Caring For Washington's Warriors Away From Home

Sixteen more such homes are under construction around the country or close to breaking ground. The Fisher House Foundation, established in 1993 by Zachary Fisher, a prominent New York real estate developer who died in 1999, builds them, donates them to the government, then pays for families to stay there.

Sometimes families arrive without even shampoo or a winter coat, after rushing to catch a flight upon learning that a loved one has been wounded. In a back room at the Fisher House at Walter Reed, tubs overflow with toiletries, diapers and baby wipes. Many of the supplies are donated.

"A lot of families come for spring or summer and they're not thinking they're going to be here for winter," said Rebecca Skinner, assistant manager at the house.

Suddenly being thrown into life in Washington can be an adjustment for the families. Staff members field questions about nearby churches, local schools and the like.

Army Sgt. John Moore, 27, of White Bluff, Tenn., who had his leg amputated after a roadside bombing on Jan. 9, said he'll happily leave the city's traffic behind one day. As he recovers at Fisher House, his wife lives with their daughters, ages 4 and 6, in Tennessee so they don't have to be pulled out of school.

"I'm from a small town. Everybody is nice to each other and they take their time," said Moore, leaning on crutches outside the house's large communal kitchen. "But D.C., it's like, there aren't very many nice drivers and it's 100 miles per hour."

The Fords met in 2007 when Derrick was stationed at Fort Drum, N.Y., following a 15-month deployment to Iraq. When she was seven months pregnant, Michelle drove from their home at Fort Lewis, Wash., to live with her family in Watkins Glen, N.Y., and await the twins' birth. It was then that she learned her husband had been wounded, and she rushed to Washington to be close to him.