Community Foundation Chairman Bob Kallstrom with Yellow Ribbon Fund’s Executive Director Mark Robbins and Director of Mentoring Bob Talbot, as Sandy and Bob Seidel present a donation from The 1LT Rob Seidel Wounded Soldiers Fund.

Donation from 1LT Rob Seidel Wounded Soldiers Fund Helps Service Members at Walter Read and National Naval Medical Center

Frederick, Maryland; July 23, 2008: A recent $10,000 donation from The Community Foundation of Frederick County’s 1LT Rob Seidel Wounded Soldiers Fund to the Yellow Ribbon Fund organization of the Washington DC area will help wounded soldiers and assist their families as they support their loved ones during recuperation at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the National Naval Medical Center.

The donation honors the memory of Catoctin High School and West Point graduate 1LT Rob Seidel who was killed by a roadside bomb on May 18, 2006 during combat operations in Baghdad. Rob's parents, Bob and Sandy Seidel, created The 1LT Rob Seidel Wounded Soldiers Fund to honor Rob’s memory and the great respect and admiration he had for the troops serving their country. The Fund supports charities that provide direct services to military veterans of the War on Terrorism.

“Rob thought the world of his platoon, and put their welfare and concerns before his own, just like a parent would do for their children,” said Bob and Sandy Seidel who quoted from Rob’s own words, written in a poem while in the Iraqi desert: “And as my father, I ask the Lord as I pray. Watch over my boys, if today is my day."

The Seidels said that Rob’s words were the guiding force in working with the Community Foundation to create The 1LT Rob Seidel Wounded Soldiers Fund, and prompted them to make the recommendation to the Community Foundation Board of Trustees for the grant to the Yellow Ribbon Fund organization. 

Mark Robbins, Yellow Ribbon Fund’s Executive Director, said that since March, 2003, over 4,000 American service members have died in Iraq and Afghanistan and more than 27,000 have been wounded, with over 12,000 not able to return to duty within 72 hours.

He said that while injured service members are recuperating at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the National Naval Medical Center, the Yellow Ribbon Fund organization considers them neighbors, and welcomes them into the community by providing services ranging from free transportation and lodging to job mentoring and internship programs.

“We appreciate the support from The 1LT Rob Seidel Wounded Soldiers Fund and thank Bob and Sandy Seidel for their generosity in starting this fund in Rob’s memory,” Robbins said.

Over one-fourth of the funds held by the Community Foundation honor the memories of deceased loved ones by continuing to touch lives in meaningful ways in their names. Those interested in helping the troops who proudly serve the United States in the War on Terrorism may send contributions to The 1LT Rob Seidel Wounded Soldiers Fund by making checks payable to The Community Foundation of Frederick County, 312 East Church Street, Frederick, MD 21701. Simply insert the Fund’s name in the check’s memo line. To contribute online, click here.