Local's foundation dedicated to supporting troops

Advertisement

He's never parachuted out of a plane behind enemy lines. He's never been pinned down by gunfire. In fact, he's never been in the military. But Phil Randazzo is on a mission of his own: to honor American soldiers fighting in the Middle East.

The Summerlin resident founded the Nevada Benefits Foundation, which organizes rallies to salute the troops' efforts and raise funds for care-package items.

"I haven't risked my life like they're doing," Randazzo said. "This is my way to give back."

In late June, he and his family traveled to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., to visit injured soldiers from Iraq. His family brought portable DVD players and a library of DVD movies to the hospitalized troops.

"There was this one soldier, a guy who was a double amputee, no arms," Randazzo said. "He told the general, who was touring the hospital with me, that he wanted to put in for a medal. But he wasn't asking for himself. He wanted it for a buddy, a private something or other. He said, 'He pulled me out of my vehicle and put a tourniquet on me and kept me from bleeding to death.'

"This guy, he wasn't asking a thing for himself, but for someone else. I wouldn't expect that from a 40-year-old, let alone a 19-year-old kid."

Randazzo said he also was impressed with the sense of loyalty expressed by other soldiers he met there.

"They were the most humble group of guys I've ever met," he said. "Here they had these (injuries) but a couple of them told me they were looking forward to the day they were all better so they could go back and fight with their guys."

Randazzo's wife Jennifer and their children, ages 10, 11 and 13, also toured the hospital. Seeing them, the patients spoke of their own families. The children were quiet at Walter Reed. Over a restaurant dinner that night, Randazzo and his wife explained to them why the soldiers made the sacrifices they did.

Even before returning to Las Vegas, Randazzo was planning another visit to Walter Reed. In August, he also plans to travel to Brooke Army Center in Texas, a hospital for soldiers with severe burns.

He used his own money to produce Defending Freedom wristbands, available at www.defendingfreedom.net. Sales of the items raise funds for care packages and various military charities.

Nevada Benefits also plans to help support reservists' families. Kimberly Irenze's husband Marco is in the Army National Guard and was deployed to the Middle East last August. He's used the phone cards Nevada Benefits provided to call home.

"It's good and it's bad because you can only talk briefly," Kimberly Irenze said. "But talking with him, it's kind of like he's here. It makes it a little easier. You hate to hang up."

Additionally, Nevada Benefits plans to provide soldiers' families with Wal-Mart gift cards to help make ends meet.

Recently, his group donated teddy bears, wristbands and T-shirts for a family Marine picnic at Nellis Air Force Base.

"There are a lot of grass roots efforts out there (supporting the troops), some are behind the scenes and we don't even know about them," said Joseph Kapala, senior enlisted Marine. "With (Randazzo), he's not doing it so his name will be in the paper."

Randazzo's first effort was late in March 2003.That's when he organized a rally at Nevada Benefits office near Summerlin Parkway and Town Center Drive.

"The newspaper said we had 2,000 people show up but I know it was more," Randazzo. "I talked with Metro and the NHP officers (who handled crowd and traffic control) and they said it was closer to 5,500."

That effort resulted in $27,000 worth of phone minutes being sent to the USO for its calling card program and 90,000 sticks of lip balm being sent to Iraq. His group's latest action was helping the TPC Golf Course in Summerlin with an event to benefit the troops on Aug. 16.

"I'm a nobody," Randazzo said. "No one knows I exist. But the Pentagon found out about Defending Freedom, so they invited me to Walter Reed."

He called the wounded men and women heroes for putting their lives on the line.

"America needs to appreciate what the military does for this country," he said.