"My Grandfather, Samuel Selvin Stuart was a WW1 veteran. He came home shell-shocked and was never able to function in society again. He died in 1963 at the VA Hospital in St Louis MO. He left 3 children and now there are many grandchildren, gr-children, gggrandchildren and ggggrandchildren. I never saw him. I know very little about him. What I do know is that his sacrifices made it possible for all of us to be here now and live in the country he loved."
Though severely wounded service members have not paid with the ultimate sacrifice of their lives, our wounded may never be able to go back to their lives as they once knew them.
They will face an extended healing process, frightening uncertainties related to the injury, and fear about the eventual outcome for the patient. Caregivers are uprooted from their communities, often facing transfers to multiple facilities, and cities, making it very difficult to hold a steady job or gather a support network. As with anyone facing a crisis, they need help with everyday activities, such as rides to appointments, assistance with in-home care, meals and childcare. Once home, they need more – sometimes just simple things like someone to cut the grass.
These service members and families need our emotional and practical support – today and for many years to come. They should not have to manage alone. As Gen. Colin Powell said, “Your caring support can make the difference in whether someone succumbs to the darkness of isolation and dejection or embraces with new resolve their continued recovery to reach new potential.”
Discover Ways to Help the Wounded and their Families
Although much more needs to be done to support our wounded and their families, many organizations are making a valiant effort to address their concerns. Reach out… get help… give help.
Disabled American Veterans
DAV builds better lives for America's disabled American veterans through their Benefits Assistance and Voluntary Service programs as well as their Charitable Service Trust. They provide opportunities to receive assistance or get involved as a volunteer.
Camp Corral
Camp Corral is a summer camp for children of wounded or disabled military families designed to provide a fun and developmental experience that will help to improve their often challenging lives and give them a chance to create friendships and bond with other kids who share in the same situation.
Wounded Warrior Project
The Wounded Warrior Project serves wounded, active duty serviceman and their families as the soldiers are rehabilitated and adjust to civilian life.
Department of Labor’s VETS
The Veterans’ Employment and Training Service is dedicated to helping injured veterans return to fulfilling, productive civilian lives. There is a complete network of resources to address the professional and educational goals of veterans while they deal with the realities of rehabilitation and recovery.
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross offers many opportunities for volunteers to help military families or work at a military hospital. Local chapters help volunteers find rewarding activities that fit their schedules. The Red Cross needs people of all skill levels and provides training, if needed.
VA Voluntary Service
The Department of Veterans Affairs Volunteer Service (VAS), one of the largest centralized volunteer programs in the federal government, was founded in 1946 to assist veterans while they are cared for by VA health care facilities. VAS volunteers assist patients by augmenting staff with end-of-life care programs, foster care, community-based volunteer programs, hospital wards, nursing homes and outreach centers. The VAS website offers many ways to join the effort.
DAV Transition Service Program
This program helps service men and women make the all-important transition back to civilian life. DAV representatives conduct or participate in pre-discharge transition assistance briefings, review service medical records and confer with rating specialists, physicians and others. They also assist in completion of applications and prosecution of benefits claims.
Yellow Ribbon Fund
Long-term rehabilitation at any hospital is not easy. Yellow Ribbon Fund volunteers arrange opportunities for injured soldiers at Walter Reed and Bethesda Naval Hospital and their families to enjoy the local community, taking them to sporting events and other outings. In addition, the mentoring and internship program gives veterans a chance to learn job skills at a local company or technical institution.
SEW Much Comfort
SEW Much Comfort is a non-profit specializing in providing adaptive clothing for servicemen who are injured or maimed and re-adjusting to prosthetic limbs. They are always looking for materials, clothing and volunteers to help with the program.
Vet Dogs
Started in 2006 by The Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind, VetDogs provides specialized guide dogs and therapy dogs to service members that require assistance in their day to day living once they’ve returned home.
Operation Second Chance
Operation Second Chance provides support for soldiers and Marines at Walter Reed and assists them when they transition back to duty or to civilian life. This includes aiding in rehabilitation and recovery, assisting in the modification of housing to accommodate disabled veterans and helping families in any way needed.
Soldiers’ Angels Soldiers’Angels programs include special teams that conduct a wide a variety of wounded, deployed and family support activities. Each team is dedicated to meeting a specific need above and beyond the adoption commitment of letters and care packages. An “Angel” may join as many teams as desired.
Fisher House Foundation
Supporting America's military in their time of need, Fisher House Foundation provides a “home away from home” that enables family members to be close to a loved one at the most stressful time – during hospitalization for an illness, disease or injury. Fisher House helps families of patients receiving care at major military and VA medical centers throughout the country and overseas.
Operation Hero Miles Through this simple program, travelers can donate their frequent flyer miles to give family members of wounded service men and women free plane tickets to visit their loved ones recovering at military hospitals across the country.
Operation Education – University of Idaho
The University of Idaho has launched Operation Education Scholarship, a program designed to help veterans who are severely and permanently wounded as a result of service since September 11, 2001. The spouses of wounded veterans also will be eligible for the scholarship. It is the first such program in the nation.
USO
The USO offers many ways for you to get involved personally or as a company by volunteering and contributing. With troops stationed all over the world and in need of support, the USO provides a means to have a direct and positive impact on their lives.
Heroes to Hometowns
Heroes to Hometown welcomes back service members who can no longer serve in the military because of injuries sustained, helping them to reintegrate with support from national and state networks, such as American Legion State Adjutants, and coordination of resources.
Sentinels of Freedom
Sentinels of Freedom gives injured veterans the gift of time – helping them readjust to civilian life and their new physical challenges while finding life paths that best suit their abilities, interests and needs. Recipients receiving assistance with housing, transportation, employment and education and are connected to a team of caring volunteers who provide guidance, mentoring and friendship during a four-year program.
Hope for the Warriors™
The mission of Hope for the Warriors™ is to enhance the quality of life for U.S. service members and their families nationwide who have been adversely affected by injuries or death in the line of duty – with particularly attention to the short- and long-term care of the severely injured. Fundraising projects include the Run for the Warriors and Team Wounded Warrior. Special programs include Spouses’ Scholarships, A Warrior’s Wish™, Hope-N-Comfort Bears, Wounded Warrior Barracks/Spouses Support Group and Warrior House transitional, adapted living quarters and Immediate Needs Grants for transportation and other necessities.
Military Sites Offering Assistance
Office of Wounded Warrior Care – Blog
Now you can follow breaking information from the Office of Wounded Warrior Care and Transition Policy on Facebook and Twitter to get updates on news and events impacting wounded warriors, transitioning Service members, and their families.
Career Center for Wounded Warriors and Disabled Veterans
This one-stop website lists employees interested in helping severely injured veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan and provides a toolbox for veterans seeking employment, including resume creation, a skills translator, salary calculator and job fair information. It also provides links to additional transition, rehabilitation and employment resources.
The Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund The Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund provides financial grants and other assistance to wounded Marines, sailors and their families.
Marine For Life
The mission of the Marine For Life program is to provide transition assistance to Marines who honorably leave active service and return to civilian life, and to support injured Marines and their families. The program taps into the network of Marine veterans and Marine-friendly businesses, organizations and individuals. Assistance is provided with employment, education, housing, childcare, veterans' benefits and other support services.
Traumatic Brain Injury
Traumatic brain injury has become a hallmark injury of the current conflicts, affecting at least 30 percent of the wounded soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. To learn about traumatic brain injury visit:
Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center
The mission of the DVBIC is to serve active duty military, their dependents and veterans with TBI through state-of-the-art medical care, innovative clinical research initiatives and educational programs.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
The NINDS traumatic brain injury information page defines TBI and discusses treatment, prognosis and current research. It also provides links to a number of organizations that can help.
Stress Resulting from Trauma
Another long-term issue for many soldiers returning from the home front is the struggle with post-traumatic stress. Symptoms include depression, nightmares and other sleep troubles, panic attacks, flashbacks, alcohol and drug abuse, and marital difficulties. There are a growing number of resources nationwide that address this concern.
To learn about post-traumatic stress, visit:
National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
NCPTSD aims to advance the clinical care and social welfare of U.S. Veterans through research, education and training on PTSD and stress-related disorders.
VA Vet Center Home Page (Readjustment Counseling Service)
On this website, visitors can enter a zip code and find the nearest VA Vet Center where treatment for veterans and their families is available free of charge.
National Institute of Mental Health
NIMH is the world’s largest scientific organization dedicated to research on the understanding, treatment and prevention of mental disorders and the promotion of mental health. This website explains the signs, symptoms and treatment for PTSD and where to get help.
For those who have been affected by the wounds of war, sharing their stories can be painful, especially because they feel isolated from those who do not experience the ramifications of war on a daily basis. Yet sharing these experiences can also have a powerful healing affect and can help the wider population understand the severe challenges the wounded and their families face. The Veterans, Share Your Stories section of this website offers help in voicing painful memories.
Traumatic brain injury has become a hallmark injury of the current conflicts, affecting at least 30 percent of the wounded soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. To learn about traumatic brain injury visit: