Wounded Warrior Stables lends hand to vets, families

• After seeing a wounded veteran carried off a plane%2C Chip McEwen%27s life changed
• McEwen changed his stable name to Wounded Warrior Stables
• He gives 10%25 of his purses won to charities that help wounded war veterans

LOUISVILLE -- The soldier was barely 27, carried from his seat on the plane as his wife, mother and young children followed.

Thoroughbred owner George "Chip" McEwen and his fiancee, Lynne Langermann, watched with other passengers the procession just outside the Charlotte airport.

"He'd been hit by an IED and suffered some head trauma," McEwen recalled. "As he's carried off the plane (by his father), he's giving everyone a thumbs up." It left many passengers, — including Langermann — in tears.

"That was the moment that changed everything for me," said McEwen, whose 3-year-old colt, Uncle Sigh, will run in Saturday's Kentucky Derby. "When you think about somebody who's been wounded in a war, you don't really think about their family members and how that entire dynamic is changed forever — all because they put their lives on the line to protect our freedom.

"I looked at Lynne and said, 'We've got to find a way to help these people.' "

In a matter of months, McEwen the Jockey Club's approval to change the name of his stables to Wounded Warrior Stables and switch to yellow silks emblazoned with a purple heart, symbolic of the medal given to those wounded or killed during combat. He also began donating a least 10% of his horses' earnings to charities that support injured troops and their families, giving more than $160,000 so far to such nonprofit organizations such as Retrieving Freedom, the Wounded Warrior Project and the Navy SEAL Foundation.

On Saturday, for the 140th running of the Derby, McEwen will host a soldier who lost both legs in Afghanistan and a family whose son was killed in Iraq.

"When we realized we had something special with Uncle Sigh, I knew that if he made it to the Kentucky Derby, I had to bring some families so they could watch the greatest two minutes in sports," McEwen said.

He asked Keith David, the managing director of the Task Force Dagger Foundation, for help in finding two families to invite to the Derby. David, whose organization helps wounded or ill special-operations soldiers and their families, immediately knew who to He invited Army Chief Warrant Officer Scott Schroeder of Clarksville, Tenn., and Randy and Cindy Whiting of Hancock, N.Y.

Prepping for the Kentucky Derby

Schroeder was injured in 2010 when a pressure plate detonated a bomb beneath his vehicle. Both of his legs had to be amputated above the knee, and his right arm was mangled by fractures and shrapnel. He's had more than 40 surgeries and has been walking on prosthetic legs for the last three years, said his wife, Laura.

The Whitings lost their son, Army Sgt. Justin Whiting, when a roadside bomb struck the vehicle the special forces medical unit member was riding in six years ago.

The family has two other sons, a daughter and a son-in-law, who also serve in the special forces, in addition to a son who is a civilian.

"I don't think either family believed me when I first told them," said David, who will also attend the Derby as McEwen's guest. "They were so excited."

The Schroeders and Whitings will watch the race from a third-floor box donated by Mike Penna, president of the Lexington-based Horse Racing Radio Network, which has the national radio broadcast rights for the Triple Crown.

"A few months back, I had Chip on the radio show and he told me what he wanted to do and it really touched my heart," said Penna, whose best friend has been deployed three times.

McEwen said owners receive six box tickets and the opportunity to purchase a dozen more. With 48 friends and family members to find seats for, he was running out of time when Penna offered his box. "I almost started crying," McEwen said. "I was so worried because I just want to get everyone to Louisville and for them to have a great time."

Laura Schroeder and Cindy Whiting said Sunday that they look forward to meeting with McEwen and Uncle Sigh, whose winnings already have generated nearly $40,000 for an organization dear to them. "It's an honor, especially since we have such a strong connection to one of the horses," Schroeder said. "A lot of people don't realize how difficult it is for a family when their loved one is hurt in war. It wasn't just Scott who was injured — it was all of us."

"When you go through a traumatic experience, you can either wallow around or try to make the best of it. That is what we are trying to do."

Whiting said being invited to the Derby is bittersweet. "We were chosen because we lost our soldier, but this is also such a privilege because we will get to go to such a nice event and keep his memory alive," she said.

"It lifts you up, especially on the days when the world is a little heavier — it's things like this that bring a smile to your face."

McEwen said he can't think of a better horse to make the families smile than Uncle Sigh, who is named for Uncle Si Robertson of A&E's Duck Dynasty. "He is the neatest horse, nothing bothers him," McEwen said. "There isn't a mean bone in his body."

Uncle Sigh's trainer, Gary Contessa, said hosting the veterans and their families will be a special feeling.

"We don't treat our war wounded and war veterans the way we should as a country; a lot of times they come home and they are forgotten," Contessa said, as tears welled in his eyes. "We can't do enough for these guys and their families; it will be really special to have them be part of this day with us."

Konz writes for the (Louisville) Courier-Journal