New York Giants Official Website

Inspirational Visit
Giants make trip to Walter Reed Army Medical Center
By Michael Eisen, Giants.com

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MAY 1, 2008

WASHINGTON - Leave it to Tom Coughlin to add perspective to a story.

Justin Bleill is a 31-year-old U.S. Marine who seems to have a smile permanently chiseled into his face, a condition that doesn't change despite the fact that he lost both his legs in Iraq and now walks with prosthetics. Bleill was even more upbeat than usual on Wednesday, when he stood in the new Military Advanced Training Center in the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The Super Bowl champion Giants visited the hospital, and perhaps two dozen players and coaches were in the training center, talking with wounded soldiers and listening to their stories. Bleill, a football lover and fervent fan of his hometown Indianapolis Colts, was saying how much he respected the Giants for overcoming the odds, the doubters and the undefeated New England Patriots to win Super Bowl XLII. He spoke of the Giants in almost heroic terms.

Coughlin, the Giants' head coach, patiently listened to Bleill for several minutes before jabbing him gently in the chest and softly saying, "You are the real heroes."

And so it went in a remarkable 75-minute session at Walter Reed. The Giants' party, which was feted later by President Bush at the White House, split into three groups. One visited patients on Ward 57, another on Ward 58. A third went to the training center, a 31,000 square-foot facility that offers rehabilitating soldiers cutting edge equipment to help with their recovery. The young men and women, many having lost one or both legs, or perhaps an arm, or suffered another grave injury, told the Giants how impressed and proud they were of what they had accomplished earlier this year.

And the players and coaches - who listened, hugged, shook hands and signed autographs - told them it was nothing compared to what they had sacrificed for our country.

"The hospital visit was very moving," Coughlin said. "I was very, very impressed by the attitude of the soldiers. They're positive. Most of the guys had a smile on their face, despite the fact that they could be six or eight months longer in the hospital. To see these real heroes and the sacrifices they've made for all of us, they were thanking us and we were thanking them."

"It was a great experience," tackle Kareem McKenzie said. "I had a chance to talk to some people that have done some amazing things and to hear their stories about what they went through overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan. I let them know how much we appreciate what they've done for us and all the trials and tribulations they went through to sacrifice for us. And to give them some positive reinforcement and let them know we're thankful for what they've done and encourage them to get better, to be well and continue fighting on in their lives.

"It's very tough (to see such grave injuries). To see the circumstances under which they've been injured and to realize that some of the people here that are hurt are younger than me or the same age, it's difficult. We have a privileged life to a certain extent to be able to enjoy the freedoms and liberties that we have here. To have people make the choice to join the armed forces and to go overseas and fight speaks to their character and their loyalty. It's amazing."

Bleill's story was one of many that moved the Giants. He graduated from Purdue University and entered the workforce. But at age 27 he felt a longing to do something more with his life, so he joined the Marine Corps. He was deployed to Iraq in September 2006. A month later...well, let him tell the story.

"I was in Falluja," Bleill said. "We were doing patrols, got back in our vehicle and it was hit by an IED (improvised explosive device). It killed two. It took my legs, took my gunner's right leg and my driver didn't get hurt. He finished his tour."

That was 18 months ago. Bleill gets more comfortable by the day on his new legs and hopes to return to Indiana in June. He has been in contact with Colts owner Robert Irsay about getting a job in the club's community relations department. But he's confident he'll be successful wherever he ends up.

"Life is going to be different, but it doesn't have to be bad by any means," Bleill said. "I realize I can overcome this, so life ahead is not going to be that bad at all."

The training center has an unmistakable energy. Though some patients were clearly in pain, they are all working hard to live normally without their arms or legs, or live with their new artificial limbs. Those that are in the room daily said the Giants' visit energized the patients.

"This is all people have been talking about for the last two weeks," said Michael Cain, a soldier who lost much of his right leg in Iraq in 2003. Cain is from Berlin, Wisc., and he wore a white No. 4 Green Bay Packers jersey in honor of Brett Favre. But his favorite team Wednesday was the Giants. "This means the world to me," he said of the visit. "By coming in here and talking to us, it shows they appreciate what we do. They could be doing anything today, but they took the time to come here and thank the troops."

"Just look around and look at people's faces," Bleill said. "It's a tragedy, but a lot of blessings and doors open because of this. I have a lot of faith in God opening these doors. I've never seen more people in the PT room than I did today. I'm not sure everybody had an 11:30 appointment. Everybody is still upbeat. It's just nice for the guys to come visit."

The Giants said they were the ones who should be thankful they had a chance to spend time with the soldiers and Marines.

"The highlight of the day was going to Walter Reed," Amani Toomer said. "It was great to be there. They definitely got uplifted by our visit. They deserve our support."

"In a lot of cases we could see them before we walked into a room and the difference in their demeanor was pronounced," defensive end Justin Tuck said. "There were a lot of smiles and a lot of handshakes and a lot of laughter once we got there. Those guys over there are protecting our freedom and protecting us. Whenever we can give something back to them, that's huge."

Probably no one can understand the Walter Reed-Giants connection better than Lt. Col. Greg Gadson, who is now a familiar figure to Giants fans. Gadson, a former teammate of wide receivers coach Mike Sullivan at West Point, lost both of his legs last May in Iraq. When Coughlin learned about him from Sullivan, he asked Gadson to speak to the team prior to the Giants' game in Washington against the Redskins last September. That was the Giants' first victory of the season. Gadson was with the team for its NFC Wild Card victory in Tampa Bay, was an honorary captain for the NFC Championship Game in Green Bay and was on the sideline for the Super Bowl.

Now, as President Bush said, the solider with a purple heart and three bronze stars is getting a Super Bowl ring.

When he first arrived from Iraq, Gadson lived at Walter Reed. He still goes there four times a week. He arrived at the training center Wednesday while the Giants were there, walking on prosthetic legs with the aid of canes. It was the first time he was with the team since the Super Bowl.

"I'm proud and I'm excited because I've been able to be a little part of this," Gadson said. "I know what a morale boost this is to have these guys here. It's tremendous. It's not just a drive-bye. They're really interacting with the soldiers and the Marines. It's just great. It's very hard to quantify, but I can tell you them being here is huge, it's absolutely huge."

Offensive line coach Pat Flaherty perhaps had the most poignant of all stories. He was told by a woman in the center that there was a wounded Marine there from his hometown of Hanover, Pa. David Borden is a 1999 graduate of DeLone Catholic High School in McSherrytown, Pa. - that happens to be the alma mater of Flaherty, Class of 1974.

When Flaherty walked over to Borden, David's father - also named David - looked at the coach and said, "I was at your mother's funeral last year." It turns out that Borden's mother and Flaherty's mother attended church together for many years. Flaherty's mother died last June. Flaherty had no idea Borden attended the funeral. Wait, there's more. The older Borden's father, Les, played for the 1935 Giants, his only season with the team.

The young David Borden was badly wounded on Jan. 19, when he was jumped by a suicide bomber while on platoon. He lost his right leg below the knee, his left arm was crushed and he was cut by perhaps 200 pieces of shrapnel. Borden was unconscious for almost a month.

"I didn't know anything about the injury until today," Flaherty said. "Now that I know about it, it makes it hit home. I'll follow up and try to give as much support as I can."

Flaherty had the five members of the offensive line gather around Borden's chair for a photo. He is sending Borden a DVD of the Super Bowl, because the young Marine hasn't yet seen the game.

Defensive line coach Mike Waufle also sought out Borden. Waufle was in the Marine Corps from 1972-75. He grabbed Borden's hand and greeted him by saying "Semper Fi," the Marine Corps motto (which is Latin for "always faithful.")

"Justin Tuck and Dave Tollefson and I were in Wing 58," Waufle said. "We looked around and it was all Army. Then we went to the physical therapy center and I saw one Navy person. Then I went to look for Lt. Borden. He was in the training center and when I found him I saw three Marines and we all conversed. They had a chance to tell me their stories."

Like everyone else in the Giants organization who visited Walter Reed, Waufle found it to be emotional and fulfilling.

"It was extremely special," Waufle said. "I'm a former Marine. The sacrifices they make are extreme and when you see them the realization really hits home.

"I thought it was an honor to be in the same presence of these men and women after what they had gone through and what they had done for our country, the sacrifices they have made. I told a lot of them, instead of saying, 'Why me?' say, 'Why not me?' and be a great example to many. That will keep your spirit up."

For a brief time on Wednesday, the Giants and the wounded at Walter Reed lifted each other's spirits.