A Woman's Determination - Part 1 of 5

The Determination of One Woman – Part 1 of 5

Part 1

Who is Peg White? Some might call her Mom, a Marine, a wife. They would be correct, in part. That is just a small glimpse of who Peg really is. Determined is another word that fits. She doesn’t quit when the going is tough! In fact, I don’t think the word “quit” is in the vocabulary of a Marine! She and Jonathan are determined to raise money for the Semper Fi Fund! Not just a few bucks, but a minimum of $5,000 with an ultimate goal of $26,200.

Much has been written about Jonathan. I wanted to hear from Peg what her thoughts were; after all, her name is right there next to Jonathan’s on the donation site.  I couldn’t pick up the phone and call her; she is overseas. So I sent her a list of questions. She agreed to answer them for me. You will find Peg’s answers, in her own words, after each of my questions.

The bottom line here is getting the donations for the Semper Fi Fund. So you don't mind sharing the personal side of Jonathan's injury and background as a means to hopefully bring in more donations?
I don’t mind and Jonathan says that he doesn’t either…..as he says…if talking about it now helps then he will share his story. (For him it is kinda embarrassing….but he is willing to be embarrassed to help our wounded Warriors!)

It is hard to not bring Jonathan's injury to the front when talking about his run and fundraising for the Semper Fi Fund. He is a living, running example to what great medical care, a great support system and the power of prayer can do, wouldn't you say?
I would say that. In our minds….this may be the reason it happened to him. We do not presume to understand the master plan…we just acknowledge that there is one. Through the experience…even back to Balboa….many positive changes resulted from this injury. My letter to the Admiral was in the hopes that no family would suffer as we did and I know that they did not. My hope in this case is that we can donate substantial funds to help many Marines and their families that need it.

Is Balboa a medical center where Jonathan had his surgery done?
Balboa is a medical center for Marines and Navy personnel. We get sent to Tripler in Hawaii, Balboa in San Diego, or Bethesda in D.C. Those are the three primary facilities for us although we do get treatment in other branches facilities if absolutely necessary. I am sure there have been many improvements in regards to that as well….at least I hope so. Hopefully, those that get injured get sent to where the best care is available first and then something close to home. To answer your question…yes, it is where his secondary surgery took place.

Would you like to tell us anything about Jonathan’s accident? How it affected you, the family, and how far he has come in the past five years?
Jonathan’s accident has taught us so much. We changed the way we were living…and now we actually “live”. Prior to the accident, Jonathan and I worked like crazy. Now, we spend more time together and with the kids. We started taking vacations which we had never had time for before. We try to take every opportunity that comes around to give back or help those that are injured. Before we donated funds, etc…but now we really pay attention. The squeaky wheels are getting the grease. These fallen heroes often times cannot speak for themselves, are too new to the system to know any better, or have civilian family members that are just ignorant. It is funny how Jonathan has recovered too much. People are strange. They pray for full recovery and wish it, but there is unspoken line that you are not supposed to cross. Jonathan crossed it along time ago. Once you cross that line….then everyone thinks that the injury could not have been that bad to begin with. That is what bothers me the most. For me, I have Jonathan making the injury smaller than it was/is and then others doing the same thing.

In Part Two you will read about why Peg joined the Corps and what her thoughts were when she found out Jonathan had decided to run in the Marine Corps Marathon.

2010 Donation Site

Related Stories

Running TO Live - Running for Others. (Support Our Troops – Actively)

The Opening Shock of Adversity: The Gratification of Perseverance (Hardened Warrior Series)

Team Semper Fi and the Semper Fi Fund (Support Our Troops - Actively, Veteran/Soldier Health)

Copyright 2008 MsMarti. All rights reserved.

Part 1

Who is Peg White? Some might call her Mom, a Marine, a wife. They would be correct, in part. That is just a small glimpse of who Peg really is. Determined is another word that fits. She doesn’t quit when the going is tough! In fact, I don’t think the word “quit” is in the vocabulary of a Marine! She and Jonathan are determined to raise money for the Semper Fi Fund! Not just a few bucks, but a minimum of $5,000 with an ultimate goal of $26,200.

Much has been written about Jonathan. I wanted to hear from Peg what her thoughts were; after all, her name is right there next to Jonathan’s on the donation site.  I couldn’t pick up the phone and call her; she is overseas. So I sent her a list of questions. She agreed to answer them for me. You will find Peg’s answers, in her own words, after each of my questions.

The bottom line here is getting the donations for the Semper Fi Fund. So you don't mind sharing the personal side of Jonathan's injury and background as a means to hopefully bring in more donations?
I don’t mind and Jonathan says that he doesn’t either…..as he says…if talking about it now helps then he will share his story. (For him it is kinda embarrassing….but he is willing to be embarrassed to help our wounded Warriors!)

It is hard to not bring Jonathan's injury to the front when talking about his run and fundraising for the Semper Fi Fund. He is a living, running example to what great medical care, a great support system and the power of prayer can do, wouldn't you say?
I would say that. In our minds….this may be the reason it happened to him. We do not presume to understand the master plan…we just acknowledge that there is one. Through the experience…even back to Balboa….many positive changes resulted from this injury. My letter to the Admiral was in the hopes that no family would suffer as we did and I know that they did not. My hope in this case is that we can donate substantial funds to help many Marines and their families that need it.

Is Balboa a medical center where Jonathan had his surgery done?
Balboa is a medical center for Marines and Navy personnel. We get sent to Tripler in Hawaii, Balboa in San Diego, or Bethesda in D.C. Those are the three primary facilities for us although we do get treatment in other branches facilities if absolutely necessary. I am sure there have been many improvements in regards to that as well….at least I hope so. Hopefully, those that get injured get sent to where the best care is available first and then something close to home. To answer your question…yes, it is where his secondary surgery took place.

Would you like to tell us anything about Jonathan’s accident? How it affected you, the family, and how far he has come in the past five years?
Jonathan’s accident has taught us so much. We changed the way we were living…and now we actually “live”. Prior to the accident, Jonathan and I worked like crazy. Now, we spend more time together and with the kids. We started taking vacations which we had never had time for before. We try to take every opportunity that comes around to give back or help those that are injured. Before we donated funds, etc…but now we really pay attention. The squeaky wheels are getting the grease. These fallen heroes often times cannot speak for themselves, are too new to the system to know any better, or have civilian family members that are just ignorant. It is funny how Jonathan has recovered too much. People are strange. They pray for full recovery and wish it, but there is unspoken line that you are not supposed to cross. Jonathan crossed it along time ago. Once you cross that line….then everyone thinks that the injury could not have been that bad to begin with. That is what bothers me the most. For me, I have Jonathan making the injury smaller than it was/is and then others doing the same thing.

In Part Two you will read about why Peg joined the Corps and what her thoughts were when she found out Jonathan had decided to run in the Marine Corps Marathon.

2010 Donation Site

Related Stories

Running TO Live - Running for Others. (Support Our Troops – Actively)

The Opening Shock of Adversity: The Gratification of Perseverance (Hardened Warrior Series)

Team Semper Fi and the Semper Fi Fund (Support Our Troops - Actively, Veteran/Soldier Health)

Copyright 2008 MsMarti. All rights reserved.