Ride to Win

Filed under Adaptive Sports, Warrior Games by on April 27, 2011 at 12:04 pm {no comments}

By Tim Poch, WTC Stratcom

In April 2010, LTC David Haines (left) accepted the Warrior Transition Battalion’s flag from COL Ronald Place (right), MEDDAC Commander at Fort Knox’s Ireland Army Community Hospital. (Photo courtesy of Army.mil)

The Warrior Games are part of a major effort to inspire success, to capitalize on physical fitness, and to promote new opportunities for growth and achievement among the Army’s Warriors in Transition. In summary, the Warrior Games encourage ability over disability not just in the area of athletics, but in all areas of a Warrior in Transition’s life.

Ability comes in many different forms and for each Warrior Games participant, ability often reaches levels far beyond his or her immediate post-injury expectations. LTC David Haines, a Warrior Transition Brigade (WTB) Commander at Fort Knox, KY, is no exception. He said, “Training for the Warrior Games gave me very specific goals and objectives. I was missing this direction before. The Warrior Games provided me the motivation to get back into the shape I was in before I was injured.” Haines will be competing in this year’s Warrior Games 30K cycling event.

Haines enlisted in the Army in 1983 as an Armor Crewman and received a commission in 1991 as an Armor Officer. He served both as an active duty Soldier and as a National Guardsman with tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

In October 2006, while on a mounted patrol in Baghdad, Iraq, Haines was in a vehicle when it was hit by an Explosively Formed Penetrator (EFP), causing severe injuries to his arm, hand, and leg, resulting in nerve damage. Three of his Soldiers were also injured and one died in the explosion. Returning to the United States, Haines received treatment at the Fort Knox WTB for approximately three years. Haines also received physical therapy and an opportunity to identify how to shape his life moving forward post-injury. Although these challenges changed the way Haines lives his life, they did not change the way he achieves his goals. For Haines, athletics became a motivator to reach other goals in life.

Sports have always been a favorite pastime for Haines. As a New England native, Haines participated in cold weather sports as a child. As he got older, however, he became passionate for road and mountain bike racing. Haines has competed at the amateur level and said returning to cycling was one of his major motivations during recovery and rehabilitation at the Fort Knox WTB. When asked why he was competing in the 2011 Warrior Games he responded, “I love to race bikes and hope to represent the Army and Warriors in Transition well. It is another milestone in my recovery.”

In order to prepare himself for the Warrior Games, Haines read Joe Friel’s “Training Bible for Cyclists” and used its best practices as a way to dedicate himself to training. Starting in December of 2010, he focused on achieving a competitive qualifying time for the games. He described his training as a series of “intense” workout sessions, five to six days a week, totalling to approximately 10-15 hours of training per week. In fact, in the process he lost 15 pounds. To compliment his training, Haines participated in the Ride2Recovery Texas Challenge, an organized bike ride from the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, TX to Dallas/Fort Worth, TX, to get, as Haines put it, “long intense days in the saddle.”

When asked what his major life achievements are he said, “Staying married for almost 22 years and having two great kids.” Haines was quick to add that his wife deserves most of the credit for both achievements. Athletically, Haines added that his first place finish at the Kansas State Category 5 Omnium Championship in 2004 and his second place finish in the 2005 Armed Forces Europe Mountain Bike Series, are among his top cycling achievements.

For the future, Haines plans to stay in the Army despite his eligibility to retire. Haines added that if he ever decides to leave the Army, there are two possibilities out there for him. Haines explained, “If I can make a living somewhere in the cycling industry or helping other wounded warriors, I am there!”

For more information on the 2011 Warrior Games please visit the Army Warrior Games Web page.

 

 

Swimming Competitor Prepares for Upcoming Warrior Games

Filed under Warrior Games by on April 22, 2011 at 11:01 am {2 comments}

By SSG Emily Anderson, WTC Stratcom

SGT James Arnold is one of 19 Warriors in Transition swimmers who will compete at the 2011 Warrior Games.

The light blue water splashes across U.S. Army SGT James Arnold’s face. He is almost there, only a few more meters. Leaving behind the scars and the pain, he is one with the water. This is his chance to prove that anything is possible.

“I love to swim and am very competitive,” said Arnold, of Chattanooga, TN, who injured his left leg while deployed to Contingency Operating Base Speicher, Iraq, and who is one of 19 Warriors in Transition preparing to head to Fort Carson, CO, to race in the upcoming swimming competition at the 2011 Warrior Games.

“I decided to compete to help raise awareness of the wounded warriors’ plight in mainstream America,” Arnold added. “I was thrilled to be invited to join the competition and am excited to compete with other Veterans.”

Arnold, who was recently treated through a Warrior Transition Unit and is assigned to the Tennessee National Guard’s 230th Sustainment Brigade, will compete in the 50-meter freestyle swim, 100-meter freestyle swim, and 30-kilometer cycling events. He has prepared for the competition by swimming daily for two hours at Chattanooga gyms and riding a stationary bike.

“Being with other wounded warriors will be a chance of a lifetime,” Arnold said. “I am hoping to win a gold medal.”

Holly Sisk, a performance enhancement specialist (PES) with the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness-Performance and Resilience Enhancement Program (CSF-PREP) at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, was selected as the swimming coach for the Warrior Games and has helped the swimming participants train for the event.

“I am very excited about the upcoming competition,” she said. “The Warrior Games is an excellent opportunity for warriors to overcome obstacles and focus on the things that they can do. It’s inspirational just to be a part of that.”

The Warrior Games are open to wounded servicemembers from all military branches who are still serving or have left the military and provide them an opportunity to compete against other wounded warriors.

“Warrior Games is an excellent opportunity to practice the mental, physical, and social skills that are needed to succeed in both sports and life,” Sisk said. “I want to do everything that I can to facilitate that for these warriors who deserve the best. I also want them to swim fast, win medals, and have fun.”

While working with the CSF-PREP, a program that provides a systematic way to build mental and emotional strength education methods from the fields of sport and performance psychology, Sisk has been able to become familiar with the swimming sport and plans to incorporate her swimming knowledge into helping warriors.

“I communicate with the team on a weekly basis and send them training goals, so that they are ready to compete,” Sisk added. “I have reached out to some other coaches for ideas and tips because I think it’s good to incorporate different ideas into the training goals.”

This year is the second year the Warrior Games will take place. The competition is a joint effort between the U.S. Olympic Committee and the Department of Defense.

“I am looking forward to meeting the warriors and helping to make life-long memories surrounding this competition,” Sisk said. “I’m focused on what the swimmers will gain from this experience.”

SGT James Arnold practices his swimming techniques for his upcoming competition at the Warrior Games.

Sisk, along with swimming participants in the Washington, DC, area, have been training every Tuesday for the swimming event at the Wilson Aquatic Center, Washington DC.

Although, Arnold is not in this area to train with his coach and other members of the Army swimming team, he continues to train with the support of his Family and friends.

“Knowing that my Family and friends are behind me 100 percent and that I am representing the Tennessee Army National Guard makes me proud,” Arnold said.

I’m Just Competitive as Hell

Filed under Adaptive Sports, Soldier Story by on April 20, 2011 at 5:47 pm {one comment}

By Alan Morales, WTC Stratcom

AW2 Veteran Joe Beimfohr channeled his competitiveness to earn an overall second place in the handcycling division at the 2011 Boston Marathon.

Competition. It’s a fundamental aspect of athleticism that for some pushes them to achieve higher levels of excellence. For retired AW2 Veteran and handcyclist Joe Beimfohr, it was his electric, adrenaline-fueled, competitiveness that pushed him towards the finish line at Monday’s 2011 Boston Marathon in Boston, MA. Beimfohr’s performance landed him second place overall in the handcycling division and a personal best record, completing the 26.2 miles in 1 hour and 34 minutes. When asked what pushed him across the finish line, Beimfohr responded, “I’m just competitive as hell.”

On the phone, Beimfohr made his journey to competitive handcycling sound easy, casually explaining to me about the events that led to his achievement on Monday. I soon learned that Beimfohr spent years training, learning how to handcycle, building his endurance, and strengthening his body and mind to compete. Beimfohr’s first exposure to handcycling occurred in 2005 while recovering at the Malone House at Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, DC. After looking out of his window one afternoon, Beimfohr noticed several individuals on handcycles. Curiosity sparked Beimfohr’s interest. Achilles International, an organization Beimfohr currently races with, periodically visits the Malone House to share with Warriors in Transition various adaptive sports, including handcycling. During one of these visits, Beimfohr got bit by the bug. Handcycling soon became a way for Beimfohr to tap the competitive drive that was bottled-up during the initial stages of his recovery.

Competition doesn’t just manifest itself on the road, for Beimfohr it also manifested itself during recovery. As a single man with most of his Family in Tennessee, Beimfohr spent the majority of his time at Walter Reed alone. This set of circumstances drove Beimfohr to push himself to work through his recovery as a double amputee more quickly. As Beimfohr explained, “A lot of times at Walter Reed, I’d see loved ones do everything for their Soldiers, often when they were capable of doing a certain task themselves. I’d think to myself—why don’t you let them push their own wheelchair?” Recovery became a chance for Beimfohr to compete against himself. He viewed his therapy and medical treatments as ways to beat himself. Each of these personal competitions offered a high pay-off for Beimfohr—one step closer towards being a more independent individual.

Inspiration was another ingredient for Beimfohr’s success. When I asked him what advice he had for other Warriors in Transition who may be just beginning their road to recovery, he responded, “The best advice was given to me years ago. Take the time to figure out what you always wanted to do. This is a second chance to start over. If you have drive, there are people out there who will support you and make that dream come true. You just have to figure it out.” This advice led him to pursue numerous goals, including his intent to organize a handcycling team for the Army Ten-Miler in Washington, DC in October.

Handcycling is an adaptive sport that enables individuals and athletes to ride a bicycle only using their upper-bodies. According to the U.S. Handcycling Federation, it is one of the newest competitions at the Paralympic Games and was included in the Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece in 2004. Handcycling is also one of the many ways athletes participate in the Warrior Games cycling competition. First held in 2010, the Warrior Games will be held in May and is a competition of wounded, ill, and injured Service Members and Veterans from all military services. Competitions such as the Boston Marathon are one of the many ways Warriors in Transition can prepare to become a Warrior Games athlete.

Counseling Awareness

Filed under Community Support Network by on April 20, 2011 at 11:16 am {2 comments}

By Patricia Sands, WTC Stratcom

Give an Hour is one of several organizations that provide free counseling to help AW2 Soldiers and Veterans.

AW2 Soldiers, Veterans and Family members deal with many stressors on their road to recovery. Their lives have changed dramatically and the impact is felt by everyone involved. This stress can manifest in many challenges including:

  • Poor communication between an AW2 Soldier or Veteran and their spouse or caregiver
  • Lack of sleep from worry
  • Kids of Warriors in Transition slipping in school and withdrawing socially.

Having an impartial professional help you work through your thoughts and feelings can make a huge difference. Trained professionals can help a person step back and evaluate their choices for the future before he or she actually makes them. A counselor can assist Warriors in Transition by helping them better understand how to communicate with their Family, how to help their kids better adjust and succeed, and how to release stress for both the wounded warrior and their Family.

To help the AW2 community succeed, there are many resources available to address the various different challenges in each of the stages of the warrior care lifecycle. Along with the Army and VA resources, several organizations in the AW2 Community Support Network have stepped forward to assist.

An example of this support is AW2 Community Support Network Member, Give an Hour. Give an Hour provides free counseling and other mental health services to active duty service members, members of the National Guard and Reserve forces, and Veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan who have separated or retired from any branch of military service.

These services are also available to parents, siblings, and unmarried partners who are not entitled to receive mental health benefits through the military or VA. To learn more, please visit Give an Hour’s website.

In conclusion, the benefits of counseling are tremendous. Counseling can help heal unseen wounds. We encourage anyone that is struggling to reach out as there are many caring people ready to assist.

Building the AW2 Community on Facebook Starts With You

Filed under Resources, Staff Stories by on April 19, 2011 at 10:34 am {no comments}

By Jim Wenzel, WTC Stratcom

The AW2 Facebook page is a source of timely and accurate information for the Army’s severely wounded, ill, and injured Soldiers, Veterans, and their Families.

Members of the AW2 community receive information a variety of ways, such as the AW2 blog, Warrior Transition Command website, or straight from their AW2 Advocate. For the 560 or so people who have already “liked” the AW2 Facebook page, these individuals are getting their information right alongside their updates from friends and Family on Facebook.

As AW2’s presence on Facebook has grown over the past two months, we’ve gotten a number of questions from AW2 Soldiers, Veterans, Family members, and Advocates about security and privacy.

  • Can someone who sees me post on the AW2 Facebook page click on my name and see my location?
  • Will people on the AW2 Facebook page be able to look through my photos without my knowledge?
  • Will AW2 Headquarters be able to see what I post on my Facebook wall?

These are all great questions and it’s important that all AW2 Facebook users understand the key answer to all of these questions: Yes or no, depending on your privacy settings. Everyone has a right to as much or as little privacy as they want while using Facebook.  Some users want everyone to see everything, while others (like me) desire that only their chosen friends be able to look at their posted content.

If you haven’t been to the privacy settings page of your Facebook profile, then it is time for your to take a look right now.  Click on the “Account” link in the upper right hand corner of your Facebook page and on the drop down menu, click the “Privacy Settings” link.  This will take you to a page that lists various options that help you control how you connect to, share with, and block other Facebook users.

Personally most of my “Sharing on Facebook” settings are set to “Friends Only” because I don’t want some of the 250,000 individuals on Facebook to gain access to my address, pictures of my children, personal biographical information, place of work, or status updates. By managing my settings in this way, everyone can see me “like” the AW2 page without being able to see any of the private information I don’t want to share. Even the other AW2 Facebook moderators cannot see my personal Facebook profile because of the settings I control. As you can imagine, this feature comes in handy when you become a fan of your place of employment or just in general when surfing on Facebook.  You can learn more about social media best practices by reviewing the U.S. Army Warrior Transition Command’s Online Social Media Training.

Privacy and security are a concern we must all take seriously by scrolling through our privacy settings and fixing any discrepancies. Once the appropriate settings are in place, users can confidently navigate to organizational pages with far less risk of losing desired privacy.

AW2 has a powerful story to tell about Soldiers, Veterans, and Families who have shared in the sacrifice of both the call to duty and the suffering of severe wounds, illnesses, and injuries.  Daily program updates and information are posted on the wall of our Facebook page and the reach of our message continues to grow with the number of individuals who like the AW2 Facebook page. Help us advocate for the program by sharing the AW2 Facebook page with other AW2 Soldiers, Veterans, Families, and friends. You can help give a stronger voice to AW2 by being a part of the conversation.

Case Management—Where it All Comes Together

Filed under Staff Stories, Warrior Transition Command, WTU/WTB by on April 15, 2011 at 10:46 am {no comments}

By COL Suzanne Scott, WTC Clinical Support Division

COL Suzanne Scott explains the importance of Case Managers and how they improve their skills to better serve Warriors in Transition and their Families.

Although our Warrior Transition Command Annual Training Conference was canceled, education and training of our case management team continued this week in order to better deliver services to our Warriors.

Case management is a specialty area of practice that requires additional training and ongoing education. To help our Army military and civilian case managers better support Warriors in Transition, the Army Medical Command Medical Management Department hosts a monthly training seminar for case managers and other members of the medical management team.

Our speaker was Navy CPT Andy Spencer, the Chief of Medical Management, TRICARE Region Office North. His seminar focused on defining the role of the nurse case manager and exploring how this role is integrated in the overall model for medical management.

How does this apply to the wounded warrior community? Our Warriors in Transition and their Families are at the center of everything we do. One of the case manager’s roles, and certainly a key focus area, is the integration of healthcare services. CPT Spencer noted that case management is a collaborative process. Case managers use their talents to collaborate and help integrate services between our Military Health System facilities, with our civilian network partners, and with the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA).

Case managers are instrumental in communicating between locations, between disciplines, within the unit, and most importantly with our patients and their Families. Case managers must look at key standards and benchmarks to ensure that our Warriors in Transition and their Families have appropriate access to care. Case managers ensure that the healthcare team and our Warrior Transition Unit team are achieving the outcomes expected to better support Warriors in Transition.

The “so what” of what CPT Spencer addressed is that case managers all entered the profession and became nursing case managers because of their sincere passion for delivering care to Warriors in Transition. In order to effectively assist our Warriors in Transition, we as case managers have a responsibility to determine what is safe and effective. To do this, case managers must turn to evidence based practice guidelines to help guide the delivery of care. The goal is to deliver efficient, proven, and effective care that is consistently medically necessary and safe for Warriors in Transition.

Case managers have lots of new and emerging tools to help with the communication and collaboration process. We use secure e-mail capabilities and Web enabled data transfer tools to exchange information with our healthcare partners at other military medical treatment facilities and with the VA. We use social media to help affect communication and collaboration between patients and providers, and between members of the healthcare team. In addition to the Twitter and Facebook pages used by the Warrior Transition Command, case managers have access to professional forums to exchange best practices and develop better clinical and business processes. To help disseminate data such as patient and staff education seminars, nurse case managers turn to video and audio conferencing through Defense Connect on Line.

So, faithful blog readers, what does this mean for you? If you’re a Warrior in Transition or Family member or a member of the healthcare team, you can feel confident that you have a dedicated member of your team who is focused on bringing all the other members of the team together to help you achieve you or your Warrior’s goals. If you’re a nurse case manager, and had an opportunity to attend this month’s seminar, you have a better sense of how what you do fits in to the larger model. If you did not have a chance to attend, we’re going to repeat this seminar on Thursday, 21 April at 0900. Talk to your Regional Senior Nurse case manager for the Defense Connect Online portal connection information and dial in number.

AW2 Symposium—Kids Serve Too!

Filed under Symposium by on April 14, 2011 at 4:48 pm {no comments}

By Jim Wenzel, WTC Stratcom

The Labarca-Cruz Family attend the 2010 AW2 Symposium in San Antonio, TX.

April, Month of  the Military Child, is a time for the Army to recognize the character and maturity demonstrated by nearly two million military children as they experience their parents’ frequent displacement, long separation, and, at times, the visible and invisible wounds and scars of training, deployment, and conflict.

The Army Wounded Warrior Program (AW2) recognizes that military kids of Warriors in Transition accept the shared efforts to provide care and strength to their parents. This demonstrates that these kids also share in serving the Army and the nation.

As AW2 identifies delegates for this summer’s AW2 Symposium, I want to stress the role AW2 kids play in the process—and it’s not just fun and games in Orlando. As parents lend their experienced voice in sorting through major issues affecting the Army’s care and transition of Warriors in Transition, their young children will have fun in daycare while older children will find adventure at a camp organized by Operation Purple®. The teenagers will also be given the opportunity to participate in an informal focus group that will allow them to discuss and select major issues important to military children of wounded warriors.

AW2 is about halfway through the process of identifying and selecting AW2 Soldiers, Veterans, and Families to speak on behalf of Army wounded warriors. At Symposium, we anticipate the presence and active participation of our military children. We will give them opportunities for fun as well as allow their voice to be heard—we truly believe they serve too.

If you are interested in taking advantage of this opportunity for both you and your Family, please go to the AW2 Symposium homepage for more information or contact your Advocate.

Motivated, Dedicated, and Inspired by Physical Fitness

Filed under Adaptive Sports, COAD/COAR, Warrior Games by on April 13, 2011 at 4:04 pm {no comments}

By Melvin Taylor, AW2 Advocate

SFC Landon Ranker is a Continuing on Active Duty (COAD) Soldier who applies motivation from physical fitness to his everyday professional life.

SFC Landon Ranker is a Continuing on Active Duty (COAD) Soldier with 19 years of service. During those years, Ranker has held several positions throughout his military career and has faced many challenges, including a traumatic brain injury (TBI) he sustained during deployment. Nevertheless, Ranker currently continues to serve in the Army as the Battalion Enhance Warrior Physical Training NCOIC at Fort Campbell, KY. Ranker finds this to be his most rewarding job and one that is fueled by motivation he finds in physical fitness.

As a role model, SFC Ranker believes strongly that every wounded warrior should be able to do physical training within the limits of his or her profile.  He is a leader that leads from the front when it comes to physical fitness and made this apparent during last year’s Warrior Games.  As a Warrior Games competitor, he brought home two gold medals and one silver medal, competing in three grueling events: 440 Meter Track Relay, 200 Meter Free Style Relay, and the 50 Meter Breast Stroke.  

Later this month, Ranker will compete in a cycling race in Franklin, TN, cycling 35 miles in preparation for the upcoming Warrior Games Ultimate Challenge in May. The Ultimate Challenge consists of five events, including cycling. Ranker hopes that this will get him one step closer to his goal to be a Warrior Games “Ultimate Champion.”

What inspires me about Ranker is that during all of his success and challenges, his TBI has not slowed him down at all. In fact, instead of seeing his TBI as an obstacle, Ranker sees it as a motivator to inspire himself to go the extra mile.  He is not ashamed of his injury and constantly reminds others that if he can go the extra mile—they can too.  This winter he plans to compete in an adaptive skiing program in Colorado and plans to continue demonstrating how athleticism can help motivate progress in other areas of his life.

Wounded Warrior Town Hall at Walter Reed

Filed under Guest Blogger, WTU/WTB by on April 8, 2011 at 4:21 pm {one comment}

By Breanna Hockenbury, Joint Task Force National Capital Region Medical Command (JTF CapMed) Communications

BG Stephen Jones

BG Steve Jones showed posters with the transition timelines, including when Army warriors from Walter Reed will move to Fort Belvoir and the new Walter Reed.

Wednesday morning I woke up early and instead of going to JTF CapMed I hopped on a bus, headed north on 14th Street, and joined approximately 200 Warriors in Transition and Family members at Walter Reed Warrior Transition Brigade’s morning formation. Sitting together in the Karen Wagner Gym bleachers, we heard from BG Steve Jones, JTF CapMed Deputy Commander, about the National Capital Region Medical Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) transition and the relocation of Army Warriors in Transition to the new Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, MD or to Fort Belvoir Community Hospital in Belvoir, VA, when Walter Reed Army Medical Center closes in August. BG Jones provided some updates on the transition but mainly listened and addressed the questions and concerns from Army Warriors in Transition and their Families.

He explained to us how relocation and room assignments at the new facilities would be decided—medical requirements will be the first deciding factor with case managers, providers, and Service Command and Control assigning each Warrior in Transition to the appropriate facility and room as part of the enhanced discharge planning process. BG Jones also explained that “the ultimate goal is to provide patient and Family-centered care that best supports the healing of all warriors.” Warrior Transition Unit Cadre from Walter Reed will move prior to the Warriors in Transition’s to ensure that the facilities and rooms are ready to provide care.

Warriors in Transition and Families also had a chance to browse posters that displayed photographs of the new facilities to get a sense of where they would be living and receiving care after the transition. BG Jones invited all of the warriors to take tours of the new facilities once they are re-assigned to their new location. BG Jones also stressed that the new facilities are a significant improvement from what is currently available at Walter Reed.

When BG Jones opened up the floor to Warriors in Transition’s questions and concerns, they were primarily interested in parking, child care, and the timeline for moving. Although, at this time, parking at both facilities is competitive, warriors will enjoy the benefit of dedicated warrior parking in convenient locations at clinics and their lodging. Child care services at the new facilities will be similar to what is currently available at Walter Reed today.

At the end of the townhall, BG Jones encouraged warriors to email him personally if they had specific questions about how the transition would affect their Families. For more information about the National Capital Region Medical Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) transition, please visit the JTFCapMed website.

Resiliency and How Local Organizations Can Support Wounded Warriors

Filed under Community Support Network by on April 8, 2011 at 3:49 pm {no comments}

By Patty Sands, WTC Stratcom

Last week, the AW2 Community Support Network held its first 2011 quarterly conference call. During the call, participants from across the country discussed the various aspects of resiliency and how to view resiliency from a variety of perspectives. Facilitating the call was AW2 Director COL Greg Gadson, who provided insight into the areas of resiliency he felt Community Support Network organizations should target in their support of wounded warriors. COL Gadson stated, “There are five aspects of resiliency that play into recovery: spiritual, social, emotional, physical, and financial.” COL Gadson then asked, “Where does your organization fit in?”

In preparation to that question, AW2 Community Support Network organizations were asked to send in a statement on how they support resiliency. I found many of them compelling and wanted to share with you one that spoke to each area of resiliency.

Financial—Sew Much Comfort, “…provides free adaptive clothing to support the unique needs of our wounded service members…we have distributed more than 95,000 pieces of adaptive clothing.”

Social—Pets for Patriots, “…supports resiliency by giving service and Veteran members of the U.S. military a renewed sense of purpose through the companionship of adopted pets.”

Physical—U.S. Olympic Committee Paralympic Military Program, “…supports wounded, ill and injured service members by using sport to enhance the rehabilitation process.”

Emotional—Air Compassion for Veterans, ”…we help support, fortify and create a resilient format for our wounded and their families to be able to integrate into productive lives dealing with their new limitations.  We have flown over 18,000 flights so far making sure they can access these services.”

Spiritual—Irunforgod, “…helps [wounded, injured, and ill] achieve their personal, social, spiritual, and professional goals by providing them with a life transforming experience.”

Each quote demonstrates that organizations provide multiple types of support that strengthen wounded warrior resiliency. Although It is hard to categorize these resources, each phase of recovery needs different types of support for both wounded warriors and their Families.

In conclusion, COL Gadson said, “There are great resources available to assist wounded warriors and their Families. Our goal is to have them connect.” And that, is our goal.

If you know of an organization that also supports wounded warriors in their local communities, please point them to the AW2 Community Support Network Web page or email recommendations at AW2CommunitySupportNetwork@conus.army.mil

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