an injured veteran, provides medical supplies and other support for the wounded.
Taylor has placed collection containers at a restaurant, gas stations and a bank in Mendon. Donations may be sent to Gunnery Sgt. Taylor Batten; P.O. Box 350; Mendon, MI 49072. Checks should be made out to ``Hope for the Warriors.''
She is a fighter, giving back
Friday, May 18, 2007
By Sarita Chourey
schourey@kalamazoogazette.com 388-8575
Thirteen-year-old Taylor Batten can say she shot a machine gun.
Well, a simulator, anyway.
During a week at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, the Mendon girl ate meals with Marines at the chow hall, watched a graduation ceremony for the School of Infantry, and zapped enemies as they charged her on a dark screen.
Her goal, she said, is ``just being able to help the guys.''
The Mendon Junior High student had been invited to the base with her mother, while undergoing medical tests at the National Institutes of Health in Maryland and visiting the Naval Medical Center. Taylor has Turner Syndrome, a chromosomal condition that required five sinus surgeries and heart surgery, and left her with chronic-fatigue syndrome, scoliosis and impaired visual-spatial functioning.
Taylor's efforts to comfort wounded Marines last month at Camp Lejeune was good for both the veterans and for her daughter, her mother said.
``It was hard for me to tell who was more excited, Taylor or these guys,'' Cathy Batten said. ``You could just see their whole demeanor change as well.
``Their life right now is dedicated to their wounds, doctors visits, physical therapy. They're not well enough to be back with the guys. They're not well enough to be at home.''
Taylor, who is small for her age, has also volunteered in other ways to help injured veterans. She attends funerals, sends cards and care packages to soldiers stationed abroad. She has also held a blanket drive and sent 150 blankets to soldiers in Iraq.
In October, she was named an honorary U.S. Marine Private First Class and an honorary state-ride captain for the Patriot Guard Riders, an association of motorcyclists who honor fallen soldiers. She was promoted to honorary U.S. Marine sergeant and, most recently, to honorary gunnery sergeant.
``I just really feel like I need to help out,'' Taylor said.
That's why she's started a collection to raise funds for ``Hope for the Warriors.'' The program, initiated by the wife of an injured veteran, provides medical supplies and other support for the wounded.
Taylor has placed collection containers at a restaurant, gas stations and a bank in Mendon. Donations may be sent to Gunnery Sgt. Taylor Batten; P.O. Box 350; Mendon, MI 49072. Checks should be made out to ``Hope for the Warriors.''
Pictures
I got the pictures loaded onto photobucket today
http://s146.photobucket.com/albums/r257/marinemomb/?action=view&slideshow=true
I will also be adding this to her links section.
http://s146.photobucket.com/albums/r257/marinemomb/?action=view&slideshow=true
I will also be adding this to her links section.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Taylor's story
Ok, here it is. It is long and it might be a bit outdated, as this was the letter that I sent out about her last summer. I will try to go and change a few things to get it up to date though......
Thirteen years ago we were blessed with the birth of Taylor. Such a small little thing when she came into this world, not crying, but just sort of trying to move her eyes around and just so content.On Taylor's second day of life, she was not eating and I had to take her to a nurses station to have her blood sugar checked before I fed her. There was a nurse that was standing there with a sandwich in her hand and the second she saw my daughter, her sandwich was thrown to the ground and Taylor was scooped out of my arms and all I saw was the back of that nurse almost running into another room with my baby in her arms before I could even register that I was standing there empty handed.
My knees just about buckled, but by God, I was not loosing sight of that nurse!!! I ran after her and by the time that I got to her, she already had Taylor hooked up to monitors and an oxygen tent over her head. Talk about your stomach up to your throat, I could not even speak. I just stood there in disbelief, eyes wide, mouth shut.
After this nurse worked on her for what seemed eternity to me, she finally told me that she was not sure what was wrong, but something was. She told me that Taylor had not a right color to her and her instinct told her something was not right. She called in the pediatrician, on a Sunday, and I guess he was not happy. When he entered the nursery, it was with a kick to the door. He did not look at Taylor's chart, he did not even really listen to the nurse, he lifted the oxygen tent and said very clearly, 'There is nothing wrong with this child'. And he started to walk away. That nurse got in front of him and blocked his way. I can't tell you for sure what was said, but the last part we heard loud and clear and she said to him, 'my husband does not talk to me that way and you sure the hell aren't going to either'. Needless to say, that got our attention!
She proceeded to tell him she did not care what his degree said, she had been a nurse in the NICU for 20 some years and there was something wrong with our child. All I can say is thank God for that nurse!!!! Taylor's heart was actually starting to shut down. She had to stay in the hospital for a week before we were able to bring her home, she fought and fought well and her condition improved. But we knew she had to have major heart surgery. From day one my daughter has had to fight and she has had to fight hard, every day of her life. Her struggles are many. Her first surgery was at 6 months old and she has since had to endure 5 others and we know she will have more.
We always felt there was something else going on with her other then just her heart condition. At 10 years old, she already had 4 charts full just at her pediatricians office, not to mention all the specialist we had been bounced around to. She was very small for her age, and never healthy. She struggled with things that came so natural for other kids. To say that she has been medically traumatized by all the testing and poking and prodding and surgeries she has had is just about the biggest understatement there could be.
Finally, when she was 11, I couldn't stand it any longer and insisted that we take her to Mayo Clinic to find out what was wrong with her. I had to take on our insurance company, and I had to fight all the way to the top as well as getting a state Senator involved. I was determined to get her there one way or the other and after months, I won and we were on our way. What we found out there, devastated me at first. It was that double edged sword, you fight to find out what is wrong but once you do, you wish you didn't. After her 4th day there, they had pretty much a diagnosis, but didn't have the blood work to confirm it. Mind you, 4 days there and they knew what it was versus 11 long years of misdiagnosis here. We found out she has a genetic chromosomal disorder. She is actually missing a chromosome. In that missing chromosome, she has lost miles and miles of genetic makeup. She is not mentally impaired like Downs, they actually have an extra chromosome.
We found out that this condition only effects girls and it is extremely rare because only LESS then 1% of these girls are even born. Well what the hell more of a miracle do I need then that? That right there told me just how amazing she is and just how strong she is. In being born, she had already beat the odds. This condition basically effects her from head to toe. The most major problem being her heart. We know she will never be able to have her own children, that eventually her hearing and eyes will more then likely be effected. Her body is resistant to its own growth hormone and that is why she is so small. She is now on growth hormone injections and she is responding to it very well, but she will always be small. Her brain does not wire in some areas as it should and then it has over compensated for it in others.
In neurological testing, her verbal areas are considered to be in the genius level, while her visual spatial areas are in the impaired area. Her kidneys will eventually give her issues. She has chronic fatigue syndrome and is tired a lot. Her bones do not nor will ever have normal density. She has scoliosis. From all the radiation she has had, it has given her brain some slower growth rate. This is just some of the issues she faces. In her short time already, she has faced more and fought more then most adults will their entire life.
Now, onto the amazing part. For what she has had to endure, for the amount of struggles she has had to do, she always has a smile on her face. She is so compassionate and so caring. She has this light about her. I know every parent feels this way about their child, but I kid you not......her light shines just a bit brighter. Ever since Taylor was very young, she has always had a huge fascination with the military. If she saw someone in uniform, it is like she had this respect for them, even before she knew what respect was.
As she has grew, so did the fascination. When the war in Iraq started, she always wanted to do something, I just never knew what we could do. One day, a little over a year ago, the website for www.anysoldier.com was passed onto me. Taylor and I sat down and we read almost every entry from that day. As luck would have it, we came upon a Marine who posted GO BLUE (for the Michigan Wolverines) and that he loved the Detroit Red Wings. That was it, this was her man she choose to send to. She loves her Wolverines, as that is where she had her heart surgery at and she just loves the Wings. She sat down and wrote out a letter to this Marine and then her and I went shopping. I had no idea on really what to get, so I asked her if I put her down in the middle of the field with not even her pooh bear and blankie, what would she want. At 11 years old, she set out on a mission and picked out things that I never would have thought of, and things that were so appropriate!
I wrote a note about her to the Marine, as I wanted him to know about who was sending to him. I told Taylor that we probably would never hear from him, as he had a very important job to do. In Taylor's grown up way of saying things, told me that it was OK, she wasn't doing it for a letter back, she was doing it because it was the right thing to do. 11 YEARS OLD!!!!! Amazing how she seems to get 'it' while most adults don't and never will. We sent off several packages to this Marine and one day, we checked to see if he had any updates and were crushed to find out anysoldier had not heard from him and he was dropped. We knew as well that his time to go home was more then likely close. But, we thought, go onto someone else.
A few days later, a box came for Taylor and I saw the customs form on it so I knew where it came from. I don't know who was more excited, her or I! I got my camera all ready, for her little face was just aglow. She sat down in the middle of the living room floor, surrounded by my husband, my mom, her brother and myself. She opened her box and the first thing she pulled out was a boonie hat with a pin in it that we weren't sure what it was (we later found out that it was the chevron this Marine was promoted to Sergeant with), and Marine shirt. Then she just sort of gasped, and so slowly, pulled out an American flag, folded into a triangle. She said 'mom, look at what I got!' with it, was a certificate that it was flown on a mission in her honor. She just sat there, holding that flag, staring at it. You know, the whole time this was all going on, I had that camera in my hand and never took one picture! I was so enthralled by her and what was happening, I couldn't take my eyes off of her! She never let go of her flag, and I should add that this flag is by far, her most prized possession EVER.
She found a letter and started to read it, holding her flag to her heart as she did. What happened next, I can only describe simply as life altering. She read the letter to us, speaking slowing and clearly. This young Marine told a bit about himself but then talked about her and how special she is. He told her how wonderful it was that she was trying to take care of them while they were out doing their jobs. He told her that her courage was amazing and her spirit was that of a Marine and because of that, he was making her an Honorary United States Marine. When she read that, she looked at me dead in the eye, with a tear rolling down and said in a tone I had never heard before, 'I am a Marine, ooh rah'. With that, I swear, I saw something in her I had never seen. In that moment, that Marine had given my daughter what I had tried to her whole life. Her spirit just grew by leaps and bounds. I could actually not only see something in her, but I could feel it. Needless to say, I was bawling. From that moment on, things have been very different for Taylor. She now faces her challenges head on. Instead of fighting against what is being done to her, she fights for it. I can remember the very first time she had to have something done after this happened, she walked into that room, head held high and chest just puffed out. She got up on that table, she still had tears, but she did it! When it was all done, she jumped off that table and ran to me yelling 'I DID IT I DID IT OOH RAH' All I could get out was OOH RAH baby, because my throat and emotions wouldn't let me say anything else.
The little things that used to frustrate her, just didn't matter any longer. Her whole demeanor was completely different, it was like she wasn't even the same person. Life altering. Her and her Marine have kept in touch through email, and he was thinking of getting out of the Marines as he had been in for 8 years. She just got a surprise from him, he wrote to her and said he had decided to relist, as he liked helping people way to much! He lived in PA and is being transferred to Texas. He made a surprise visit to meet her. I never will be able to give this young man enough praise for what he has done for my child. In his one small gesture, in words on paper, changed our whole lives forever. How do you thank someone for that? And true to form, he claims he is nothing special. I beg to differ!
She has since picked out many others to send to, and even picked out someone from the Army, just to be fair! LOL She has a Marine Major that is keeping in great contact with her through email and it means the world to her, he tells her that her courage is inspiring to him. While my daughter will never be able to join the service, never go through basic training, never get that Eagle Globe and never be able to wear the uniform, in her heart and soul she IS a United States Marine and she IS an American Warrior. I can't even convey on just how proud I am of her for this. Her obstacles are many, but she takes them one at a time.
UPDATE: Ok, most of you all know the things going on for Taylor now from reading the blog. In October, I had to take her to the National Institute of Health in Bethesda for a week's worth of testing. Again, we found out some significant things on her medical condition. Most of them negative, the major one being her heart. We are now working with pediatric cardiologist at the University of Michigan.
It is so incredibly scary, not knowing Taylor's outcome. But, we have taken Taylor's cue and we are looking at the positive side of things. Taylor has survived already what most children with her condition don't. She has the compassion of 1,000 people all rolled into one little body, she has a deep understanding that most of us never will.
She loves her country on a level that is almost mind boggling and her desire to be there to help out her troops is like no one we have ever met.
We now believe, Taylor has a purpose in life. She is being shown her path and she is not only following it, she is charging full force and bringing many along for the ride. How many can honestly say they knew at such a young age what they were to do with their life? I am an adult and I still don't know! Taylor has a mission, and it includes healing the many she can reach out and touch. This in turn, helps her get stronger to fight her daily battle. We are very proud of Taylor and are so happy that we have her to share with you all.
Thirteen years ago we were blessed with the birth of Taylor. Such a small little thing when she came into this world, not crying, but just sort of trying to move her eyes around and just so content.On Taylor's second day of life, she was not eating and I had to take her to a nurses station to have her blood sugar checked before I fed her. There was a nurse that was standing there with a sandwich in her hand and the second she saw my daughter, her sandwich was thrown to the ground and Taylor was scooped out of my arms and all I saw was the back of that nurse almost running into another room with my baby in her arms before I could even register that I was standing there empty handed.
My knees just about buckled, but by God, I was not loosing sight of that nurse!!! I ran after her and by the time that I got to her, she already had Taylor hooked up to monitors and an oxygen tent over her head. Talk about your stomach up to your throat, I could not even speak. I just stood there in disbelief, eyes wide, mouth shut.
After this nurse worked on her for what seemed eternity to me, she finally told me that she was not sure what was wrong, but something was. She told me that Taylor had not a right color to her and her instinct told her something was not right. She called in the pediatrician, on a Sunday, and I guess he was not happy. When he entered the nursery, it was with a kick to the door. He did not look at Taylor's chart, he did not even really listen to the nurse, he lifted the oxygen tent and said very clearly, 'There is nothing wrong with this child'. And he started to walk away. That nurse got in front of him and blocked his way. I can't tell you for sure what was said, but the last part we heard loud and clear and she said to him, 'my husband does not talk to me that way and you sure the hell aren't going to either'. Needless to say, that got our attention!
She proceeded to tell him she did not care what his degree said, she had been a nurse in the NICU for 20 some years and there was something wrong with our child. All I can say is thank God for that nurse!!!! Taylor's heart was actually starting to shut down. She had to stay in the hospital for a week before we were able to bring her home, she fought and fought well and her condition improved. But we knew she had to have major heart surgery. From day one my daughter has had to fight and she has had to fight hard, every day of her life. Her struggles are many. Her first surgery was at 6 months old and she has since had to endure 5 others and we know she will have more.
We always felt there was something else going on with her other then just her heart condition. At 10 years old, she already had 4 charts full just at her pediatricians office, not to mention all the specialist we had been bounced around to. She was very small for her age, and never healthy. She struggled with things that came so natural for other kids. To say that she has been medically traumatized by all the testing and poking and prodding and surgeries she has had is just about the biggest understatement there could be.
Finally, when she was 11, I couldn't stand it any longer and insisted that we take her to Mayo Clinic to find out what was wrong with her. I had to take on our insurance company, and I had to fight all the way to the top as well as getting a state Senator involved. I was determined to get her there one way or the other and after months, I won and we were on our way. What we found out there, devastated me at first. It was that double edged sword, you fight to find out what is wrong but once you do, you wish you didn't. After her 4th day there, they had pretty much a diagnosis, but didn't have the blood work to confirm it. Mind you, 4 days there and they knew what it was versus 11 long years of misdiagnosis here. We found out she has a genetic chromosomal disorder. She is actually missing a chromosome. In that missing chromosome, she has lost miles and miles of genetic makeup. She is not mentally impaired like Downs, they actually have an extra chromosome.
We found out that this condition only effects girls and it is extremely rare because only LESS then 1% of these girls are even born. Well what the hell more of a miracle do I need then that? That right there told me just how amazing she is and just how strong she is. In being born, she had already beat the odds. This condition basically effects her from head to toe. The most major problem being her heart. We know she will never be able to have her own children, that eventually her hearing and eyes will more then likely be effected. Her body is resistant to its own growth hormone and that is why she is so small. She is now on growth hormone injections and she is responding to it very well, but she will always be small. Her brain does not wire in some areas as it should and then it has over compensated for it in others.
In neurological testing, her verbal areas are considered to be in the genius level, while her visual spatial areas are in the impaired area. Her kidneys will eventually give her issues. She has chronic fatigue syndrome and is tired a lot. Her bones do not nor will ever have normal density. She has scoliosis. From all the radiation she has had, it has given her brain some slower growth rate. This is just some of the issues she faces. In her short time already, she has faced more and fought more then most adults will their entire life.
Now, onto the amazing part. For what she has had to endure, for the amount of struggles she has had to do, she always has a smile on her face. She is so compassionate and so caring. She has this light about her. I know every parent feels this way about their child, but I kid you not......her light shines just a bit brighter. Ever since Taylor was very young, she has always had a huge fascination with the military. If she saw someone in uniform, it is like she had this respect for them, even before she knew what respect was.
As she has grew, so did the fascination. When the war in Iraq started, she always wanted to do something, I just never knew what we could do. One day, a little over a year ago, the website for www.anysoldier.com was passed onto me. Taylor and I sat down and we read almost every entry from that day. As luck would have it, we came upon a Marine who posted GO BLUE (for the Michigan Wolverines) and that he loved the Detroit Red Wings. That was it, this was her man she choose to send to. She loves her Wolverines, as that is where she had her heart surgery at and she just loves the Wings. She sat down and wrote out a letter to this Marine and then her and I went shopping. I had no idea on really what to get, so I asked her if I put her down in the middle of the field with not even her pooh bear and blankie, what would she want. At 11 years old, she set out on a mission and picked out things that I never would have thought of, and things that were so appropriate!
I wrote a note about her to the Marine, as I wanted him to know about who was sending to him. I told Taylor that we probably would never hear from him, as he had a very important job to do. In Taylor's grown up way of saying things, told me that it was OK, she wasn't doing it for a letter back, she was doing it because it was the right thing to do. 11 YEARS OLD!!!!! Amazing how she seems to get 'it' while most adults don't and never will. We sent off several packages to this Marine and one day, we checked to see if he had any updates and were crushed to find out anysoldier had not heard from him and he was dropped. We knew as well that his time to go home was more then likely close. But, we thought, go onto someone else.
A few days later, a box came for Taylor and I saw the customs form on it so I knew where it came from. I don't know who was more excited, her or I! I got my camera all ready, for her little face was just aglow. She sat down in the middle of the living room floor, surrounded by my husband, my mom, her brother and myself. She opened her box and the first thing she pulled out was a boonie hat with a pin in it that we weren't sure what it was (we later found out that it was the chevron this Marine was promoted to Sergeant with), and Marine shirt. Then she just sort of gasped, and so slowly, pulled out an American flag, folded into a triangle. She said 'mom, look at what I got!' with it, was a certificate that it was flown on a mission in her honor. She just sat there, holding that flag, staring at it. You know, the whole time this was all going on, I had that camera in my hand and never took one picture! I was so enthralled by her and what was happening, I couldn't take my eyes off of her! She never let go of her flag, and I should add that this flag is by far, her most prized possession EVER.
She found a letter and started to read it, holding her flag to her heart as she did. What happened next, I can only describe simply as life altering. She read the letter to us, speaking slowing and clearly. This young Marine told a bit about himself but then talked about her and how special she is. He told her how wonderful it was that she was trying to take care of them while they were out doing their jobs. He told her that her courage was amazing and her spirit was that of a Marine and because of that, he was making her an Honorary United States Marine. When she read that, she looked at me dead in the eye, with a tear rolling down and said in a tone I had never heard before, 'I am a Marine, ooh rah'. With that, I swear, I saw something in her I had never seen. In that moment, that Marine had given my daughter what I had tried to her whole life. Her spirit just grew by leaps and bounds. I could actually not only see something in her, but I could feel it. Needless to say, I was bawling. From that moment on, things have been very different for Taylor. She now faces her challenges head on. Instead of fighting against what is being done to her, she fights for it. I can remember the very first time she had to have something done after this happened, she walked into that room, head held high and chest just puffed out. She got up on that table, she still had tears, but she did it! When it was all done, she jumped off that table and ran to me yelling 'I DID IT I DID IT OOH RAH' All I could get out was OOH RAH baby, because my throat and emotions wouldn't let me say anything else.
The little things that used to frustrate her, just didn't matter any longer. Her whole demeanor was completely different, it was like she wasn't even the same person. Life altering. Her and her Marine have kept in touch through email, and he was thinking of getting out of the Marines as he had been in for 8 years. She just got a surprise from him, he wrote to her and said he had decided to relist, as he liked helping people way to much! He lived in PA and is being transferred to Texas. He made a surprise visit to meet her. I never will be able to give this young man enough praise for what he has done for my child. In his one small gesture, in words on paper, changed our whole lives forever. How do you thank someone for that? And true to form, he claims he is nothing special. I beg to differ!
She has since picked out many others to send to, and even picked out someone from the Army, just to be fair! LOL She has a Marine Major that is keeping in great contact with her through email and it means the world to her, he tells her that her courage is inspiring to him. While my daughter will never be able to join the service, never go through basic training, never get that Eagle Globe and never be able to wear the uniform, in her heart and soul she IS a United States Marine and she IS an American Warrior. I can't even convey on just how proud I am of her for this. Her obstacles are many, but she takes them one at a time.
UPDATE: Ok, most of you all know the things going on for Taylor now from reading the blog. In October, I had to take her to the National Institute of Health in Bethesda for a week's worth of testing. Again, we found out some significant things on her medical condition. Most of them negative, the major one being her heart. We are now working with pediatric cardiologist at the University of Michigan.
It is so incredibly scary, not knowing Taylor's outcome. But, we have taken Taylor's cue and we are looking at the positive side of things. Taylor has survived already what most children with her condition don't. She has the compassion of 1,000 people all rolled into one little body, she has a deep understanding that most of us never will.
She loves her country on a level that is almost mind boggling and her desire to be there to help out her troops is like no one we have ever met.
We now believe, Taylor has a purpose in life. She is being shown her path and she is not only following it, she is charging full force and bringing many along for the ride. How many can honestly say they knew at such a young age what they were to do with their life? I am an adult and I still don't know! Taylor has a mission, and it includes healing the many she can reach out and touch. This in turn, helps her get stronger to fight her daily battle. We are very proud of Taylor and are so happy that we have her to share with you all.
Gunny on the airwaves
Well, we just got back from Taylor doing her talk on WNWN this morning. They were very busy, and it was just Kim on the air. We think that Tim got scared when he knew that a 13 year old Marine was coming in.....maybe he thought she was gunna be to tough on him?! Anyways, he was out sick and he is the one that had all the info! GO FIGURE! LOL Kim did a great job, and Taylor got to speak for a few minutes and she did a great job as well. We are hoping to have reached some listeners.
I will post the pictures from this morning once I get them downloaded. I have also been asked to put Taylor's WHOLE story on here from beginning to what is going on now, as some people are just now learning of her and haven't heard it all. So, I will also try to get that done maybe later on tonight.
Taylor's new fund raising is for www.anysoldier.com and if you are able to help her out, that would be great. There are 2 ways to do this. First, anysoldier runs on donations alone. They are a point of contact for just about 3/4 of our deployed troops. This is THE place to go to get information on who to send to, where to send it to and how. You get to pick and choose who you want, from any branch. They need our help in keeping this going. So, sending checks made out to ANYSOLDIER, INC would be great. You can send it to,
GySgt. Taylor Batten
P.O. Box 350
Mendon, MI 49072
We will then after a bit of time and collecting, will send those all onto ANYSOLDIER's president.
You can also help out your troops by visiting there, going to the tab WHERE TO SEND and there will be a menu on the left hand side that has the contacts names on there. Click on one and it will show you the correspondence from them. Send off a care package to our American Warriors who are doing the fight, for our country, for the betterment of the world. It doesn't matter if you support this war or not, what matters is that you support your troops and that it is done in anyway possible.
(Taylor is also still collecting for www.hopeforthewarriors.org and will do so until the end of the month)
I will post the pictures from this morning once I get them downloaded. I have also been asked to put Taylor's WHOLE story on here from beginning to what is going on now, as some people are just now learning of her and haven't heard it all. So, I will also try to get that done maybe later on tonight.
Taylor's new fund raising is for www.anysoldier.com and if you are able to help her out, that would be great. There are 2 ways to do this. First, anysoldier runs on donations alone. They are a point of contact for just about 3/4 of our deployed troops. This is THE place to go to get information on who to send to, where to send it to and how. You get to pick and choose who you want, from any branch. They need our help in keeping this going. So, sending checks made out to ANYSOLDIER, INC would be great. You can send it to,
GySgt. Taylor Batten
P.O. Box 350
Mendon, MI 49072
We will then after a bit of time and collecting, will send those all onto ANYSOLDIER's president.
You can also help out your troops by visiting there, going to the tab WHERE TO SEND and there will be a menu on the left hand side that has the contacts names on there. Click on one and it will show you the correspondence from them. Send off a care package to our American Warriors who are doing the fight, for our country, for the betterment of the world. It doesn't matter if you support this war or not, what matters is that you support your troops and that it is done in anyway possible.
(Taylor is also still collecting for www.hopeforthewarriors.org and will do so until the end of the month)
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Gunny on the radio
GySgt. Taylor will be on the radio, WNWN 98.5, tomorrow 5-17-07. Not sure exactly what they will be talking about, but one will be her new fund raising for www.anysoldier.com While Taylor is still collecting money for www.hopeforthewarriors.org she has been doing this for a few weeks and it has come a long nicely it is almost time to wrap that up and she will be then campaigning for anysoldier.
It was through www.anysoldier.com that Taylor had the blessing of her first encounter with Sgt. Pavlowski (he is the one that sent her a flag from Iraq and made her the honorary Marine and that was the start of the 'change' in Taylor) Anysoldier.com is very close to our hearts. They are the point of contact for just about all (not all, but pretty darn close!) troops deployed and they represent every branch. This site makes sure that the troops can tell us back at home how they are doing and what they need. This is also how she came to know of Major Pain (Major Bourland) and I know most of you will remember he is the one that gave her the surprise of her life while she was at The National Institue of Health last October for her medical testing.
So, if you are in the area and can hear 98.5, tune in from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. and hear what the Gunny has to say!
It was through www.anysoldier.com that Taylor had the blessing of her first encounter with Sgt. Pavlowski (he is the one that sent her a flag from Iraq and made her the honorary Marine and that was the start of the 'change' in Taylor) Anysoldier.com is very close to our hearts. They are the point of contact for just about all (not all, but pretty darn close!) troops deployed and they represent every branch. This site makes sure that the troops can tell us back at home how they are doing and what they need. This is also how she came to know of Major Pain (Major Bourland) and I know most of you will remember he is the one that gave her the surprise of her life while she was at The National Institue of Health last October for her medical testing.
So, if you are in the area and can hear 98.5, tune in from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. and hear what the Gunny has to say!
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Congratulations to Shannon Maxwell
Shannon Maxwell, co founder of Hope For the Warriors and Lt. Col. Tim Maxwell's wife, was invited to The White House and she was given an award by the President. http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=45999
If you remember, this is the wonderful family that opened their home and their hearts to Taylor and I and made it possible for us to be at Camp Lejeune for Taylor's wonderful week. Congratulations Shannon, you have worked harder then anyone I have ever met and you deserve this!
This Saturday, 5-19-07, Taylor has been invited to be in the Michigan Parade in Sturgis Michigan. This is a very big parade and she is pretty excited about it. Her dad thinks that he and Tanner will possibly walk behind the car that she will be in and carry a Patriot Guard Banner. We were asked if any of the Patriot Guard Riders would like to be in the parade with her, but they would have to walk instead of be on their bikes and so far, that didn't get a favorable reception, so dad and Tanner will try to represent on foot!
Hopefully, next Monday, 5-21-07, she will be air with WNWN promoting www.anysoldier.com and www.hopeforthewarrior.org She will be able to spread the word of doing the right thing, just because it is the right thing to do. I will keep you all posted and let you know the date and time for sure on that one.
If you remember, this is the wonderful family that opened their home and their hearts to Taylor and I and made it possible for us to be at Camp Lejeune for Taylor's wonderful week. Congratulations Shannon, you have worked harder then anyone I have ever met and you deserve this!
This Saturday, 5-19-07, Taylor has been invited to be in the Michigan Parade in Sturgis Michigan. This is a very big parade and she is pretty excited about it. Her dad thinks that he and Tanner will possibly walk behind the car that she will be in and carry a Patriot Guard Banner. We were asked if any of the Patriot Guard Riders would like to be in the parade with her, but they would have to walk instead of be on their bikes and so far, that didn't get a favorable reception, so dad and Tanner will try to represent on foot!
Hopefully, next Monday, 5-21-07, she will be air with WNWN promoting www.anysoldier.com and www.hopeforthewarrior.org She will be able to spread the word of doing the right thing, just because it is the right thing to do. I will keep you all posted and let you know the date and time for sure on that one.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Gunny Taylor, the criminal!
We did some hugging at the Wounded Warrior Barracks, being told this is not goodbye that we will see everyone again. It was hard for Taylor and I. We were leaving so many people who didn't just say HI to us, but to so many that opened their lives to us and made us feel like we were family. It was exciting to know we were coming home to see Tanner and his dad, but just so sad in what we were leaving.
Taylor was quiet as Sgt. Coon and his family drove us to the airport. I could feel the tears starting to well up again and I looked at Taylor and she felt the same way. Once it was just her and I, we talked just a tiny bit about what had happened that week and Taylor just said it was literally the best time of her entire life.
We walked to go through security, I made it through but as it was Taylor's turn the alarms went off. She had a bit of a startled look, but we thought that it just might be her chevrons. We took them off and she went through it again, alarms go off again. Taylor started going through her pockets and out she pulled a spent blank shell casing she had gotten while she was at MOUT. She had put it in her side pocket of her cammie pants and we never gave it another thought. As soon as she pulled it out, we were immediately swarmed by the security people. I still had a semi smile on my face, not thinking this was a serious matter. I tried and I say TRIED to start to tell what it was from and why and I got shut down, yelled at that Taylor broke the law and they were calling the FBI. WHAT?! They took Taylor off behind the glass wall and wouldn't let me go in there with her. I turned around and tried and I say TRIED again to explain where Taylor had been, why she had been there, why she had a blank casing. Again, I was shut down and couldn't get anything out. I looked over at Taylor and there she was, spread eagle, terrified. I could actually see her shaking. Then I kicked into MOM mode and immediately started talking of her health condition and her heart and how she is to avoid stressful situations and.....again.......before I could get anything out.......shut down. I was told nothing mattered, Taylor broke the law and we could go to jail. WHAT?! I tried to get into Taylor again and I was stopped again. I had to actually yell to her that it was OK, we were OK. Not one of those people took the time to explain to her what they were doing or why. All she knew is that she set off an alarm, they pulled her away from me and she was being patted down criminal style. OK, forget her being a tough Marine, she is a sick CHILD and they did not care.
She was humiliated and terrified. They didn't talk to her, all she heard was them yelling at me that SHE didn't matter, what mattered was we broke the law and that her mom was getting yelled at. I was so shocked, I kept saying over and over again 'we are sorry, we didn't know, please let me get to my child' Finally, when the one guy turned his back to me, I slipped into the opening where they had Taylor and the lady said out loud, 'she is clear'. I grabbed Taylor and hugged her. I then turned around and the guy held up her shell casing and looked right at her and said, 'you aren't getting this back, but you can go'.
All I wanted to do was get her out of there and get her calmed down. I grabbed her stuff and we walked away, in shock over how she was just treated. I couldn't believe they as adults, did not view her as the child she is. I couldn't believe that these adults could hear me trying to plead that she has a major medical condition and they would hear no part of it. I honestly don't even think I got a full sentence out the whole time because as soon as I started, I was talked over to and loudly.
There was a lady behind us and when we got to the gate and I got Taylor sat down, she came up to me and said she flew a lot and she had never seen anything like that. I felt so incredibly bad for Taylor. Here she just told me not even 10 minutes earlier that she had the time of her life and she was feeling so strong. Now, she was broken emotionally and this was going to be what really stuck in her head and her heart.
We got on the plane and then I got mad, I got really mad. When we got home and opened our suitcases, the only word I can use is that they had been ransacked by security. I had many things that were breakable and I had them wrapped up nice and neat in the clothing so they would be safe. In our suitcase was a notice that our bags were searched. Nothing was put away safe as it was found. Things were broken. Nice huh?
I made several phone calls when we got home and I finally was able to talk to the guy that is head of the security. I just wanted to know if this was the way all children were treated, especially ones with significant medical conditions. I won't go all in detail on what was said, but I have a feeling it is going no where because he told me he would call me back once he talked to the people that were involved to find out and I quote 'what really happened'.
Our good friend Jimmy BEAGLE K picked us up from the airport at midnight, now mind you Taylor had been up since 6:30 a.m. with only 2 hours of sleep. Jim and his wife let us stay at their house for the night so Kevin and Tanner didn't have to drive over 2 hours to get to us so late at night. Once we were alone, I won't say how, but Taylor finally let out how scared she was and how upset she was. Once I got her calmed down, before her head even hit the pillow she was asleep. And she slept hard and didn't wake up until after 10.
Once she was able to show off her collection of everything she got while at Camp Lejeune and she showed him some of her pictures, she felt better.
As time as gone by, she doesn't talk about 'the incident' as much but she is still greatly bothered by it as am I. I am very thankful for our security agents, I want to know that when I get on that plane I and my child are safe. The pain of what happened on 9-11 has never diminished and I never want that to happen again, so I am thankful for them for that. However, where in the hell is their compassion and common sense at when it comes to a child? I will keep talking to the man in charge, if anything, so they are aware that there are some times that sensitivity just has to be used.
We don't focus on it when Taylor is around, for I don't want that to be a reminder to her of how her magical week ended. I learned that a spent blank casing is considered ammunition and apparently, some very serious security agents just don't care who they are dealing with, everyone is treated the same.
When we got home, Taylor went to her room and just hugged on her bear and said,' I am so glad we aren't in jail'. I said 'me to honey, I wasn't sure on how I would explain that one to your teachers!'
Taylor was quiet as Sgt. Coon and his family drove us to the airport. I could feel the tears starting to well up again and I looked at Taylor and she felt the same way. Once it was just her and I, we talked just a tiny bit about what had happened that week and Taylor just said it was literally the best time of her entire life.
We walked to go through security, I made it through but as it was Taylor's turn the alarms went off. She had a bit of a startled look, but we thought that it just might be her chevrons. We took them off and she went through it again, alarms go off again. Taylor started going through her pockets and out she pulled a spent blank shell casing she had gotten while she was at MOUT. She had put it in her side pocket of her cammie pants and we never gave it another thought. As soon as she pulled it out, we were immediately swarmed by the security people. I still had a semi smile on my face, not thinking this was a serious matter. I tried and I say TRIED to start to tell what it was from and why and I got shut down, yelled at that Taylor broke the law and they were calling the FBI. WHAT?! They took Taylor off behind the glass wall and wouldn't let me go in there with her. I turned around and tried and I say TRIED again to explain where Taylor had been, why she had been there, why she had a blank casing. Again, I was shut down and couldn't get anything out. I looked over at Taylor and there she was, spread eagle, terrified. I could actually see her shaking. Then I kicked into MOM mode and immediately started talking of her health condition and her heart and how she is to avoid stressful situations and.....again.......before I could get anything out.......shut down. I was told nothing mattered, Taylor broke the law and we could go to jail. WHAT?! I tried to get into Taylor again and I was stopped again. I had to actually yell to her that it was OK, we were OK. Not one of those people took the time to explain to her what they were doing or why. All she knew is that she set off an alarm, they pulled her away from me and she was being patted down criminal style. OK, forget her being a tough Marine, she is a sick CHILD and they did not care.
She was humiliated and terrified. They didn't talk to her, all she heard was them yelling at me that SHE didn't matter, what mattered was we broke the law and that her mom was getting yelled at. I was so shocked, I kept saying over and over again 'we are sorry, we didn't know, please let me get to my child' Finally, when the one guy turned his back to me, I slipped into the opening where they had Taylor and the lady said out loud, 'she is clear'. I grabbed Taylor and hugged her. I then turned around and the guy held up her shell casing and looked right at her and said, 'you aren't getting this back, but you can go'.
All I wanted to do was get her out of there and get her calmed down. I grabbed her stuff and we walked away, in shock over how she was just treated. I couldn't believe they as adults, did not view her as the child she is. I couldn't believe that these adults could hear me trying to plead that she has a major medical condition and they would hear no part of it. I honestly don't even think I got a full sentence out the whole time because as soon as I started, I was talked over to and loudly.
There was a lady behind us and when we got to the gate and I got Taylor sat down, she came up to me and said she flew a lot and she had never seen anything like that. I felt so incredibly bad for Taylor. Here she just told me not even 10 minutes earlier that she had the time of her life and she was feeling so strong. Now, she was broken emotionally and this was going to be what really stuck in her head and her heart.
We got on the plane and then I got mad, I got really mad. When we got home and opened our suitcases, the only word I can use is that they had been ransacked by security. I had many things that were breakable and I had them wrapped up nice and neat in the clothing so they would be safe. In our suitcase was a notice that our bags were searched. Nothing was put away safe as it was found. Things were broken. Nice huh?
I made several phone calls when we got home and I finally was able to talk to the guy that is head of the security. I just wanted to know if this was the way all children were treated, especially ones with significant medical conditions. I won't go all in detail on what was said, but I have a feeling it is going no where because he told me he would call me back once he talked to the people that were involved to find out and I quote 'what really happened'.
Our good friend Jimmy BEAGLE K picked us up from the airport at midnight, now mind you Taylor had been up since 6:30 a.m. with only 2 hours of sleep. Jim and his wife let us stay at their house for the night so Kevin and Tanner didn't have to drive over 2 hours to get to us so late at night. Once we were alone, I won't say how, but Taylor finally let out how scared she was and how upset she was. Once I got her calmed down, before her head even hit the pillow she was asleep. And she slept hard and didn't wake up until after 10.
Once she was able to show off her collection of everything she got while at Camp Lejeune and she showed him some of her pictures, she felt better.
As time as gone by, she doesn't talk about 'the incident' as much but she is still greatly bothered by it as am I. I am very thankful for our security agents, I want to know that when I get on that plane I and my child are safe. The pain of what happened on 9-11 has never diminished and I never want that to happen again, so I am thankful for them for that. However, where in the hell is their compassion and common sense at when it comes to a child? I will keep talking to the man in charge, if anything, so they are aware that there are some times that sensitivity just has to be used.
We don't focus on it when Taylor is around, for I don't want that to be a reminder to her of how her magical week ended. I learned that a spent blank casing is considered ammunition and apparently, some very serious security agents just don't care who they are dealing with, everyone is treated the same.
When we got home, Taylor went to her room and just hugged on her bear and said,' I am so glad we aren't in jail'. I said 'me to honey, I wasn't sure on how I would explain that one to your teachers!'
Monday, May 7, 2007
Last day, part 2
Once we were done at the Air Station, we were able to just drive around the base and see things. One thing that we got to see that was extremely special was The Beirut Wall. This was made in honor of those that died from Camp Lejeune from the bombing at Beirut. While it is not as massive as the Vietnam Wall, we were easily overcome with emotion looking at the names and knowing why they were on there. Sgt. Coon also explained to us that down a highway on base, there is a place where there are trees planted in the median for each name on the wall.
Off to the side of it was something that needed no explanation, a beam from one of the World Trade Centers. Reading the plague, seeing the steel beam and knowing we are today in this world where we are because of what happened that day, again, we were over come with emotion. Both of these monuments are very powerful and very moving. While they are not in Washington with the other monuments, if you ever have a chance, both of them are something you should see and experience.
We drove around some more and then headed back to the Wounded Warrior Barracks. It was bittersweet as both Taylor and I knew this was our last time there. (for this visit anyways, we sure do hope to come back!)
We were able to joke around with the guys and Sgt. 'Zing' just started harrassing Taylor where he had left off from the last time she saw him. She finally looked at him and bellowed out to drop and give her 20! Boy, he stood at attention and squared himself right away, then he went down and started to count off. Not good enough for the Gunny! She crouched down to make sure he was doing it the Marine way! The guys standing around just howled, but they didn't dare mess with her in fear they were next! I have a few pictures that are just priceless of this.
We did not say good bye to anyone, because we were told that Marines don't say goodbye, as we know we will meet again. We did not get to give our hugs to some that we really wanted to though, so this will be our excuse to try to get back down for a visit again soon.
I know there are other things that we saw and did and I need time to have them all come back to me. So many people were involved in making sure that Taylor was given the royal treatment, but most important, that she felt like a Marine amongst her peers, her fellow Marines. To everyone who worked on this, thank you so much. To those that talked with Taylor and took the time for her, thank you so much. To those of you who didn't treat her like a kid just there for the novelty of it, but treated her like a fellow warrior, thank you so much. I could go on and on, but I really want you all to know how much this was appreciated on so many different levels and for so many different reasons.
As a mom, I will never be able to really give the exact meaning this all had for Taylor. I will never be able to tell just how changed she is, from the inside. What she had gained this week doing what she did and being around who she was, there really is no way to describe it.
Last Day, part 1
This was Taylor's last day and it started out rough. She was up the whole night before until 4 a.m. with her stomach and then had to get up at 6:30 a.m. to say her good byes to the Maxwell children. This was hard for her as she bonded with them. She got to do some exciting things today and even though she was exhausted, there was no way she was going to miss out on any of it. Taylor was taken to the Air Station and they had pulled out a 53 and an Osprey just for her! These things are HUGE. She learned all about them and got to tour them, however the cockpit of the Osprey scared her on what she shouldn't touch and she opted to just 'look' instead of sit up there. All the time we were out there, 53's and Osprey's were coming and going and it was loud, but simply amazing to watch. For those of you that don't know what an Osprey is, it can have it's props down and fly like a plane or they can tilt up and fly like a helicopter.
As with everyone she came in contact with, these guys were the best. They took their time in explaining things to her and showing her things. They even took her into the gear room and she saw stuff the pilots wear and just how heavy they are (she could barely lift up the vest). She got to look through the night vision goggles they wear, only Taylor knows the funny faces we were all doing at her!
She then went off to look at the Hueys and Cobras that just came back from Iraq. The lure of sitting in the cockpit of these were just to much for her and she couldn't help herself, she jumped right in. I have to say, she looked pretty darn tough in that Cobra! Once again, these guys were awesome with her!
She got loaded down with tons of patches, shirts and other special gifts, including her own name tags and a flight bag with her call sign on it, MIGHTY MITE. They had embroidered it all up for her on the flight bag, her name, and her call name in bright pink on the Marine green bag....way to cool!
She then had the special treat of flying the sims of the 53 and Osprey. Words do no justice to just how cool these things are and just how real they are. Taylor did an amazing job in the Osprey, she in fact handled it like a pro. She got to refuel with a C 130 and land on a ship out in the ocean as a helicopter then take off from it as a plane. She then got to fly over the MOUT where she had been just a few days earlier and land in a soccer field right next to it. Everyone had a great time with this. The 53 was way harder for her to handle and master and there were several times I literally had to cover my eyes and I am not kidding! The instructors were great, but I know the one for the 53 was thanking his lucky stars it was just a sim!!!
One of the people who helped get this going for Taylor was Crystal. As we were walking from one sim to another, we happened to walk by a Mustang. Taylor told everyone that was her all time favorite car and Crystal said 'hang on' She went inside and came back out carrying keys. She informed Taylor that the Mustang was hers and that the 'girls' were going for a ride to the other sim. Girls with no fear + Mustang = VERY FAST! I do believe we might have even heard a YAH HOO as they took off!
Taylor was getting tired, but she fought on. All this was so special and never in a million years would I think that she could go on 2 hours sleep like she did and keep smiling and wanting to do more. She knew this was her last day and she wanted to soak it all in.
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Change of Command
Taylor had an easy day compared to the others, she had a chance to sleep in and then she spent a whole morning looking at Lt. Col. Maxwell's photos and listening to him talk about 'back in the day'. If you look at the picture and see the smile on her face, what else can I add to that?! I think she soaked in each word he said to her and she was in awe. I really enjoyed just sitting back and watching those 2 together. Both of them, sitting together, 2 miracles.
We then went to see the Change of the Command of 24 MEU. Colonel Johnson is moving on to Washington and has had a promotion. It was very interesting to watch, as well as to see all the people there. I know that NO Marine would ever brag about this, but remember, I am the Mom so I can brag! Taylor was coined by a 2 star General and I almost had to pull her back down to the ground after that! She was able to meet many more of the higher ranking Marines and shake many hands. Nothing melts the heart of a mom more then watching these tough guys become so gentle and their faces soften as they talked with Taylor.
We were able to go back and spend some time at the Wounded Warrior Barracks again for awhile before we went off to the Officers Club for the reception. The time Taylor spent at the WWB meant so much. While her wounds are different then what they have gotten and her wounds are from a different type of battle, her soul is like theirs. I think sometimes people tend to look at Taylor as that sick child, I know I do at times. I know that when people look at a Wounded Warrior, they see just that, the obvious wound. What is hard for people to see once they have seen that is that Taylor and these guys are human. They are not a sickness nor are they a wound. There are some bonds that most of the general population will never get, no matter how hard we try to understand it or how much we think we do in fact feel it. If you have never had a very serious life threatening illness, you don't know what it is like. If you have never been severely wounded, you don't know what it is like. If you never have been in battle, you don't know what it is like. These guys have that bond, and Taylor shares it with them. Believe me when I say this, if she could spend every day with them, she would. Being around these guys, gave her so much more then I could ever do. For that very reason, it was hard for me to bring her home. I watched her flourish there, I watched a new type of strong come out of her and these Marines gave that to her. I hope they got from her as well. Please remember, if you can, help Taylor in her mission on helping out.
We then went to the Officers Club for the reception for Colonel Johnson and Taylor was able to meet him again, along with 'networking'. Many business cards were passed our way with us being asked to promise to keep these guys up on how Taylor is doing and what she is doing. Again, I think I had to pull her down to earth a bit! She was in her element!
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