My First Troop
We went to the UNM Children’s hospital tonight for my first “official” troop! We dressed in conference room, then spent the next hour or so walking around and seeing the kids.
Our “docent” would knock on the door of the child’s room, tell them there were some Star Wars characters here to see them, then, if the they wanted, we would go in and say “hi.” Sometimes the kids had “contact restrictions” in which case we’d wave from the door. Of course some of the kids, or the kids’ parents, didn’t want us to come in for whatever reason, but for the most part everyone wanted to see us.
In fact, the first wing we went through was pretty quick… 10 or 15 minutes to do the whole thing. We would wave, say “hi”, and move along, move along. But the 2nd wing we went through was a Star Wars fan club! Children had Star Wars books, parents had Star Wars tattoos, one young man (probably 15) had a poster of himself someone had made for “Episode VII”. So, needless to say, we spent much more time in that wing taking pictures and just interacting with everyone.
It was as great of an experience as I’d have hoped it would be. The kids (and parents) were all so excited to see us. “You’re the real deal,” one parent said. “You’ve met the Stormtroopers,” another told his son. It was sad in many ways to be there, but the smiles and laughter of the kids made it much easier. What a great first troop!
April 26th, 2008 at 8:28 pm
What a great thing to do. I am sure the kids loved you all!
April 27th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
What a cool event! That is a fantastic thing to be part of. You guys should do some Special Olympics events! I can picture you guys marching around at the track and field meets. Those kids would go nuts!
April 28th, 2008 at 4:09 am
Two Years…
This isn’t the first time that Star Wars and the Muppets have crossed paths. Who can forget that classic episode of the Muppet Show with guest hosts Chewbacca, C-3P0, R2-D2, Luke Skywalker, and Luke’s identical cousin Mark Hamill? ……
May 6th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
I’ve heard that hospital visits are some of the hardest and most emotional troops to do. Good job Trooper!
May 6th, 2008 at 1:58 pm
Yes, they are (from my brief experience trooping and what I’ve heard as well.)
Thankfully though the families were all laughing and have a great time with us this time. And, as TI-2332 told me (I think), at least we’re wearing helmets so if we have to cry we can… just quietly.