As soldiers return from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, combat sometimes takes on a new meaning a long struggle against physical deformity, disability and mental trauma.  For some wounded warriors, it can be a lonely process; their families may live thousands of miles away and be unable to afford to visit.
 
Lukes Wings, a new non-profit, founded in December 2007 by Fletcher Gill and Sarah Wingfield, is hoping to change that. Lukes Wings raises money to fly soldiers families to the hospitals where their loved ones are receiving treatment.

I know what its like to be separated from your family, said Army appellate lawyer Theresa Phelps, a Lukes Wings volunteer who lives in Old Town and has been stationed abroad in the past. Recovery time is critical, and seeing your family really lifts your spirits.

The idea for Lukes Wings came when Wingfield, a former Redskins ambassador, went to Walter Reed with other Redskins ambassadors to sign autographs and entertain veterans receiving treatment. There, she met a soldier she refers to as Luke, who was a triple amputee struggling to accept what had happened to him. Wingfield spoke with him for much of the afternoon and saw the positive impact her visit had. When it came time to leave, she decided that she wanted to continue helping veterans.

She met with Gill, her long-time friend, and over that lunch, the two began getting Lukes Wings off the ground. I have a profound respect for our soldiers, said Gill, vice president of tenant representation at Montview Realty Advisors. This is my way of paying them back.

The organization is entirely volunteer-based everyone who helps out has another full-time job. Gill devotes about 20 hours a week, but most of the other 50 volunteers, spread out around the metropolitan D.C. area, generally give a few hours a week, he said.

Lukes Wings helped its first soldier Army Specialist Patrick Madison about a month ago. Madison was driving a tank through Baghdad when it caught fire. The other four soldiers got out within seconds, but Madison was stuck for three minutes before he could escape. He inhaled large amounts of smoke, suffered damage to his eyes and was burned. Patrick also continued to suffer lingering effects from a concussion he sustained last August when his tank encountered an improvised explosive device.

In late May, Patrick arrived at Walter Reed for treatment and rehabilitation. The twenty-year-old came from a family of 12, and though his father, Larry, was already visiting, he needed to leave on a business trip. His mother, Diane, wanted to come, but for the large family, money is tight, and she could not leave the youngest five children behind.

That is when Lukes Wings stepped in they bought three plane tickets, and the Red Cross bought three more. Soon Patricks mother and his siblings were on the way, just in time to celebrate his 20th birthday with him while he received outpatient care at Walter Reed.

He didnt know [more of his family was coming] until the day they were coming there, Larry said. He was obviously excited he hadnt seen them in a long time.

Patrick told his mom that he spent more time going to medical appointments than he would have spent working a full-time job. When we were there, I think he really needed us, she said. Hes doing a lot better now it just took a while to get everything going.

Diane and Patricks siblings took him to see the new Indiana Jones movie, and they all celebrated his birthday by going out to dinner with a gift card donated by the Red Cross. They also toured the National Mall. Diane said, For our kids, itll be something theyll never, ever forget seeing the Mall with a veteran, with him on crutches. Its all very much appreciated.

Patrick is now at home in a suburb of Chicago, where he received a heros welcome from the local fire and police departments, as well as many area residents. Larry says that he is expected to make a full recovery, but it may take up to a year.

Toward its goal of helping more soldiers like Patrick, Lukes Wings has raised about $18,000, Gill said. Much of that money went to start-up costs such as filing required paperwork and creating a Web site, but in addition to buying tickets for Patricks family, the organization now has enough money for another family to fly.

The groups administrative costs are low because they have no physical offices. All the money we raise for the rest of the year goes directly to buying plane tickets, Gill said.

Luckily, we havent had to [turn anyone away] yet, Gill added. But I think demand is going to end up exceeding supply. For that reason, Lukes Wings hopes to raise at least $30,000 more this year.

For a relatively new organization, Lukes Wings has already attracted a lot of publicity. America Supports You, a government-sponsored organization that encourages Americans to help soldiers, named Lukes Wings its homefront organization of the week on June 25. And popular entertainment blogger Perez Hilton gave a link to their Web site, found at www.lukeswings.org, and encouraged his readers to donate. Gill said that they raised about $700 within 48 hours.

Moving forward, Lukes Wings goal is to keep raising money, develop more consistent donations and help more soldiers. Its difficult to feel like you do enough when youre being pulled in other directions by jobs and families, Gill said. But were going to be happy with what we do.