By Susan Koenig
With Memorial Day approaching, what better time to support and honor our troops than by helping out The Wounded Warrior Project (WWP). WWP is an American Veterans Service non-profit organization that offers a variety of programs, services, and events for wounded vets of the military actions following September 11, 2001. The Project’s motto is: “The greatest casualty is being forgotten,” and their mission-vision is to “foster the most successful, well-adjusted generation of wounded service members in our nation’s history.”
The national headquarters are in Jacksonville, Florida, and locally, in Tampa. WWP began in 2003 as a small grassroots effort to provide simple care and comfort items to the hospital bedsides of the first wounded service members returning from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The organization offers programs and services according to the needs of these service men and women, whether in mental health, career counseling or long-term rehabilitative care, regardless of how long the care may be needed.
One of the best ways we can help is connecting them with someone who will listen without judgment. The staff and volunteers are dedicated to serve these heroes with humility, dignity, and respect. Many vets who served in recent military conflicts were injured or left with lasting invisible wounds including depression, Post-Traumatic-Brain-Disorder (PTSD) and debilitating brain trauma. Did you know 76% of the wounded warriors we serve have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)? They never know when they might face a sudden bout of anxiety, fear, or depression.
WWP’s community partner, Travis Manion Foundation, and their initiative #TheHonorProject, is a Memorial Day tradition of honoring fallen heroes. Family members or battle buddies can submit the name of their fallen hero at one of the 14 locations to be visited by a Spartan to lay a hand-crafted Flag of Valor at their resting place on Memorial Day. wwp.news/3vpYVFc
We can all help. WWP needs supporters and like-minded organizations to collaborate and ensure that when those who serve come home, they are afforded every opportunity to be as successful as a civilian as they were in the military, and that they will not be forgotten. To donate or learn more, visit woundedwarriorproject.org or email info@woundedwarriorproject.org.