Operation Helping HEAL Inc., provides financial assistance to wounded service men and women returning from our current overseas military operations. During the Vietnam War there were 4 wounded to every soldier killed in action. Thanks to advances in medicine, body armor and logistics, today’s ratio is twelve wounded to a single deceased. Our current system is unprepared to handle the high numbers of wounded servicemen. The severity and scope of the conflicts have exceeded our government’s estimation, and as a result, many of our soldiers are falling through the cracks.

An audit conducted by the Government Accountability Office (GAO, dated Feb. 2005) found that "Gaps in Pay and Benefits Create Financial Hardships for Injured Army National Guard and Reserve Soldiers." In the thirty-eight cases reviewed, twenty-four, a startling 63% of all wounded servicemen and servicewomen, experienced "gaps in their pay which often resulted in financial hardship." The majority of the 150,000 soldiers currently on duty in Iraq are Reservists and National Guard.

 The U.S. Government Accountability Office says hundreds of soldiers are running up giant military debt because of the government's cumbersome pay system. [PDF] April 2006

We believe that when informed of the need, our citizens will not allow our wounded service members to suffer. A donation and a thank you will not only go a long way towards helping enlisted Americans and their families cope, but it will convey our sense of appreciation for their dedication and sacrifice in service to our nation.