Did Denzel Washington visit an brooks army medical center in Texas?

Answer 1

Claim: Actor Denzel Washington made a large donation to the Fisher HouseFoundation after visiting Brooke Army Medical Center.MOSTLY TRUEExamples: [Collected via e-mail, February, 2005]Hi everyone,Dan told me a great story he heard and I wanted to share it with the rest ofyou. Pleaaase spread the word!Danzel Washington was visiting BAMC (Brookes Army Medical Center, in SanAntonio) the other day. This is where soldiers that have been evac'd fromGermany come to be hospitalized in the States. They have buildings therecalled Fisher Houses. The Fisher House is a hotel that soldier's families canstay at, for little or no charge, while their soldier is staying in the hospital.BAMC has quite a few of these houses on base, but as you can imagine,they are almost filled to the brim most of the time. While DenzelWashington was visiting BAMC, they gave him a tour of one of the FisherHouses. He asked how much one of them would cost to build. He got hischeck book out and wrote a check out for the full amount right there on thespot. The soldiers overseas were amazed to hear this story and want to getthe word out to the American public, because it warmed their hearts tohear it. I hope you will spread this story!Don't know whether you heard about this but Denzel Washington and hisfamily visited the troups at Brook Army Medical Center, in SanAntonio,Texas (BAMC) the other day. This is where soldiers that have beenevacuated from Germany come to be hospitalized in the States, especiallyburn victims. They have buildings there called Fisher Houses. The FisherHouse is a hotel where soldiers' families can stay, for little or no charge,while their soldier is staying in the hospital. BAMC has quite a few of thesehouses on base but as you can imagine, they are almost completely filledmost of the time.While Denzel Washington was visiting BAMC, they gave him a tour of one ofthe Fisher Houses. He asked how much one of them would cost to build. Hetook his check book out and wrote a check for the full amount right thereon the spot. The soldiers overseas were amazed to hear this story and wantto get the word out to the American public, because it warmed their heartsto hear it.The question I have is why does Alec Baldwin, Madonna, Sean Penn andother Hollywood types make front page news with their anti-everythingAmerica crap and this doesn't even make page 3 in the Metro section of anynewspaper except the base newspaper in San Antonio.Origins: In mid-December 2004, Denzel Washington - reportedly at the suggestionof a veteran known as "Ranger Jones" whom the actor met while filming the 1988Civil War epic Glory - paid a visit to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio,Texas. The popular actor took part in a Purple Heart ceremony, presenting medals tothree Army soldiers who were recovering in the hospital from wounds received inIraq.The city's Express-News newspaper described one of the medal recipients' reaction toher encounter with the screen star:When Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington entered theauditorium at Brooke Army Medical Center, Spc. Connie Spinks, healingfrom wounds from Iraq, was content to hold his hand, get a gentle peck on the cheek and hear him whisper a sweet nothing in her ear."He just told me he was proud of me, and that was enough," said Spinks,who has a broken femur, fractured fibula, shattered ankle, two brokenfingers and second- and third-degree burns on her hands and face.That brief encounter was enough to lift the Asheboro, N.C., native, a worldaway from her memories of Oct. 13, when a suicide bomber killed twosoldiers and injured Spinks, 22, and four others in a convoy."If I wasn't already in a wheelchair, I would have fainted" when the screenstar kissed her, she said.Oh, but there was one more thing she needed. She waved her mother,Annette, up for a hug and kiss from the leading man, who has portrayedyoung military heroes in "Glory" and "Crimson Tide.""I had to do that for my mother," said Spinks, who will be treated at thehospital at least through March. "She's been here for me since October."Fort Sam Houston, which houses the Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC), alsoincludes on its property two Fisher House facilities within walking distance of themedical center. Fisher Houses are a network of "comfort homes," essentially low-costhotels built on the grounds of military medical centers in the U.S. and abroad thatprovide all the amenities of home and enable family members of servicemen to stayclose to loved ones who areundergoing medical treatment forillness, disease, or injury. Themodest fees charged by FisherHouses (about $10 per night) makethem accessible even to famileswith tight budgets (a situationcommon to many militaryfamilies).As might be expected with theU.S. military's having beenengaged in combat operations inAfghanistan and Iraq for the lastfew years, the demand for spacein Fisher Houses at some military facilities has exceeded their capacities. Accordingto the Fisher House Foundation, when Denzel Washington was at Fort Sam Houston inDecember 2004, he did visit its Fisher House and learn of their need for additionalfacilities, and he did later make a substantial donation to the Fisher HouseFoundation; however, he did not, as described above, "get out his checkbook" on thespot and write a check for the full amount needed to construct a new building:The problem, according to Fisher House President David Coker, is that whileWashington did make a 'sizeable' donation to the program, the e-mail claimis almost entirely bogus."Denzel came to visit with the soldiers and Marines being cared for atBrooke Army Medical Center last December 17th," Coker said. "He visitedwith them and told them how much he respects their service. He alsotoured one of the two Fisher Houses at Brooke Army Medical Center."Washington told Coker at the time he would like to make a commitment tosupport the work of Fisher House."Denzel did not take out a checkbook and write a check on the spot," Cokersays. "He seldom carries a check book with him."Coker said Washington did in fact make a sizeable donation to Fisher Houseseveral months after his visit to BAMC. He declined to comment on the sizeof the donation, but it was not enough to build a new Fisher House.[Coker also] said the fact that Washington, 49, did not write a check 'on the spot' does not diminish his contribution to the Fisher House and hissupport 'for the men and women who serve our country.'Evidently the confusion came about when the commander of the Brooke ArmyMedical Center simultaneously announced plans for a new Fisher House facility(costing about $1.5 million) near BAMC and the news of Mr. Washington's donation.People quite naturally associated the two news items with each other and mistakenlyassumed Mr. Washington had donated the full amount required to build the newfacility.One version of the Denzel Washingtone-mail in circulation concludes: "Bythe way ... He has a son who is aMarine in Iraq." Although DenzelWashington does have two sons (andalso two daughters), neither of hissons is a Marine or is stationed inIraq. At the time this piece firstcirculated, one son was far too youngto be serving in the military (he wasstill a teenager in school), and theolder son, John David Washington,was then a practice-squad runningback with the St. Louis Rams footballteam.Denzel Washington is well known for his philanthropy, reportedly having made largecharitable donations such as $1 milllion to the Children's Fund of South Africa and$2.5 million to the Church of God. We have no idea whether it's true or not, but thefollowing humorous anecdote plays on his reputation for generosity:Denzel Washington was out with friends when a homeless man asked himfor money. The actor's entourage ignored the beggar, but Washingtonhanded him a $100 bill. The man began to cry, then grabbed a passerbyand choked out, "Will Smith just gave me a hundred bucks!"Additional information:Photographs of Denzel Washington's visit to BAMCLast updated: 19 March 2009The URL for this page is http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/denzel.aspUrban Legends Reference Pages © 1995-2009 by Barbara and David P. Mikkelson.This material may not be reproduced without permission.