| | 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, ![]() 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. |
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. |
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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