As Michael M. Phillips explains in his book, "The Gift of Valor," the clothes of our heroes are often cut right off their backs by medics and corpsmen as they are evacuated from the battlefield. He adds, "If you make it to Landstuhl, you're good to go."

It's an article of faith among Marine infantrymen in Iraq that if the corpsman plugs up the hole to keep you from bleeding out, and the field surgeons stitch up the important organs, and the Air Force gets you all the way to the Army hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, then you'll live. You might not be the same. Your legs might not be where they were before the war. Your arms might not work as well. Your skin might be disfigured by burns. Your brain might be so badly injured that you might not be the same person you used to be. But you'll survive and eventually get home to your parents, your wife, your kids, your girl.

The American Legion wants them to do more than survive. America can never repay the debt it owes these heroes, but it can certainly improve their quality of life. Much attention has been rightly given to substandard conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, but little is being done to help improve the plight of our heroes at Landstuhl.

Patients there don't ask for much. But unbelievably, some of these wounded warriors have broken television sets in their rooms. Others lack comfort items such as DVDs, MP-3s or even magazines. They do receive a very small clothing allowance, but when you arrive with nothing, that doesn't go very far. 

The American Legion is trying to raise $50,000 by Aug. 30th to ensure that these men and women are given the comfort items that they want. They are soliciting the help of American Legion members, the American Legion Auxiliary, Sons of The American Legion, and anyone else who has the heart to help these brave young men and women.

Words such as "support the troops" and "sacrifice" are tossed around so much these days that they are in danger of being dismissed as clichés. Here is another one: "Talk is cheap." Care packages and cards are nice, but a donation to "Operation Landstuhl" is effortless.

If you wish to help, mail a check to Operation Landstuhl, c/o The American Legion, P.O. Box 1055, Indianapolis, IN 46206-1055.