You can check the time of Auburn’s next football game a million ways these days: AuburnTigers.com, on the stack of pocket schedules at the gas station, touring the White House. You might need a microscope for the last option, sure, but if you look hard enough, yep, it’s there—a 2012 Auburn schedule poster on the wall of the Maryland hospital room where Army SPC Josh Wetzel, a die-hard Auburn fan, is in recovery. President Obama visited Wetzel in the hospital in June.
The photo of Wetzel and his Auburn shirt posing with Obama snapped by Wetzel’s family is the one that instantly made the rounds on the Auburn internet, including The War Eagle Reader.
The photo of Wetzel’s family circled with Obama in prayer around Wetzel’s bed taken by Obama’s photographer apparently made its way onto a wall of the West Wing.
Wetzel posted a photo of the photo on his very popular Facebook page last week.
Alright everyone, THIS is what we came to the White House for. The president was so moved by us praying with him on his visit that he chose this picture from the film his photographer took, had it blown up, and it now hangs in the West Wing of the White House. We said a prayer around the picture today that it would touch the lives of those who saw it and would be a catalyst for positive decision making in the Obama administration.
Seeing the picture for the first time was amazing but I think the coolest thing about it was the tour guide behind us was showing the next group the picture and said “The family in front of us is the family in this picture and the gentleman in the wheelchair is a one of our country’s wounded warriors. This family chose to pray for the president the day he visited wounded warriors at Walter Reed Medical Center.” Blessed is the word we are looking for 🙂
From the photographer’s perspective, you can see that when the photo was taken Wetzel’s hospital room was plastered in Auburn posters—the aforementioned schedule poster, along with at least three others, including a poster of Cam Newton posing with his Heisman Trophy.
You’ll find plenty more photos of Josh in Auburn gear smiling in the hospital on his website. We encourage you to also check out this page where you can help his family deal with the mounting costs associated with his recovery.
You can write Josh at:
SPC Joshua Wetzel
8901 Wisconsin Avenue
General Delivery
Bldg 10, Room 442
Bethesda, MD 20889
If you drop him a line, be sure he knows his next Toomer’s lemonade is on us.
h/t Anna Asbury Larkin.
…
Keep Reading:
* Toomer’s Oaks before and after
* American Idol winner Phillip Phillips at an Auburn game
* Cam Newton meets a Mike Vick fan
* Rolling Toomer’s Corner? There’s an app for that
* Auburn creams Tuscaloosa in ‘brainpower index’ rankings
* Shug carves a turkey
* AU’s 1977 student orientation brochure (is the stuff of nightmares)
Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Want to advertise?
Love the story. And the headline — though with Obama might have been better. I just imagine Praying for Obama (to win this election).
War (Peace) Eagle
This wounded warrior is the nephew of some of my friends, and the grandson of my former Sunday school teacher. Believe me, when THIS family prays, God listens! Obama has been prayed for, indeed! God Bless Josh and all his wonderful family. I just love them all!