Boston, MA- The elite soldiers of the Army's 82nd airborne paratrooper unit are some of the most decorated soldiers in the Army. Since the units original inception during World War I, the 82nd has been fighting bravely in each conflict since including the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The unit lives by the credo of "I will never leave a fallen comrade" and true to that sentiment members of the unit visited one of their own often, Corporal Vincent Mannion-Brodeur after he was injured in Iraq and was treated at Spaulding, becoming the first soldier in New England treated and discharged via private care.
Recently Major Greg Sakimura and SFC Michael Palazzi, members of the elite unit returned to Spaulding to honor the caregivers who treated their fallen brother before their jump that evening as part of the pregame festivities at Fenway Park. On hand to recognize the paratroopers and thank the team at Spaulding for its work with wounded warriors was Vincent's father Jeff Brodeur and National Director of the Korean War Veterans Association, Representative Harold Naughton, the Chairman of Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs for the Massachusetts State Legislature and Coleman Nee Undersecretary of the Massachusetts Department of Veterans' Services.
"It is an honor and a privilege to be able to meet these elite soldiers and thank them for their service to our country. Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital is deeply committed to our veterans and their families by continuing its work to get our heroes back on their feet with first class care," Rep. Naughton said.
"Men and women are returning home from war bearing wounds both visible and not visible. For these men and women, the support and service that Spaulding has offered is immeasurable," said Undersecretary of Veterans' Services Coleman Nee. "And with the support of fellow service members like the 82nd Airborne, we have seen the power of camaraderie and brotherhood."
"Everyone at Spaulding considers a deep honor to be able to care for our wounded warriors. The appreciation from the 82nd Airborne soldiers was incredibly moving for the entire team and further strengthens our deep commitment to give our very best to these heroes as they so rightly deserve," said Dr. Ross Zafonte, VP of Medicine,
Since Vincent's ground breaking case, Spaulding has treated several soldiers and has become a care and research collaborator with the military, often with a focus on the "signature injury of the war" traumatic brain injury (TBI). Led Dr. Ross Zafonte, Spaulding is the only rehabilitation hospital in the country part of a nation wide Clinical Consortium conducting a study on TBI and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) funded by the Department of Defense. Spaulding is also a proud collaborator of the Red Sox Foundation and Mass General's Home Base Program.
About Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital
A member of Partners HealthCare, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital is the flag ship facility of the Spaulding Rehabilitation Network, which includes the Spaulding main campus, a 196-bed facility, located in Boston, Spaulding Hospital Cambridge, Shaughnessy-Kaplan Rehabilitation Hospital, Rehabilitation of the Cape and Islands, three skilled nursing facilities: North End Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, Boston Center for Rehabilitation and Sub-Acute Care, and the Clark House, as well as sixteen outpatient sites throughout the Greater Boston area. Spaulding is a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School as well as the official rehabilitation hospital of the New England Patriots. Spaulding is the only rehabilitation hospital in New England continually ranked since 1995 by U.S. News and World Report in its Best Hospitals survey. For more information, please visit www.spauldingrehab.org.
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