OK, Garry Trudeau isn’t a Complete Ass.

I mentioned the Fisher House Program in the last post. The “About Us” page explains:

The Fisher House™ program is a unique private-public partnership that supports America’s military in their time of need. The program recognizes the special sacrifices of our men and women in uniform and the hardships of military service by meeting a humanitarian need beyond that normally provided by the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs.

Because members of the military and their families are stationed worldwide and must often travel great distances for specialized medical care, Fisher House™ Foundation donates “comfort homes,” built on the grounds of major military and VA medical centers. These homes enable family members to be close to a loved one at the most stressful times – during the hospitalization for an unexpected illnes, disease, or injury.

This is a charity I can get behind.

I also noted a link under their “In the News” header to a story entitled “John McCain Writes Intro to ‘Doonesbury’ Book.” Being neither a McCain nor a Trudeau fan, I still clicked on the link to find this:

Most Republicans aren’t fans of “Doonesbury,” but that didn’t stop Sen. John McCain from agreeing to write the foreword for Garry Trudeau’s upcoming book.

“The Long Road Home: One Step at a Time,” scheduled for May release, focuses on B.D. and his struggle to recover after losing a leg in Iraq.

McCain, a former prisoner of war in Vietnam, wrote (in part): “In this book, Garry Trudeau tells the story of B.D. — and of Fisher House — and he does it very, very well. Biting but never cynical, and often wickedly funny, these comic strips will make you laugh, reflect, and — in the end — understand. Like B.D., the thousands of soldiers who have left their health or their limbs on the battlefield have done so in the service of all of us. These brave men and women astonish us all with their spirit. In sacrificing themselves, they sacrifice for us.”

The advance and all royalties from Trudeau’s book will go to the Fisher House Foundation, which provides “comfort homes” on the grounds of major military and veterans’ medical centers so that relatives can be close to injured soldiers.

Good on ya, mate. Good on ya.