A taste of Italy for wounded U.S. servicemembers - New England Patriots Forums

bmf31c · 05-22-2006, 05:11 AM

Ambassador opens embassy doors to vets from military hospitals

By Lisa Burgess, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Sunday, May 21, 2006

ARLINGTON, Va. â€” Grazie, Italia. You have fulfilled the wish of American Sgt. Timothy Gustafson.

â€œNow I can say Iâ€™ve eaten real Italian lasagna,â€ Gustafson, a Tennessee National Guardsman, said Friday night at the Italian Embassy in Washington, D.C.
Gustafson, forward observer for the 278th Regimental Combat Team, lost a lower leg when an improvised explosive device exploded beneath his Humvee during a patrol in eastern Diyala province in western Iraq in January 2005.

http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?a...29&section=104

Good story.

***DarrylS*** · 05-22-2006, 06:39 AM

Agree, very nice story, reminds me of a similar story about a restaurant in DC who used to open its doors every friday night for men in Walter Reed, unfortunately it had to close its doors because the hotel it was located in wanted the space for something else. This is the stuff that needs to make some front pages so people can be reminded of their civic duty towards those who serve.

bmf31c · 05-22-2006, 06:44 AM

That's mentioned in passing in the article. The reason these dinners have been started is because the guy who was doing it originally lost his lease to operate the restaurant in the Hilton. It's awesome that someone picked up the ball and ran.