The Department of Defense’s Warrior Care Month effort is a department-wide program designed to increase awareness of the resources available to wounded, ill, and injured service members, their families and those who care for them. This year’s theme, “Show of Strength,” showcases wounded, ill, and injured service members and their strengths as they reintegrate back to duty or transition into the civilian sector.
Established by former Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates in November 2008, Warrior Care Month 2014 focuses on the continuum of care for wounded, ill, and injured service members: recovery, reconditioning, reintegration, and remaining strong.
The month will be marked by two signature events on Nov. 20: a rehabilitation expo and sitting volleyball tournament, both taking place at the Pentagon.
Designed to showcase the diverse activities wounded, ill, and injured service members participate in on their road to recovery, the Office of Warrior Care Policy is hosting the Reconditioning Expo at the Pentagon, between Apex 1 and 2, Floor 2 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. The expo will showcase art work created by wounded, ill, and injured service members, demonstrating how art is used as a medium to manage both visible and invisible wounds.
The sitting volleyball tournament will feature 60 to 75 active duty and veteran athletes from the military services and U.S. Special Operations Command. The opening ceremony will be held at 12 p.m. in the Pentagon Athletic Center with the tournament immediately following from12:30- 2:30 p.m.
Invited guests include: the Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel; Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Jessica Wright; Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Jonathan Woodson; and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Warrior Care Policy James Rodriguez.
For more information about Warrior Care Month, please visit www.defense.gov/warriorcaremonth or contact: Barbara Wilson, director of Outreach and Training, Warrior Care Policy (571) 286-6375, Barbara.a.wilson40.civ@mail.mil.