So far, so good

Since last we spoke, Captain Switzer has gotten some relief from the nauseous effects of his chemotherapy, with a new medicine that lets him tolerate the treatments a bit better. He is sounding good on the phone, having spoken with him both last Thursday and again on Saturday (April 22 & 24).

His spirits are good and he is still upbeat that he and his doctors will beat this thing. He says to be sure to thank everyone who has written to wish him well, and additionally he acknowledges that he feels your prayers on his behalf. As many of you have attested to me in the past, the power of prayer is not to be denied.

Also, he sends thanks to his small company of grass mowers, who have been manning the yard implements to keep Karen from having to deal with any of that. Some of you may remember Karen, as she briefly served as a trained nurse, following the 28th Virginia into battle, while Les was still an NCO. As you might imagine, she is the next in a long list of underappreciated spouses who gives selflessly for a spouse's treatment and healing. Without persons such as her.........

While on the way back from the Spotsylvania planning trip on Saturday, General Cornett and I decided to take in the two-mile walking tour of the site of General Gordon's flanking attack upon Union troops on May 5 & 6, 1864. As we walked and talked about the carnage, we both decided that General Lee was right, when he said, "It is well that war is so terrible, lest we grow too fond of it." That musing of course, led to the reality of the cancer that now attacks Les. In the midst of our walk, we decided to call him, knowing that he should be at home, between treatments for the weekend.

It was as if, during the conversation, he was there walking with us, and I suppose in a way, he was. I came away thinking that the call did at least as much for me as it might have done for him. One other profound thought came from that afternoon, uttered by our General, that we all need to slow down and enjoy life while we can, not just for our own selves, but also for the sake of those whom we hold dear.

I think he was right, just like so many other times in our long association with each other. Life is ours for the taking, and we do need to sometimes make time for the mundane and ordinary moments; those that over time, will escape our memories. So I'll issue you a challenge, not just to hold Les in your thoughts and prayers; I know you'll do that. I challenge you to spend one of those precious fleeting moments with a member of your family or one of your friends, for as Les realizes, we are not promised tomorrow.

Have you taken a walk in the woods lately?

Until next time,
Colonel Gallion

Send Captain Switzer a Note of Encouragement, Please

In my last blog I told you I would like to get you in touch with Captain Les Switzer, our Corps Quartermaster, as he is away from us for cancer treatments and later, surgery.

Should you wish to send him and Karen a note or card through snail mail, you can write them directly at: Mr. Les Switzer (or Captain Les Switzer) - C/O Caring House - 2625 Pickett Road - Room 204 - Durham, North Carolina 27705.

Their e-mail can be contacted as well, at: switz2@cox.net

For now, these are the preferred methods of contact. Perhaps later a phone number might also be made available, but not at this time. I will be listening if you need to contact me, on behalf of the family.

Again, I'd like to express the Switzers' gratitude for your prayers and well-wishes.

Until next time,
Colonel Gallion

Trigger Time

Well, I had planned to write next, about the good powder burn the Corps had at Bentonville, when last we shared this page. Since then, and by now I know many of you know, the focus of the blog has changed. I'll keep the title, but this "Trigger Time" refers to a very different kind of powder burn.

Our Corps Quartermaster, Captain Les Switzer is battling Stage III Cancer of the esophagus, having been diagnosed about two weeks ago. Right now, he is at Duke Medical Center, being radiated and treated with chemotherapy, to shrink the mass, prior to an expected June surgery.

It seems that cancer is no respector of person, and this is not the first time our ranks have been visited by this foe. Captain Switzer is given a good prognosis for survival, and by now you have hopefully read the letter the family asked me to send to all units in our Corps, concerning his condition.

I heard from him last night, after his first radiation and four hours of chemotherapy, and he sounds confident and strong, through his initial treatment. He wants you all to know that he feels your prayer and your concern for him and his family. Also, he says he has given his foe a name; he says he has always disliked the name "Earl" - no offense to any of you so named. So he has Earl in his sights and is set to meet him in mortal combat. He assures me that there is no overt link to this name and the Dixie Chicks song "Earl Must Die."

Any way, this will be the first of several posts, to give you updates on his condition. I hope you will join me in holding up our brother in prayer and thought. Like many of you before him, he is determined to beat this foe. Let's help him do just that.

Next time: How to contact Captain Switzer