Home of the Brave

Reprint from my website as we switch over to blogs.

I just learned of a great getaway opportunity for soldiers who have recently returned from a deployment in a combat zone or soldiers recovering from combat related injuries. The “Home of the Brave” is a 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom handicap accessible country home in Maryland that is available for wounded warriors and soldiers returning from deployment so that they have a place to reunite with their families in a peaceful setting. This property is located within driving distance of Walter Reed Army Hospital or Bethesda Naval Hospital at where many Wounded Warriors are recovering. Don’t worry, this location is not so peaceful that you will be bored as it is only a 25 minute drive from Ocean City, MD or Assateague*.

This  home is available for soldiers to use for up to a week thanks to the generosity of its founder Tina Pearson. According to the website,

In 2009, Home of the Brave was inspired by a conversation between founder Tina Pearson and a friend who had served in Iraq. This Army veteran shared the difficulties of getting to know her young son again after she returned home from deployment. The soldier’s story made Tina wonder what could have been done to make the transition easier. What if she offered her quiet country home as a getaway for service families to share a week of relaxing time together?

After talking with people at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, she was assured this idea could benefit many veterans – even those recovering from injuries. As a result, Tina worked with a local contractor who built a separate residence for her and renovated the existing house – making it handicapped accessible. As the project neared completion, community members responded in gratitude to our servicemen and women through their support of the Home of the Brave.

Anyone wishing to find out more information about staying at the home, or donating so that soldiers may continue to enjoy this home for free, may do so at the Home of the Brave website.

"Home of the Brave" photo courtesy of its official website linked above.

Thank you to Tina Pearson and the other sponsors whom make this opportunity available to our soldiers.

*I have written a description of Assateague in a prior article.

Cape Henry Inn

Cape Henry Inn, at Fort Story, Virginia, is one of 5 Armed Forces Recreation Center Resorts. The other 4 resorts are located in Florida, Hawaii, Korea, and Germany. These resorts are full service hotels are geared to provide affordable, family vacation locations for members of the military and their families as well as other authorized Department of Defense users. If you aren’t military, do not fully tune out at this point as I am dedicating the “Out & About”  portion of the website this week to writing about things to do in the Southeastern Virginia area. Watch for future articles covering Fort Story Lighthouse & Cape Henry, Virginia Beach, Jamestowne Settlement and Yorktown Victory Center, the National Parks at Historic Jamestowne and Yorktown, and Busch Gardens in Williamsburg.

My inspiration for writing about the Cape Henry Inn is the fact that they are on their “off season” rates. My first instinct was, “Ooh- I need to get this information out!” as their off season rates are a good deal. However, the truth is that on our stay at Cape Henry Inn, I didn’t get much of a chance to look around as our trip was cut short by a somewhat unexpected blizzard. My older daughter has a birthday in December that always seems to get foreshadowed by the holidays…birthday parties never seem to turn out right as her friends’ families seem to have holiday commitments every weekend in December and other times we have needed to cancel parties due to weather.  We thought we had the perfect plan- do a family trip instead of a party and then she would not be disappointed if another birthday party did not turn out right.

Since the trip was planned last minute, it did not have a big budget. The Cape Henry Inn with off season rates seemed like a nice affordable destination. We looked at other options, but was afraid that it may be too cold in December. With the Virginia Beach area, we thought we could see a few sites or play at the beach and then when we were too cold we could relax in our hotel room. I had checked forecasts for each of our possible destinations as I planned the trip; so, I do not know how I missed a snow storm headed our way. On our way to Virginia Beach, we stopped at a National Park to check out a historical site and it was there that a ranger warned us of the storm headed our way. The ranger told us that if we did not want to be stuck in the area then we needed to head home by the next morning as the snow was now scheduled to hit in the afternoon.

I really did not want to be out the money for the 4 day weekend that I had reserved. My head was spinning with what to do– I did not want to be stuck in the snow and possibly have to pay extra days, as well as mess up my husband’s leave dates, and at the same time I did not want to put the girls back into the car to drive several hours back home making it one extremely long day. Hesitantly, we went on to the Cape Henry Inn. In the back of my mind, I was hoping that the Inn would let us shorten our reservation given the situation. My hopes were dashed when we pulled into an empty parking lot. I thought that there was no way they would let me out of the reservation when we were their only guests. Defeated, I went to check in. I was wrong in my assumptions though. The first thing that the lady behind the counter made us aware of was that the snow storm headed that way. She said that they were not expecting much snow in Virginia Beach, but that if we stayed we may not be able to drive home on time. I was very thankful when she offered that we could shorten our trip to just that one night.

As for the room itself, you get what you pay for. It is a military hotel. I have read reviews that argue that as a military resort it should be higher quality.  If I had paid “in season” rates, then I would probably agree. If you go during the “off season,” then the Cape Henry Inn is a good deal.  For around $50 (rate varies by rank), we had a room with two full beds, a sleeper sofa, a kitchenette, and “private” balcony. The room quality was probably lower two star quality as the room itself was older and was starting to look a little worn; however, a lot of Army hotels are run down– unfortunate fact of military life.  If we were trying to stay in a civilian hotel, without doing Priceline’s name your own price, we would have only found a one star hotel for this price.

The Real “Scoop”

Positives:

+The price during “off season” is definitely worth it.

+ The room had a great view of the Chesapeake bay from the balcony.

+While the room was a little rundown, it was clean.

Negatives:

-“In Season” prices may not be worth it.

-The television is in the living room section. However, there is a hook-up in the bedroom area and my husband temporarily moved the television so that the girls could snuggle and watch a movie.

-There is no type of breakfast included- which a lot of other hotels (even military ones) include breakfast these days.

*Note- There are other styles of rooms and cabins available. I would love input from others who have stayed there as well in order to give readers a well rounded view before they make reservations.

Not a good photo, but it gives an idea of bedroom area at Cape Henry Inn. Go to the Gallery for views from the room.

B&B for Vets

This is a re-post from my website as we transition over to blogs. HOWEVER- it is coming up on the time of year for the B&B for Vets program. If you are active duty or a veteran make sure to check out this opportunity.

Gillum Bed & Breakfast in Shinnston, West Virginia owned by Kathleen Panek whose idea began B&Bs for Vets.

While everyone probably wants to get straight to the scoop of this awesome offer for active duty military and veterans, I think it is more important to first thank the beautiful lady behind this kind gesture…Kathleen Panek, owner of the Gillum House  B&B in Shinnston, West Virginia. In my opinion, this offer- that may seem just like a simple act of kindness- is one of the most generous gifts of thanks being offered to military and vets.

Some of you may wonder, how one night at a bed and breakfast is considered SO generous. When you really think about it, the “Bed & Breakfast” industry is not a high earning industry. Many of these B&Bs have only a few rooms and the innkeepers count on booking as many rooms as possible just to keep income coming in and their bills paid…especially in the economic “crunch” that our country has seen. Through this great act of generosity, the participating B&Bs are willingly giving up the revenue of a room for the night.

In 1998, this act of kindness started with Panek offering a room to Navy officer who was visiting his in-laws. The following year, Panek hosted another family. As of 2010, Panek’s spark turned into not just a flame but a nice sized campfire as she shared her idea with other innkeepers. According to the B&Bs for Vets website, the initiative “has expanded to include 48 states, 4 international locations, and more than 800 inns” that are offering at least one room up for thanking the military for their service.

Getting antsy that I’m not getting to the point? Alright, here are the details:

- The free room is available for the night of November 10th checking out on Veteran’s Day- November 11th.

- The offer is for military and veterans– valid military or veteran’s ID is required. (The offer is not more specific– so, you may want to verify when making the reservation.) **I received an email back from Kathleen Panek and she wanted me to note that Veteran’s Administration ID cards are accepted also…which is a great open door to Vietnam, Korean, and World War II veterans to use this offer as well.

-Reservations are to be made directly through the B&B that you would like to stay at. Many B&B’s only have one room available and reservations are filling up quickly.  The list of participants is available on the organization’s link above.

*If you utilize this offer, please thank the B&B for being so kind as to host you as this is a generous thing that they are offering. Additionally, I have read articles stating that many of the B&B owners that have chosen to participate have either served in the military themselves or have a family member that has or is serving– to include some with family members deployed.

**Image of the Gillum House is the creative property of Kathleen Panek and the Gillum House B&B.