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| Wednesday, August 15, 2007 | Heritage Newspapers/The News-Herald | ||
| Councilman coordinating blankets for wounded | |||
| By Heather Guenther | |||
| TAYLOR –
Herman Ramik Knows that receiving packages from home can make the days pass
by a little faster for wounded American soldiers sitting in military hospitals
overseas. That’s why the city councilman is asking community members and local businesses to help him provide hospitals with embroidered American blankets for the soldiers that they are treating. “I’m a former GI and I was wounded during the Vietnam War,” he said. “I know what it’s like, and anything you get from America (while in the hospital) sure feels good.” Ramik was injured when a bullet hit his elbow, deflected up to his shoulder, and lodged in his back. Although he only spent 30 days at the U.S. Army hospital in Okinawa before being transferred to a Missouri military hospital, Ramik said he remembers the uncomfortable blankets in the hospital overseas. “It’s something I thought about because I remember the old, wool blankets they used to give us and how rough they were,” he said. “If we give our military men and women a soft blanket, then they can hold it close to them, and its softness will show them the softness we feel toward them.” For $30, individuals or businesses can purchase a blanket and fill out a card for a wounded soldier. The soldier will be able to take the items back home after being released from the hospital. “Every time the soldier puts the blanket on, citizens of the U.S. are wrapping their arms around them in thanks,” Ramik said. “It’s telling them ‘thank you’ for allowing us to live our lives the way we do, and reminds the GI that everything he gives up is for something.” The blankets, which are made in the U.S. by Atlantic Afghans, are sold at exactly what it cost Ramik to purchases them from the company and ship to the hospitals. “People want to help, but sometimes they don’t know who to turn to when they don’t know what direction to go, and that’s what I’m here for,” he said. Ramik, owner of Ramik Enterprises Inc., has created custom designs for law enforcement and first responders for 18 years. Through his work and continued contact with military units overseas, the former Taylor police officer has identified possible locations to send blankets to. However, customers can opt to personally send their blankets to loved ones or keep them personal use. “I have a lot of people who will buy the blankets and ship them to their sons or daughters that are serving,” he said. “Some people even buy the blankets for themselves because they’re so nice.” The 67-inch-by48-inch embroidered blankets are 100 percent cotton and feature a variation of the logo Ramik designed for law enforcement units several years ago. “I created the design 15 or 16 years ago,” he said. “It used to be just a number one and an asterisk, so I decided to give it a background and ass new meaning.” In the original logo, which was created many years ago exclusively for special weapons and tactics teams, the number one represented the soldier and the pronunciation of asterisk was broken into “(expletive)-to-risk,” so the design mean the soldier only had “one (expletive) to risk,” Ramik said. On the blanket, a black background encompassing the number one and asterisk represents the chaos surrounding the soldier, and the American flag stretching across the logo symbolizes whom the soldiers are risking their lives for. “It reads like a puzzle,” Ramik said. “it means that the soldier only has one (expletive) to risk for the United States of America, although those wo have served have a different understanding of its meaning.” For former soldiers, the blankets serve as a reminder of their sacrifices and are a way to thank the soldiers that have come after them. “I think the blankets are a very patriotic gesture by him because a lot of times we forget about the guys serving over there,” said Jon Belanger, a Taylor resident and former soldier. Te first large shipment of blankets were recently sent to a military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, where soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan are being treated. “I sent 45 blankets to Landstuhl and we’re expecting to send another large shipment of blankets sometime at the end of August, although we haven’t determined where they’ll go yet” Ramik said. “I’d like to get 300 or 400 blankets for the next shipment because then I can really make an impact, but I can only get them there when people buy them.” Eventually, Ramik plans to drop off fliers in communities throughout the area in hopes of selling more blankets for soldiers, but he won’t push anyone into buying one, he said. “I want people to buy a blanket because they’re doing it for the soldier,” he said. “In this day and age, the military is a volunteer service. These men and women are doing the things they are because they chose to, and we owe them so much for stepping up.” |
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