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Dear caring friend,
Coping with war-related injuries and transitioning back to civilian life is a challenge for countless U.S. wounded veterans.
You have the opportunity to make a difference by helping them rebuild
their lives through Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) programs. You
bring warriors together to help them learn new coping skills for
invisible wounds like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which
affects an estimated 400,000 warriors. Through the WWP Warriors to Work™
program, you help injured warriors find work that is uniquely suited to
their skills and abilities.
Please remember wounded service members and give them the helping hand they so richly deserve.
With appreciation from our injured troops,
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Steven Nardizzi
Executive Director
Wounded Warrior Project
Asking for Help Is Not a Sign of Weakness
In
1984, Rick Allen, drummer for the popular rock band Def Leppard, lost
his left arm in a serious auto accident. “I must have been going a good
65, 70 miles per hour. I landed in a field several hundred yards away,
and I remember standing up and saying, ‘I'm a drummer; I've lost my
arm.’ It was very surreal.”
In 1992, while serving in Somalia, John Roberts was severely injured
when the rear engine on his helicopter blew out at 200 feet in the air
and then crashed into the ocean. Three marines in flight with John were
killed, and John sustained burns over 80% of his body. Today, John is
able to take what he has learned and serve warriors as the executive
vice president of warrior relations at Wounded Warrior Project.
Rick and John have been drawn together by their shared experience with
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and their goal to build awareness
and break down the barriers PTSD often creates. One of the main reasons
PTSD goes untreated is warriors find it difficult to reach out for
help. “And we are really here to highlight the fact that you're not a
coward if you ask for help,” says Rick.
Today, they host “Warrior Gatherings” at Def Leppard concerts.
They share the good and the bad ways that they have dealt with their
PTSD over the years. “It's a wonderful way to draw people in — through
shared trauma. And the warriors realize they're not alone,” says Rick.
Within an hour, the other injured warriors are sharing experiences that
they have not even shared with their spouses.
Outreach events like these as well as Wounded Warrior Project Peer
Mentoring and Project Odyssey™ programs make it possible for warriors
living with PTSD to share their experiences and gain new coping skills.
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Warriors to Work Program Finds Work for Veterans
Ricardo
Benejam was 14 years old and living in lower Manhattan the day the 9/11
attacks on the twin towers occurred. He witnessed the horrifying
incident from his classroom window, and it made a lasting impression
upon him. In 2006, he enlisted in the Army and served two tours in
Afghanistan.
Coming home in 2011, however, he found returning to civilian life and
finding employment quite difficult. “I think what actually helped me
transition a little better was that I started school right after I got
out,” he says.
With his bachelor's degree studies nearly complete, Ricardo realized
“some of the challenges are just getting people to hire us [veterans].”
He later sought help through the WWP Warriors to Work program. “The
Warriors to Work program is an employer-friendly program that enables
military professionals to transition into civilian life,” explains Linda
Cawley of WWP.
Today, Ricardo has come full circle. He works at the 9/11 Memorial
answering questions about the “Survivor Tree” and helping visitors
understand what happened that day in 2001. Ricardo, too, is a survivor, thriving in his life after the military.
If you know a veteran looking for work, or you would like to post a job through the WWP Warriors to Work website, click here for details.
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GEICO and U-HAUL Help Injured Warriors Heal
Wounded
Warrior Project (WWP) is excited to be kicking off the 2013 Soldier
Ride® season. GEICO is the national sponsor, supporting through
gift-in-kind as well as monetarily to help fuel the WWP Physical Health
& Wellness program that helps injured warriors heal. WWP is also
grateful for our relationship with U-HAUL, the founding partner of
Soldier Ride, donating millions of dollars in gift-in-kind, including
wrapping approximately 600 trucks that travel the country with WWP
graphics, acting as an exceptional awareness piece. With the support of
these two great organizations and their employees, we are looking
forward to a successful 2013 season and continuing to honor and empower
Wounded Warriors.
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