By Adam Coronado
They tried to keep us down and they can't," said Marine Corporal Aaron P. Mankin to a ballroom full of local politicians, media members, service people, and general attendants at the JW Marriott Hill Country Resort and Spa Grand Opening Fundraising Salute.
On a 2005 tour in Fallujah, Cpl. Mankin was the victim of an improvised explosive attack. His assault vehicle rolled over a bomb and was launched 10 feet into the air. He sustained burns on 25 percent of his body, including his face and hands, and lost two fingers. In a speech at the gala, Cpl. Mankin admitted that it wasn't living with the wounds that worried him as much losing his "superhero" status in the eyes of his younger brother.
"With my ears gone, my face disheveled, I had lost thirty pounds and was weak, wounded," Cpl. Mankin said, of waiting for his younger brother to visit him in the hospital.
Cpl. Mankin was relieved to hear he was still "strong and fast" in his sibling's eyes. But he wanted to know why.
"Because they tried to blow you up and they couldn't," Cpl. Mankin quoted of his brother. "And, to me, that's why we're here, tonight. In opportunities like this, we get a chance to thank our service members and say this: You make a difference."
JW Marriott's Grand Opening Fundraising Salute was held on March 20, 2010. Billed as an event "Serving Those Who Have Served Us," the gala featured dinner, music, guest speakers, and a ribbon cutting. Proceeds benefitted the Fisher House Foundation; the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum (ISAS); and the Intrepid Fallen Heroes (IFHF) fund.
Fisher House Foundation is a private-public partnership that provides injured service people and their families full lodging and accommodations in times of unexpected illness, disease, or injury. Every major military medical center features a Fisher House. The ISAS and IFHF are part of the Intrepid Family of Foundations. ISAS is an air craft carrier converted into a museum of military history. The IFHF provides support to service people, most recently in the building of the Center for the Intrepid, a $55 M physical rehabilitation center for amputee and severe burn patients.
From the precision performance of the 82nd Airborne All-American Chorus to the unseated, but fully-dressed dining table - "For those who are here in spirit," General Manager Arthur Coulombe said - to Cpl. Mankin's speech on the true definition of strength, there was no lack of sentiment in the air. Attendants ate beef short rib and house-churned ice cream between presentations featuring stark images of injured service people. With tickets beginning at $400 a head and a capacity crowd in attendance providing proceeds to injured service people, the gala was certainly a good time for a good reason.
"I'm a veteran [Navy]. I can't think of a better way to open up this place than this type of tribute," said Kevin Wolff, Bexar County Commissioner, Precinct 3. Commissioner Wolff also expressed elation over the completion of the JW Marriott Resort and Spa, which was took ten years to complete. "It's about damn time!" he said.
The JW Marriott Resort and Spa (JWMRS) is located north of Evans road along TPC Parkway in the Texas Hill Country. It is the largest JWMRS in the world, offering fine dining, a 26,000 square foot spa, 140,000 square feet of meeting space, and a 36-hole Tournament Players Club golf course. For more information and booking, call (866) 882-4420 or visit www.jwsanantonio.com.
For more information on the charities benefitted at the gala, visit fisherhouse.org, intrepidmuseum.org, and fallenheroesfund.org.