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An E6 marine with a shaved head, broad shoulders, a slow, articulate manner of speech, and tremendous charm sits in a wheel chair. At 33, he is an old man, comparatively; the average age of the other injured at the Veterans Hospital being just 19. Twice wounded after facing the dangers of two tours in Iraq, the one thing he dreads most lies ahead: separation from the United States Marine Corps. He is about to "leave behind his corps, his boys." He is also leaving behind about 15 percent of his brain, the full use of his left arm, and potentially the use of his legs. The one thing he is certain of is that he is going to complete his recovery process and become a firefighter. His five year old son will know that his Dad served his country as a Marine and a firefighter—no matter what it takes.

After spending over two hours with Eve Muson and Carly Cioffi, members of the artistic staff of Olney Theatre Center, he sent Eve an e-mail:

"It was an honor to sit with all of you and share a bit of my life because quite frankly it helps me get through the days. I have lived a life that I pray no man ever has to experience. I would love to share my life with you and your staff......"

The project that he is referring to is Instant Messaging, an original play developed for and written about wounded soldiers. The project will share the stories of this marine and others like him for the benefit of the men and women who have sustained injuries while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. It aims to celebrate the resilience of our young men and women, and to illustrate for audiences—military and civilian alike—the courage with which they face the challenges of their recovery process.

Mark Peterson, a local energy-industry consultant, brought the idea for Instant Messaging to Olney Theatre in May 2007. Moved by the work done for wounded young men and women at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, he felt compelled to honor their courage with a new performance piece in which they helped create. Besides conceiving of the project, Mr. Peterson also continues to serve it by sourcing contributions, securing permission to perform at hospitals and other military facilities, getting access to veterans for interviews, and consulting on public relations efforts including attracting the attendance of Congressional leaders to the performances. Like the subjects of the performance piece, Mr. Peterson is also personally acquainted with overcoming adversity. He is the father of a son, Matthew, who suffers from severe brain damage due to a medical mistake early in his life. Though Matthew was given fewer than 90 days to live, the Peterson family recently celebrated Matthew’s 19th birthday at St Mary’s Home for Disabled Children in Norfolk, Virginia.

Instant Messaging has developed momentum quickly thanks to the Armed Forces Foundation. With assistance from a colonel on the staff of General George Casey, Jr., the Army Chief of Staff, the project has gained support from the highest levels in the United States Army. This relationship resulted in a meeting with the Chief Public Affairs Officer (PAO) for Lt. General Eric Schoomaker, the Surgeon General of the Army, and the Commander of Walter Reed Army Medical Center. A commitment was made to taking actions as permitted by law and regulation to insure that our project comes to fruition.

Throughout these early developmental stages, many volunteers have worked hard to apply for funding from a number of corporations. Thanks to individual donations received to date, the project has now secured sufficient funding to begin the first phase of production: interviews with wounded soldiers by the Director of Instant Messaging, Eve Muson and her team of writers. We are currently working to identify volunteers for interviews and Olney Theatre’s creative team is advancing the production process on all fronts.