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Sgt. 1st Class Craig Colvin, left, gives a hug to Judith\u00a0Markelz, director of the Warrior & Family Support Center at Fort Sam Houston. Markelz was a tireless advocate for wounded troops and their families, many of whom called her “mom.”<\/p>\n
HELEN L. MONTOYA, STAFF \/ SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS<\/p>\n
Judith Markelz, right, was the beating heart of the Warrior & Family Support Center at Fort Sam Houston. She was a spirited advocate for wounded troops and their loved ones, many of whom called her “mom.”<\/p>\n
JOHN DAVENPORT, STAFF \/ SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS<\/p>\n
Judith Markelz, right, was the beating heart of the Warrior & Family Support Center at Fort Sam Houston. She was a spirited advocate for wounded troops and their loved ones, many of whom called her “mom.”<\/p>\n
HELEN L. MONTOYA, STAFF \/ SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS<\/p>\n
First Lady Michelle Obama with Judith\u00a0Markelz, left, director of the Warrior & Family Support Center at Fort Sam Houston in April 2011.<\/p>\n
BILLY CALZADA, STAFF \/ SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS<\/p>\n
Judith\u00a0Markelz<\/a>, a tireless advocate for wounded troops flown to San Antonio for medical treatment, has died at 77.<\/p>\n From 2003 to 2019, she was director of the Warrior & Family Support Center at Fort Sam Houston, founded to assist injured military personnel and their families.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n At the height of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, more than 1,000 troops were being treated at Brooke Army Medical Center and the nearby Center for the Intrepid, which cares for amputees and burn victims.\u00a0<\/p>\n They and their loved ones viewed Markelz as a confidante, best friend and surrogate parent. She was always ready with a hug and words of encouragement and would fight relentlessly to make sure they received the care and services they deserved. Many of them called her \u201cmom.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n RELATED: \u2018No one was going to stop her\u2019: \u2018Mom\u2019 to wounded troops at Fort Sam in home hospice<\/a><\/p>\n “Judith didn’t just touch many lives. She uplifted them,” said retired Army Col. Mary Garr, a former chief operating officer of the San Antonio Military Health System. “Her life was one of service to others, and she was a fierce and protective advocate of service members and their families, especially those who were injured or ill and needing support.”<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n When Garr herself was being treated for cancer,\u00a0Markelz assembled a team of volunteers to take Garr’s three young children to day care and Scouting events and make sure they were fed every night.<\/p>\n “She did that for everyone who needed help,” said Garr, who lives in Fair Oaks Ranch. “It was in her nature to step up, although in her own health, she was incredibly private.”<\/p>\n During the worst years of the Iraq war, a trickle of wounded became a steady stream of troops suffering from severe burns, multiple amputations and traumatic brain injuries caused by roadside bombs. Markelz was a constant presence at the Warrior & Family Support Center, which bustled with activity and was often filled with the aroma of smoked brisket.\u00a0<\/p>\n A sign in the lobby read, \u201cLife is all about how you handle Plan B.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s exactly right, except some of them are on plans C and D, because this wasn\u2019t in the plan,\u201d Markelz once said.<\/p>\n When Secret Service agents inspected the center in 2011 in advance of a visit by First Lady Michelle Obama, they were puzzled to find a six-pack of panty hose in\u00a0Markelz’s drawer. There was good reason for it. She\u00a0was at the center on nights, weekends and holidays, and she kept a change of clothes there just in case.\u00a0<\/p>\n Visiting Generals and other VIPs would have to cool their heels if Markelz was busy consoling a wounded soldier or family member. She once kept a sergeant major of the Army waiting while she helped a soldier solve a problem over the phone, recalled retired Army Col. Stephen Markelz, her husband of 53 years.<\/p>\n “There were some pretty broken people there, both physically and mentally,\u201d he said. She helped many of them “appreciate that they had a future, and a lot of them have gone on to do better things,” he said.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n One of them was\u00a0Army Staff Sgt. Bobby\u00a0Henline, the only survivor of a roadside bombing who suffered burns over 40% of his body and lost his left hand.<\/p>\n “She helped my family a lot during my stay in the hospital, just like everybody else,” recalled Henline. “She’d always greet me with a smile and ask why no one locked the door and who let me in.”<\/p>\n Henlin, now 54,\u00a0became a stand-up comedian and motivational speaker.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think any of us even know how many people she reached out and touched, because she just got it done,\u201d said retired Army\u00a0Col. Wendy Martinson, a former garrison commander at Fort Sam Houston.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<\/p>\n