Lois Pope hopes film ‘Debt of Honor’ will raise awareness
MANALAPAN, Fla. —Two weeks from its national television premiere, local philanthropist Lois Pope said she found inspiration for documentary “Debt of Honor” on a New York City stage in the 1960s.
Pope, seated in her sprawling Manalapan home Tuesday afternoon,recalled the benefit concert in which she sang a rendition of “Somewhere” to soldiers who had just returned from Vietnam.
“When I got to the line hold my hand and I’ll take you there I reached out to the solider in front of me to take his hands but he had no hands,” Pope said that moment became her mission.
The starlet would become an heiress to the National Enquirer and a champion for disabled veterans.
“They tell you in the history books who won and lost wars but not the stories of the people who come back disabled,” said Pope. “It’s not just one day, they are disabled for life.”
Pope funded the documentary that looks at war through the eyes of disabled veterans. The film includes interviews with famous vets like congresswoman Tammy Duckworth and Jr. Martinez, who viewers may recognize from “Dancing with the Stars.”
Pope also enlisted an Emmy award-winning director. She hopes all of it will boost awareness to a cause she said demands attention now more than ever.
With advancements in tech and medicine, Pope said casualties in war have decreased, “They don’t die, which is good. They come back but they come back disabled.”
Pope said she is working to get “Debt of Honor” shown to high school students nationwide, but until then she hopes the documentary will give civilians a glimpse into the lives of those who fought. Disabled veterans, who Pope said, are still fighting to be understood.
*To view video, click on WPBF 25 News link on the top of the page.
https://www.ckmconsultants.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Lois-Pope-Memorial-pic.jpg13312000Carahttps://www.ckmconsultants.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/logo-ckm.pngCara2016-01-20 15:38:552016-01-20 15:38:55Local philanthropist funds disabled vet documentary
A Manalapan philanthropist is making good on her promise to herself to share the story of the nation’s disabled veterans with as many people possible.
At 9 p.m. Tuesday, the documentary “Debt of Honor: Disabled Veterans in American History” is set to premiere nationwide on PBS. The hourlong film chronicles American wars starting with the American Revolution up to the current conflict in the Middle East, with a focus on the disabled veterans who come home to fight their own personal war of survival once they leave the battlefield.
The $1 million budget film is funded by philanthropist Lois Pope, who for decades has wanted to share the story of the nation’s disabled veterans if she ever had the financial means to do so. It is directed by six-time Emmy award winning director Ric Burns.
“It’s an unflinching report,” Pope said. “It’s a candid chronicle of disabled veterans.”
New York filmmaker Burns said the documentary is a conversation starter for civilians and military to become more intertwined.
“The people interviewed are incredible,” Burns said. “The four central veterans who spoke have been through hell and back. But the takeaway is how we are going to benefit.”
To fans of TV’s “Dancing with the Stars,” J.R. Martinez may be a familiar face. The Iraq War Army veteran shares his story of how he received burns to more than 34 percent of his body when the Humvee he was in ran over a roadside bomb.
Before Tammy Duckworth became a congresswoman, she lost both legs and damaged her right arm when a helicopter she was co-piloting was hit. She explains the reason she works through the challenges of her disability is a way to honor the crew who went back to save her.
“For me, it’s about the guys who saved my life,” she said in a trailer. “I never want them to regret it, so I have to be successful. I have to survive.”
Gregory Gadson was a highly decorated Lt. Col. when an attack in Iraq in 2007 cost him both his legs and normal use of his right arm and hand. “People want to know how long it takes you to recover,” he said. “The truth is I think I am still recovering.”
And Max Cleland was a captain in the Army during the Vietnam War when a grenade exploded and caused him to lose his legs and one arm.
“Once second I am a tall, strapping 6-foot-2, young Army captain the next second I’m laying on the ground bleeding to death,” he said.
Pope’s promise
As a young actress performing in Broadway musicals in New York City in the 1960s, Pope volunteered to perform at a benefit event for veterans.
She said she had only seen the repercussions of war from a distance. Annual Memorial Day parades along Broadstreet in her hometown of Philadelphia featured strapping soldiers and sailors marching, but the veterans that sat in the audience before her looked different.
“I had no idea about the horrors of war and the devastation it can cause to human beings’ minds and bodies until the moment I walked into the room at Rusk Rehabilitation and saw dozens of Vietnam veterans, some without legs and arms, some mutilated, some burned so badly and some blind.”
She said she almost couldn’t perform, but the piano player began, so she closed her eyes and said she prayed to get through the performance.
She sang “Somewhere” from West Side Story and when she got to a line that goes, “Hold my hand and I’ll take you there,” she said she reached out to a soldier in front of her to take his hand, but he had no hands for her to hold. That night, she decided that if she ever had the means to help disabled veterans, she would.
Being the widow of National Enquirer publisher Generoso Pope helped. She said her husband’s successes gave her the platform she needed to carry out her mission.
“History books tell us who won and lost wars,” she said. “They never tell us the story of the continuing suffering of those who come back home disabled for life.”
Making a movie
Burns teamed up with Pope to create the film about two years ago. They met while Pope was working on the finishing touches of the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial in Washington, D.C.
The memorial, across 2.4 acres, features a flame inside a five-pointed star and glass panels embedded with war photographs and etched with quotations. She got the idea to erect a memorial for disabled veterans after she visited the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C. in 1995.
As she placed her hand on the wall where her cousin’s name, Richard Jursak, is inscribed, she turned to a park ranger to ask where the memorial for the disabled veterans was located. Her cousin died during the conflict on his 21st birthday.
When he told her there wasn’t one, she said she wondered how that could be in a country that has a memorial for “everything and everyone.”
On Oct. 5, 2014, the memorial was completed. “It was a long overdue memorial,” she said. “But not everyone can go to D.C. to see the memorial.” That’s when she turned to Burns and enlisted his help.
“My ultimate desire and purpose is to have this film shown in every high school,” Pope said.
Debt of Honor is airing as a part of PBS’ Stories of Service initiative, which explores the country’s military history. Check local listings for showtimes.
A Manalapan philanthropist is making good on her promise to herself to share the story of the nation’s disabled veterans with as many people possible.
On Nov.10, the documentary “Debt of Honor: Disabled Veterans in American History” is set to premiere nationwide on PBS. The hourlong film chronicles American wars starting with the American Revolution up to the current conflict in the Middle East, with a focus on the disabled veterans who come home to fight their own personal war of survival once they leave the battlefield.
The $1 million budget film is funded by philanthropist Lois Pope, who for decades has wanted to share the story of the nation’s disabled veterans if she ever had the financial means to do so. It is directed by six-time Emmy award winning director Ric Burns.
“It’s an unflinching report,” Pope said. “It’s a candid chronicle of disabled veterans.”
The veterans
New York filmmaker Burns said the documentary is a conversation starter for civilians and military to become more intertwined.
“The people interviewed are incredible,” Burns said. “The four central veterans who spoke have been through hell and back. But the takeaway is how we are going to benefit.”
To fans of TV’s “Dancing with the Stars,” J.R. Martinez may be a familiar face. The Iraq War Army veteran shares his story of how he received burns to more than 34 percent of his body when the Humvee he was in ran over a roadside bomb.
Before Tammy Duckworth became a congresswoman, she lost both legs and damaged her right arm when a helicopter she was co-piloting was hit. She explains the reason she works through the challenges of her disability is a way to honor the crew who went back to save her.
“For me, it’s about the guys who saved my life,” she said in a trailer. “I never want them to regret it, so I have to be successful. I have to survive.”
Gregory Gadson was a highly decorated Lt. Col. when an attack in Iraq in 2007 cost him both his legs and normal use of his right arm and hand. “People want to know how long it takes you to recover,” he said. “The truth is I think I am still recovering.”
And Max Cleland was a captain in the Army during the Vietnam War when a grenade exploded and caused him to lose his legs and one arm.
“Once second I am a tall, strapping 6-foot-2, young Army captain the next second I’m laying on the ground bleeding to death,” he said.
Pope’s promise
As a young actress performing in Broadway musicals in New York City in the 1960s, Pope volunteered to perform at a benefit event for veterans.
She said she had only seen the repercussions of war from a distance. Annual Memorial Day parades along Broadstreet in her hometown of Philadelphia featured strapping soldiers and sailors marching, but the veterans that sat in the audience before her looked different.
“I had no idea about the horrors of war and the devastation it can cause to human beings’ minds and bodies until the moment I walked into the room at Rusk Rehabilitation and saw dozens of Vietnam veterans, some without legs and arms, some mutilated, some burned so badly and some blind.”
She said she almost couldn’t perform, but the piano player began, so she closed her eyes and said she prayed to get through the performance.
She sang “Somewhere” from West Side Story and when she got to a line that goes, “Hold my hand and I’ll take you there,” she said she reached out to a soldier in front of her to take his hand, but he had no hands for her to hold. That night, she decided that if she ever had the means to help disabled veterans, she would.
Being the widow of National Enquirer publisher Generoso Pope helped. She said her husband’s successes gave her the platform she needed to carry out her mission.
“History books tell us who won and lost wars,” she said. “They never tell us the story of the continuing suffering of those who come back home disabled for life.”
Making a movie
Burns teamed up with Pope to create the film about two years ago. They met while Pope was working on the finishing touches of the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial in Washington, D.C.
The memorial, across 2.4 acres, features a flame inside a five-pointed star and glass panels embedded with war photographs and etched with quotations. She got the idea to erect a memorial for disabled veterans after she visited the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C. in 1995.
As she placed her hand on the wall where her cousin’s name, Richard Jursak, is inscribed, she turned to a park ranger to ask where the memorial for the disabled veterans was located. Her cousin died during the conflict on his 21st birthday.
When he told her there wasn’t one, she said she wondered how that could be in a country that has a memorial for “everything and everyone.”
On Oct. 5, 2014, the memorial was completed. “It was a long overdue memorial,” she said. “But not everyone can go to D.C. to see the memorial.” That’s when she turned to Burns and enlisted his help.
“My ultimate desire and purpose is to have this film shown in every high school,” Pope said.
Debt of Honor is airing as a part of PBS’ Stories of Service initiative, which explores the country’s military history. Check local listings for showtimes.
It was hard to imagine there wasn’t at least one future Nobel Prize winner among the Scripps Florida scientists who described their work diseases such as cancer, HIV and Alzheimer’s Tuesday.
About a half dozen researchers briefed a room full of elected officials at The Scripps Research Institute in Jupiter about their work and its implications for public health. Thomas Kodadek, chairman of the department of cancer biology, described a promising discovery that could help with treatment of leukemia and lymphomas. Another scientist talked about identifying a compound that restrains metastatic diseases, which could be significant for the treatment of breast cancer.
Michael Farzan, vice-chairman of the Department of Immunology and Microbial Science, elaborated on his team’s work to prevent new infections of HIV and other viruses such as the emerging dengue fever. But Department of Metabolism & Aging Chairman Roy Smith’s work with hormones to prevent the effects of aging seemed to be among the most popular with those assembled.
Smith said his discovery could keep people out of nursing homes. The restoration of hormone levels to those of a young person quickens recovery from broken hips, restrains the weight gain associated with cancer and improves resistance to illness. Smith’s product isn’t approved by the Food and Drug Administration yet, because the frailty associated with aging isn’t recognized by the FDA as a disease, he said.
Brock Grill, associate professor of neuroscience, emphasized the need for federal money to support the research at Scripps. The National Institutes of Health is the primary funding source, while philanthropy is a powerful second, he said. Budgets to federal agencies like NIH and the National Science Foundation have been heavily slashed lately, he said.
Many local and county officials attended the round-table Tuesday afternoon, along with a representative of Rep. Lois Frankel. Frankel, D-West Palm Beach, was called to a NATO meeting in Norway.
https://www.ckmconsultants.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/481316641_Zqx5h-Scripps-Florida.jpg300200Carahttps://www.ckmconsultants.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/logo-ckm.pngCara2015-10-26 13:37:392015-10-26 13:37:39Scripps Florida scientists tackling HIV, cancer, effects of old age
Law school is difficult, and my cousins can attest to that. However, there is a light at the end of the dark, three-year tunnel, and it’s when you can take what you have learned, apply it at a firm, and be recognized for those years of hard work.
Comiter, Singer, Baseman & Braun, LLP, a tax law firm in Palm Beach Gardens, recently announced five attorneys were selected to the 2015 Florida Super Lawyers List, including Richard B. Comiter, Michael S. Singer, Keith B. Braun, Alan H. Baseman and Lisa Z. Hauser. Comiter’s son, Andrew, was listed as a Rising Star in the field of taxation. In addition, Comiter, Singer and Braun were included in Florida Super Lawyers’ list of the Top 100 Florida Super Lawyers.
“By having six of seven attorneys [selected], it tells you the strength and quality of our regional tax law firm,” Comiter said.
Comiter, who along with Singer started the firm 15 years ago, has been selected as a Florida Super Lawyer 10 times, as well as Baseman.
“It’s always good to have recognition from fellow lawyers of your accomplishments in the legal community,” Comiter said. “I always appreciate any type of recognition or award.”
Comiter is no stranger to recognition – South Florida’s Best Lawyers recognized him as the 2012 Tax Lawyer of the Year for West Palm Beach and Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Businessnamed Comiter as a leading tax-planning and estate-planning attorney in Florida.
The firm, whose attorneys were hand-selected by Comiter, serves as counsel to high-net-worth individuals and assists them on succession and wealth transfer planning. The firm focuses on federal income, estate and gift tax planning, structuring business transactions for pass-through entities, preparing partnership and limited liability company agreements to govern the relationship of the parties, and working with business owners on how to most effectively pass their ownership interests from one generation to the next. In addition, the firm does a significant amount of probate trust and guardianship litigation and asset protection.
Law school may be filled with hundreds of pages to read and papers to write, but the payoff at the end of the day is sublime. Need more proof? Just read this article again.
https://www.ckmconsultants.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Richard-Comiter.jpg350228Carahttps://www.ckmconsultants.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/logo-ckm.pngCara2015-10-23 18:09:332015-10-23 18:09:33Local law firm proves to be one of the best in the state
From their first purrs, Cornea, Spleen, Heart and Larynx faced obstacles, but they encountered heroes, too.
A Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputy discovered the 4-week-old kittens outside a house and delivered them to Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League. One of the West Palm Beach shelter’s foster families cared for the wee litter mates until the babies grew big enough to be spayed and neutered.
Julia Cerreta, 13, a volunteer with Compassionate Pug Rescue of South Florida, poses for a picture while holding, Spike, a 10-year-old Pug during the second annual Countdown 2 Zero pet adoption event Saturday at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach. (Bill Ingram / Palm Beach Post)
And on Saturday at Palm Beach County Convention Center, the kittens captured the hearts of adopters like Boynton Beach’s Button Kraft, who was clearly smitten with the soon-to-be-renamed Cornea. “Look at her little face. You can’t stand how cute she is.”
More than 800 dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs and parakeets lured thousands of humans to the Countdown 2 Zero event, presented by the Lois Pope LIFE Foundation, and hosted by Peggy Adams and Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control. In its second year, Countdown 2 Zero brought together 30 rescue groups who share a single goal: eliminating the euthanasia of animals in Palm Beach County by 2024.
When welfare organizations collaborate, the benefits multiply, said Rich Anderson, executive director of Peggy Adams. “We want to unite all these local groups to solve the problems in our community, which is we’re seeing too many dogs and cats euthanized.”
Some of Saturday’s participants seemed to be a tough sell. Take the brindle-coated Kermit, who snoozed on a bubblegum-pink towel while Anderson talked up the 32-pound pup.
“Kermit has trouble walking, but he’s the sweetest thing,” Anderson said. “We’ve spent a lot of time with that dog, but he’s ready to go home. He’s a good example of a dog worth saving and adopting.”
As the hours ticked by, multiple stories of successful matches emerged.
Local radio personality Jennifer Ross adopted Nero, a senior Great Dane, while Palm Beach County Mayor Shelly Vana took in Ivy, a mellow mixed breed. “What an angel,” Vana said. “She’s so cute and lovable.”
Slow-moving dogs with muzzles gone white got lucky. So did a couple of blind canines, sedentary older cats and a bunny named Kimchi. (Fear not, Cornea’s siblings found forever homes, too.)
All told, 228 animals passed through the venue’s “Take Me Home” zone with their adoptive parents. That was down from last year’s total of 313 adoptions.
As volunteers began crating animals forced to return to various shelters, news came that Kermit would not make the trip back to Peggy Adams.
A Boca Raton man and his daughter had fallen for the pooch, promising him a new leash on life.
WANT TO ADOPT A PET?
To learn more about Countdown 2 Zero and each of the rescue groups involved, go to countdown2zero.org.
PHOTOS ONLINE
For a gallery of photos from Saturday’s event, go to PalmBeachPost.com.
https://www.ckmconsultants.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Dianne-Sauve-Mayor-Jeri-Muoio-Rich-Anderson-Lois-Pope-C2Z.jpg288432Carahttps://www.ckmconsultants.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/logo-ckm.pngCara2015-10-23 18:07:172015-10-23 18:07:17More than 200 animals find new homes at adoption event
Local philanthropist funds disabled vet documentary
by CaraWPBF 25 News
Lois Pope hopes film ‘Debt of Honor’ will raise awareness
MANALAPAN, Fla. —Two weeks from its national television premiere, local philanthropist Lois Pope said she found inspiration for documentary “Debt of Honor” on a New York City stage in the 1960s.
Pope, seated in her sprawling Manalapan home Tuesday afternoon,recalled the benefit concert in which she sang a rendition of “Somewhere” to soldiers who had just returned from Vietnam.
“When I got to the line hold my hand and I’ll take you there I reached out to the solider in front of me to take his hands but he had no hands,” Pope said that moment became her mission.
The starlet would become an heiress to the National Enquirer and a champion for disabled veterans.
“They tell you in the history books who won and lost wars but not the stories of the people who come back disabled,” said Pope. “It’s not just one day, they are disabled for life.”
Pope funded the documentary that looks at war through the eyes of disabled veterans. The film includes interviews with famous vets like congresswoman Tammy Duckworth and Jr. Martinez, who viewers may recognize from “Dancing with the Stars.”
Pope also enlisted an Emmy award-winning director. She hopes all of it will boost awareness to a cause she said demands attention now more than ever.
With advancements in tech and medicine, Pope said casualties in war have decreased, “They don’t die, which is good. They come back but they come back disabled.”
Pope said she is working to get “Debt of Honor” shown to high school students nationwide, but until then she hopes the documentary will give civilians a glimpse into the lives of those who fought. Disabled veterans, who Pope said, are still fighting to be understood.
*To view video, click on WPBF 25 News link on the top of the page.
Disabled veterans documentary airs on PBS
by CaraMarisa Gottesman Contact Reporter
Sun Sentinel
November 10, 2015
A Manalapan philanthropist is making good on her promise to herself to share the story of the nation’s disabled veterans with as many people possible.
At 9 p.m. Tuesday, the documentary “Debt of Honor: Disabled Veterans in American History” is set to premiere nationwide on PBS. The hourlong film chronicles American wars starting with the American Revolution up to the current conflict in the Middle East, with a focus on the disabled veterans who come home to fight their own personal war of survival once they leave the battlefield.
The $1 million budget film is funded by philanthropist Lois Pope, who for decades has wanted to share the story of the nation’s disabled veterans if she ever had the financial means to do so. It is directed by six-time Emmy award winning director Ric Burns.
“It’s an unflinching report,” Pope said. “It’s a candid chronicle of disabled veterans.”
New York filmmaker Burns said the documentary is a conversation starter for civilians and military to become more intertwined.
“The people interviewed are incredible,” Burns said. “The four central veterans who spoke have been through hell and back. But the takeaway is how we are going to benefit.”
To fans of TV’s “Dancing with the Stars,” J.R. Martinez may be a familiar face. The Iraq War Army veteran shares his story of how he received burns to more than 34 percent of his body when the Humvee he was in ran over a roadside bomb.
Before Tammy Duckworth became a congresswoman, she lost both legs and damaged her right arm when a helicopter she was co-piloting was hit. She explains the reason she works through the challenges of her disability is a way to honor the crew who went back to save her.
“For me, it’s about the guys who saved my life,” she said in a trailer. “I never want them to regret it, so I have to be successful. I have to survive.”
Gregory Gadson was a highly decorated Lt. Col. when an attack in Iraq in 2007 cost him both his legs and normal use of his right arm and hand. “People want to know how long it takes you to recover,” he said. “The truth is I think I am still recovering.”
And Max Cleland was a captain in the Army during the Vietnam War when a grenade exploded and caused him to lose his legs and one arm.
“Once second I am a tall, strapping 6-foot-2, young Army captain the next second I’m laying on the ground bleeding to death,” he said.
Pope’s promise
As a young actress performing in Broadway musicals in New York City in the 1960s, Pope volunteered to perform at a benefit event for veterans.
She said she had only seen the repercussions of war from a distance. Annual Memorial Day parades along Broadstreet in her hometown of Philadelphia featured strapping soldiers and sailors marching, but the veterans that sat in the audience before her looked different.
“I had no idea about the horrors of war and the devastation it can cause to human beings’ minds and bodies until the moment I walked into the room at Rusk Rehabilitation and saw dozens of Vietnam veterans, some without legs and arms, some mutilated, some burned so badly and some blind.”
She said she almost couldn’t perform, but the piano player began, so she closed her eyes and said she prayed to get through the performance.
She sang “Somewhere” from West Side Story and when she got to a line that goes, “Hold my hand and I’ll take you there,” she said she reached out to a soldier in front of her to take his hand, but he had no hands for her to hold. That night, she decided that if she ever had the means to help disabled veterans, she would.
Being the widow of National Enquirer publisher Generoso Pope helped. She said her husband’s successes gave her the platform she needed to carry out her mission.
“History books tell us who won and lost wars,” she said. “They never tell us the story of the continuing suffering of those who come back home disabled for life.”
Making a movie
Burns teamed up with Pope to create the film about two years ago. They met while Pope was working on the finishing touches of the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial in Washington, D.C.
The memorial, across 2.4 acres, features a flame inside a five-pointed star and glass panels embedded with war photographs and etched with quotations. She got the idea to erect a memorial for disabled veterans after she visited the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C. in 1995.
As she placed her hand on the wall where her cousin’s name, Richard Jursak, is inscribed, she turned to a park ranger to ask where the memorial for the disabled veterans was located. Her cousin died during the conflict on his 21st birthday.
When he told her there wasn’t one, she said she wondered how that could be in a country that has a memorial for “everything and everyone.”
On Oct. 5, 2014, the memorial was completed. “It was a long overdue memorial,” she said. “But not everyone can go to D.C. to see the memorial.” That’s when she turned to Burns and enlisted his help.
“My ultimate desire and purpose is to have this film shown in every high school,” Pope said.
Debt of Honor is airing as a part of PBS’ Stories of Service initiative, which explores the country’s military history. Check local listings for showtimes.
mgottesman@sunsentinel.com, 561-243-6544 or Twitter @marisagottesman
Palm Beach County philanthropist helps bring disabled veterans documentary that airs Nov. 10 on PBS
by CaraSun-Sentinel
October 26, 2015
by, Marisa Gottesman
Photo of Lois Pope by Sun-Sentinel/Jim Rassol
A Manalapan philanthropist is making good on her promise to herself to share the story of the nation’s disabled veterans with as many people possible.
On Nov.10, the documentary “Debt of Honor: Disabled Veterans in American History” is set to premiere nationwide on PBS. The hourlong film chronicles American wars starting with the American Revolution up to the current conflict in the Middle East, with a focus on the disabled veterans who come home to fight their own personal war of survival once they leave the battlefield.
The $1 million budget film is funded by philanthropist Lois Pope, who for decades has wanted to share the story of the nation’s disabled veterans if she ever had the financial means to do so. It is directed by six-time Emmy award winning director Ric Burns.
“It’s an unflinching report,” Pope said. “It’s a candid chronicle of disabled veterans.”
The veterans
New York filmmaker Burns said the documentary is a conversation starter for civilians and military to become more intertwined.
“The people interviewed are incredible,” Burns said. “The four central veterans who spoke have been through hell and back. But the takeaway is how we are going to benefit.”
To fans of TV’s “Dancing with the Stars,” J.R. Martinez may be a familiar face. The Iraq War Army veteran shares his story of how he received burns to more than 34 percent of his body when the Humvee he was in ran over a roadside bomb.
Before Tammy Duckworth became a congresswoman, she lost both legs and damaged her right arm when a helicopter she was co-piloting was hit. She explains the reason she works through the challenges of her disability is a way to honor the crew who went back to save her.
“For me, it’s about the guys who saved my life,” she said in a trailer. “I never want them to regret it, so I have to be successful. I have to survive.”
Gregory Gadson was a highly decorated Lt. Col. when an attack in Iraq in 2007 cost him both his legs and normal use of his right arm and hand. “People want to know how long it takes you to recover,” he said. “The truth is I think I am still recovering.”
And Max Cleland was a captain in the Army during the Vietnam War when a grenade exploded and caused him to lose his legs and one arm.
“Once second I am a tall, strapping 6-foot-2, young Army captain the next second I’m laying on the ground bleeding to death,” he said.
Pope’s promise
As a young actress performing in Broadway musicals in New York City in the 1960s, Pope volunteered to perform at a benefit event for veterans.
She said she had only seen the repercussions of war from a distance. Annual Memorial Day parades along Broadstreet in her hometown of Philadelphia featured strapping soldiers and sailors marching, but the veterans that sat in the audience before her looked different.
“I had no idea about the horrors of war and the devastation it can cause to human beings’ minds and bodies until the moment I walked into the room at Rusk Rehabilitation and saw dozens of Vietnam veterans, some without legs and arms, some mutilated, some burned so badly and some blind.”
She said she almost couldn’t perform, but the piano player began, so she closed her eyes and said she prayed to get through the performance.
She sang “Somewhere” from West Side Story and when she got to a line that goes, “Hold my hand and I’ll take you there,” she said she reached out to a soldier in front of her to take his hand, but he had no hands for her to hold. That night, she decided that if she ever had the means to help disabled veterans, she would.
Being the widow of National Enquirer publisher Generoso Pope helped. She said her husband’s successes gave her the platform she needed to carry out her mission.
“History books tell us who won and lost wars,” she said. “They never tell us the story of the continuing suffering of those who come back home disabled for life.”
Making a movie
Burns teamed up with Pope to create the film about two years ago. They met while Pope was working on the finishing touches of the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial in Washington, D.C.
The memorial, across 2.4 acres, features a flame inside a five-pointed star and glass panels embedded with war photographs and etched with quotations. She got the idea to erect a memorial for disabled veterans after she visited the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C. in 1995.
As she placed her hand on the wall where her cousin’s name, Richard Jursak, is inscribed, she turned to a park ranger to ask where the memorial for the disabled veterans was located. Her cousin died during the conflict on his 21st birthday.
When he told her there wasn’t one, she said she wondered how that could be in a country that has a memorial for “everything and everyone.”
On Oct. 5, 2014, the memorial was completed. “It was a long overdue memorial,” she said. “But not everyone can go to D.C. to see the memorial.” That’s when she turned to Burns and enlisted his help.
“My ultimate desire and purpose is to have this film shown in every high school,” Pope said.
Debt of Honor is airing as a part of PBS’ Stories of Service initiative, which explores the country’s military history. Check local listings for showtimes.
mgottesman@sunsentinel.com, 561-243-6544 or Twitter @marisagottesman
Scripps Florida scientists tackling HIV, cancer, effects of old age
by CaraIt was hard to imagine there wasn’t at least one future Nobel Prize winner among the Scripps Florida scientists who described their work diseases such as cancer, HIV and Alzheimer’s Tuesday.
About a half dozen researchers briefed a room full of elected officials at The Scripps Research Institute in Jupiter about their work and its implications for public health. Thomas Kodadek, chairman of the department of cancer biology, described a promising discovery that could help with treatment of leukemia and lymphomas. Another scientist talked about identifying a compound that restrains metastatic diseases, which could be significant for the treatment of breast cancer.
Michael Farzan, vice-chairman of the Department of Immunology and Microbial Science, elaborated on his team’s work to prevent new infections of HIV and other viruses such as the emerging dengue fever. But Department of Metabolism & Aging Chairman Roy Smith’s work with hormones to prevent the effects of aging seemed to be among the most popular with those assembled.
Smith said his discovery could keep people out of nursing homes. The restoration of hormone levels to those of a young person quickens recovery from broken hips, restrains the weight gain associated with cancer and improves resistance to illness. Smith’s product isn’t approved by the Food and Drug Administration yet, because the frailty associated with aging isn’t recognized by the FDA as a disease, he said.
Brock Grill, associate professor of neuroscience, emphasized the need for federal money to support the research at Scripps. The National Institutes of Health is the primary funding source, while philanthropy is a powerful second, he said. Budgets to federal agencies like NIH and the National Science Foundation have been heavily slashed lately, he said.
Many local and county officials attended the round-table Tuesday afternoon, along with a representative of Rep. Lois Frankel. Frankel, D-West Palm Beach, was called to a NATO meeting in Norway.
Local law firm proves to be one of the best in the state
by CaraPBG Lifestyle Magazine
September 15, 2015 by Ilana Lifshitz
Law school is difficult, and my cousins can attest to that. However, there is a light at the end of the dark, three-year tunnel, and it’s when you can take what you have learned, apply it at a firm, and be recognized for those years of hard work.
Comiter, Singer, Baseman & Braun, LLP, a tax law firm in Palm Beach Gardens, recently announced five attorneys were selected to the 2015 Florida Super Lawyers List, including Richard B. Comiter, Michael S. Singer, Keith B. Braun, Alan H. Baseman and Lisa Z. Hauser. Comiter’s son, Andrew, was listed as a Rising Star in the field of taxation. In addition, Comiter, Singer and Braun were included in Florida Super Lawyers’ list of the Top 100 Florida Super Lawyers.
“By having six of seven attorneys [selected], it tells you the strength and quality of our regional tax law firm,” Comiter said.
Comiter, who along with Singer started the firm 15 years ago, has been selected as a Florida Super Lawyer 10 times, as well as Baseman.
“It’s always good to have recognition from fellow lawyers of your accomplishments in the legal community,” Comiter said. “I always appreciate any type of recognition or award.”
Comiter is no stranger to recognition – South Florida’s Best Lawyers recognized him as the 2012 Tax Lawyer of the Year for West Palm Beach and Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Businessnamed Comiter as a leading tax-planning and estate-planning attorney in Florida.
The firm, whose attorneys were hand-selected by Comiter, serves as counsel to high-net-worth individuals and assists them on succession and wealth transfer planning. The firm focuses on federal income, estate and gift tax planning, structuring business transactions for pass-through entities, preparing partnership and limited liability company agreements to govern the relationship of the parties, and working with business owners on how to most effectively pass their ownership interests from one generation to the next. In addition, the firm does a significant amount of probate trust and guardianship litigation and asset protection.
Law school may be filled with hundreds of pages to read and papers to write, but the payoff at the end of the day is sublime. Need more proof? Just read this article again.
More than 200 animals find new homes at adoption event
by CaraFrom their first purrs, Cornea, Spleen, Heart and Larynx faced obstacles, but they encountered heroes, too.
A Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputy discovered the 4-week-old kittens outside a house and delivered them to Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League. One of the West Palm Beach shelter’s foster families cared for the wee litter mates until the babies grew big enough to be spayed and neutered.
And on Saturday at Palm Beach County Convention Center, the kittens captured the hearts of adopters like Boynton Beach’s Button Kraft, who was clearly smitten with the soon-to-be-renamed Cornea. “Look at her little face. You can’t stand how cute she is.”
More than 800 dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs and parakeets lured thousands of humans to the Countdown 2 Zero event, presented by the Lois Pope LIFE Foundation, and hosted by Peggy Adams and Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control. In its second year, Countdown 2 Zero brought together 30 rescue groups who share a single goal: eliminating the euthanasia of animals in Palm Beach County by 2024.
When welfare organizations collaborate, the benefits multiply, said Rich Anderson, executive director of Peggy Adams. “We want to unite all these local groups to solve the problems in our community, which is we’re seeing too many dogs and cats euthanized.”
Some of Saturday’s participants seemed to be a tough sell. Take the brindle-coated Kermit, who snoozed on a bubblegum-pink towel while Anderson talked up the 32-pound pup.
“Kermit has trouble walking, but he’s the sweetest thing,” Anderson said. “We’ve spent a lot of time with that dog, but he’s ready to go home. He’s a good example of a dog worth saving and adopting.”
As the hours ticked by, multiple stories of successful matches emerged.
Local radio personality Jennifer Ross adopted Nero, a senior Great Dane, while Palm Beach County Mayor Shelly Vana took in Ivy, a mellow mixed breed. “What an angel,” Vana said. “She’s so cute and lovable.”
Slow-moving dogs with muzzles gone white got lucky. So did a couple of blind canines, sedentary older cats and a bunny named Kimchi. (Fear not, Cornea’s siblings found forever homes, too.)
All told, 228 animals passed through the venue’s “Take Me Home” zone with their adoptive parents. That was down from last year’s total of 313 adoptions.
As volunteers began crating animals forced to return to various shelters, news came that Kermit would not make the trip back to Peggy Adams.
A Boca Raton man and his daughter had fallen for the pooch, promising him a new leash on life.
WANT TO ADOPT A PET?
To learn more about Countdown 2 Zero and each of the rescue groups involved, go to countdown2zero.org.
PHOTOS ONLINE
For a gallery of photos from Saturday’s event, go to PalmBeachPost.com.