Not sure if this is a hoax or not now. I wanted to see if I could find some video on this story. With everyone walking around with cell phones that will turn anything into a video, it was possible. When I went searching, I found that there were more links to reports of this being a hoax than fact. The kicker is, it has been around since 2004 when he did in fact go there and did make a huge donation.
Actor Denzel Washington Spontaneously Paid for the Construction of a "Fisher House" During a Visit to Brooke Army Medical Center-Fiction! But He Came Through Later!
Summary of the eRumor
The eRumor describes a visit by actor Denzel Washington to "Brookes" Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas.
He saw the buildings known as "Fisher House," where families of hospitalized soldiers can say for little or no charge while visiting. He is described as having asked how much it costs to build one, pulled out his checkbook, and wrote a check for the full amount.
The Truth
Denzel Washington did make a visit to the Brooke (not Brookes) Army Medical Center (BAMC) in San Antonio, Texas, in December, 2004.
Among other things, he participated in a ceremony awarding Purple Hearts to three soldiers and visited several others.
He also toured the Fisher House facilities there, was impressed with what they were doing, and did indicate a desire to support it.
An eRumor got started that he dramatically pulled out his checkbook on the spot and wrote a check for the cost of building an entire house, which was not true.
Fisher House says the confusion may have come when an announcement was made later in that a new $1-million facility was going to be built.
It was at the same time as a mention that Denzel Washington had pledged a donation to Fisher House. Four months later, however, he came through "in a big way", according to the folks at Fisher House. They won't disclose the amount of his gift, but Fisher House spokesman James Weiskopf says it's one of the largest in the organization's history and that Denzel Washington has agreed to serve on the Fisher House board of trustees.
Fisher House is a program that provides special housing at each of the Army's major medical centers for the families of soldiers who are receiving medical treatment, often from being wounded on duty. Fisher house is either a facility or a group of facilities where family members can stay for no cost or reduced cost, which helps ease the burden of possibly having made a long and expensive trip to be by the bedside of a family member and to make it possible for even low income families to be able to stay close by.
read more here
Rev. Doc
If this is true, it's pretty cool...
Remember this next time you walk up to the ticket window of your local movie theater with $10 in your hand.
The Media (Accidentally?) missed this one!!!!
Please read this: The troops oversees would like you to send it to everybody you know.
Subject: Denzel Washington, and Brooks Army Medical Center.
Don't know whether you heard about this but Denzel Washington and his family visited the troops at Brook Army Medical Center , in San Antonio , Texas, (BAMC) the other day. This is where soldiers who have been evacuated from Germany come to be hospitalized in the United States , especially burn victims. There are some buildings there called Fisher Houses. The Fisher House is a Hotel where soldiers' families can stay, for little or no charge, while their soldier is staying in the Hospital. BAMC has quite a few of these houses on base, but as you can imagine, they are almost filled most of the time.
While Denzel Washington was visiting BAMC, they gave him a tour of one of the Fisher Houses. He asked how much one of them would cost to build. He took his check book out and wrote a check for the full amount right there on the spot.
The soldiers overseas were amazed to hear this story and want to get the word out to the American public, because it warmed their hearts to hear it. The question is - why do:
Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, Tom Cruise and other Hollywood fluff make front page news with their ridiculous anticsand Denzel Washington's Patriotism doesn't even make page 3 in the Metro section of any newspaper except the Local newspaper in San Antonio .
A true American and friend to all in uniform!
This needs as wide a distribution as we can create.
Please share it!
It's a hoax from 2007: http://www.veteranstoday.com/2007/11/07/denzel-washington-at-brooks-army-medical-center-hoax/
ReplyDeleteThanks for keeping me in check.
ReplyDeleteI did some checking after this to see if I could find a video on it. That's when I found out the real story.
The update puts it at even earlier. What a shame people take a really good story as it was and then have to blow it out of proportion. What Washington did was still amazing.