Wounded Warrior Project Provides Practical Help for Wounded Homecoming Troops
"Too often, warriors recovering in their home community feel isolated and alone. We want every single wounded warrior to know they are not alone. They have an extended family of fellow warriors and supporters standing by to offer friendship and support?"
One of the most effective groups to rise up with the mission of helping our returning troops is the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP). WWP?a non-profit organization?was founded when "a group of veterans and brothers were moved by the difficult stories of the first wounded service members returning home from Afghanistan and Iraq. They realized then and there that something needed to be done for these brave individuals beyond the brass bands and ticker tape parades."
What began with providing just some basic needs in a backpack for returning troops, has grown into a compassionate and incredibly helpful organization to men and women who have been wounded while serving in the US Armed Forces.
WWP Director, John Melia shares on the website, about one of the latest programs that WWP has set in motion:
"Summer has been an exciting time for WWP. While vacationers across the country are soaking up rays at the beach, WWP staffers are hard at work developing new programs and services for wounded warriors. As summer draws to a close, we're welcoming a number of new programs and services to the WWP lineup.
"August brought the opening of WWP's new education center, TRACK. TRACK is the only education center in the nation designed and built exclusively for wounded warriors. We've watched as a construction crew took TRACK from idea to reality. The first group of warriors has arrived in Jacksonville and begun classes.
"This summer, we've also welcomed a number of other new additions, including new staff members, expansion to the WWP headquarters in Jacksonville, a new veterans advocacy center in Washington, D.C., and the launch of WWP's formal peer mentoring program. We also made our first debut as an organization in Chicago at the Chicago Air and Water Show.
"Most importantly, summer has been a time of outreach. We've dubbed 2008 'The Year of Outreach,' and our goal is to personally check in with every service member who has been injured in the global war on terror. It's an ambitious goal, but important. Too often, warriors recovering in their home community feel isolated and alone. We want every single wounded warrior to know they are not alone. They have an extended family of fellow warriors and supporters standing by to offer friendship and support. As always, if there's any way WWP can better assist you in your recovery and beyond, I encourage you to get in touch."
Below are some of the other programs offered by the Wounded Warrior Project:
Warriors to Work
Warriors to Work program helps individuals recovering from severe injuries received in the line of duty connect with the support and resources they need to build a career in the civilian workforce. It can be tough to transition into civilian life. It's even tougher to adjust to life after a serious injury.
Warriors to Work is a free service for the new generation of service men and women who have been injured in the line of duty.
Educating Wounded Warriors with TTA
The Transition Training Academy was established as a joint effort of the U.S. Department of Labor (DoL), Veterans' Employment and Training Service, Cisco, the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP). WWP administers the program as a part of their commitment to the service men and women that have been wounded or injured on active duty.
TTA helps participants explore Information Technology (IT) as a potential career field and to develop new career skills with real-world application which may help secure future employment. By the end of 2008, over two hundred active duty military personnel will have completed the TTA program.
Soldier Ride
The Wounded Warrior Project Soldier Ride is a rehabilitative cycling program for wounded warriors. For many of these combat-wounded veterans, Soldier Ride provides the first steps in the return to an active lifestyle.
Many of these men and women have been physically active throughout their lives. Soldier Ride offers these brave individuals the chance to get on a bike and prove to themselves, "I can still do this." Soldier Ride is not about politics; it's not about the war. It's simply about the soldiers.
For more information about the Wounded Warrior Project, follow the link provided.
