Torrance, CA (May 10, 2013): On May 9, 2013, Bishop Montgomery welcomed a very special guest to campus when Tim Stanton, USMC (Ret) spoke to students about the Wounded Warrior Project and his experiences in Vietnam. The visit was held in conjunction with the previous days’ “denim day” in which all proceeds were directed to the Wounded Warrior Project and the Gary Sinise Foundation. [Note: the students raised $860] Stanton made the drive from San Diego thanks to the encouragement of his former grade school and high school classmate, Mrs. Joanne Svarda, who teaches religion, art, and music theory at BMHS.
While Stanton was a student at Mission High School in San Gabriel, he remembers the day in 1968 when it was announced over the loud speaker that the president from the class of 1965 had been killed while fighting in Vietnam. It hit home for Stanton and his classmates because, as he told the Bishop students, “We knew someone.” He also has vivid memories of the day Robert F. Kennedy spoke at his school; it was only four days before the senator was assassinated in Los Angeles. One of his first thoughts upon hearing this was that these things had to stop, and the only thing he knew to do was to enter the military. “I’ve always been a patriotic person,” Stanton told the students. On St. Patrick’s Day in 1970, at the age of 19, he reported to Marine Corps boot camp ready to make a difference.
It was not long, however, before Stanton didn’t even know if he would be alive, let alone make a difference. Only three-and-a-half months into his service, he stepped on an 82mm mortar in Vietnam and was bleeding “from the top of my forehead down to my feet,” he told the students. In fact, his mother was informed that he had been killed-in-action. Using his Marine training, which meant using his full strength of mind, Stanton assessed his wounds and had only one request. “I asked Jesus,” he explained, “If you can help me here, I will do the best I can with the rest of my life. I can do more with my life.” So began a long period of recovery, but, even more importantly, an even longer period of making a difference for this wounded warrior.
The primary physical result of Stanton’s wounds was the loss of his left leg above the knee. The impact of the injury was illustrated to the students when Stanton knocked on his leg, which made a hollow noise. The injuries that were not apparent to the students, however, were the psychological wounds that Stanton suffered through during his recovery. During this time, Stanton once again called upon his training. “Wounded warriors figure out a way to get things done,” he explained. In fact, Stanton began using the philosophy he learned in the Marine Corps as his life’s philosophy: Adapt and Overcome.
Those three words – Adapt and Overcome - have become the basis for the work he has done for the past 30 years. Stanton, who admits to being a poor student when he was younger, went back to school and received his degree in social work from UCLA. For the last three decades, he has worked as a counselor in the Marine Corps as a civilian, helping wounded warriors overcome their physical and psychological injuries. Helping these wounded warriors “is the most significant thing I do each week,” he explained to the students. His message to give back was clear when he offered his hope for the students: “Maybe some of you will remember this moment,” said Stanton, “and pass it on to help someone in the military who needs it.”
As his visit wrapped up, one BMHS student asked a poignant question, wanting to know if Stanton was still mad about what happened to him. “I was glad to be alive,” he answered. “I didn't have time to hate – don’t waste your time hating.” Adapt and Overcome.
For more information on the Wounded Warrior Project, click here
For more information on the Gary Sinise Foundation, click here