TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Oct. 19, 2017 -- Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) recently took a group of veterans and their families to the ultimate game day experience at Florida State University (FSU). In addition to tickets to the game, veterans and their guests enjoyed a tour of the stadium and weight room, on-field access during pre-game warmups, and they even met with the Seminoles head football coach.
"The best part of the game was the tour of FSU's awesome athletic center and meeting FSU's head coach, Jimbo Fisher," said Air Force veteran Ruben Salazar. "He took the time to meet all of us individually and thanked us for our service. A bonus was that he signed mini football helmets for us!"
National Guard veteran Jeremiah Bailey enjoyed the interaction with Jimbo Fisher as well. "The behind-the-scenes tour and meeting the head coach was a blessing and truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Oct. 17, 2017 -- Applying for disability compensation benefits with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is not the easiest task to manage. It can often be very confusing for warriors who might not understand the laws and regulations that impact the VA's final decision on a claim, leaving injured veterans frustrated as to why their claims are being denied.
Before starting the benefit claims process, it's important to understand the basic principles of what constitutes a "service connection." For most service-connected claims, there must be documented medical evidence of the claimed condition during military service. Next, the condition must be proven to be chronic – essentially, there should be a paper trail of continued treatment for the claimed condition event after being discharged from service.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Oct. 13, 2017 -- Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) relies on the support of donors, including individual supporters, corporate partners, and even groups of students. Young entrepreneur Matt Revnew recently reached out to WWP. His business, Maverick Men's, sells hair pomade for men. He stated his intentions to donate proceeds from the sales of his products to support those WWP serves.
"I wanted to have a better hair product to use," Matt said. "I had the idea in May of 2017 and didn't put it into action until about July of 2017 when I went to an entrepreneur camp at a local high school. I plan on seeing it grow immensely from the time of October 2017 to February 2018."
Like many who have chosen to support WWP, Matt has family who served in the military. His grandfather, Gerald, served in the Air Force during the Korean War. His uncle, Bob, saw combat in Desert Storm.
TEMPE, Ariz., Oct. 13, 2017 -- Even though Arizona has no ocean coastline, veterans and their families recently had the opportunity to master the art of surfing in Tempe thanks to Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP).
WWP partnered with Big Surf to offer veterans and their families five weeks of surf sessions. While surfing is often recognized for its physical health benefits, it also promotes mental health by offering warriors the opportunity to connect with fellow service members. All WWP connection events support the long-term recovery of warriors by providing a chance to build lasting support structures.
Army veteran Jesus Ibarra said he always wanted to surf. Not only did he fulfill his dream, but he also met other service members who can relate to his struggles.
ROCK HILL, S.C., Oct. 11, 2017 -- Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) Soldier Ride®, presented by USAA®, continued its roll across America to serve another community of wounded warriors. In South Carolina, over 40 warriors hit the road and began building a local network of veterans that can provide critical support on the path to recovery.
Army veteran Triron James showed up for the ride to get more than just a workout on the bicycle underneath him.
"I wanted to link up with other veterans and get that sense of unity back," Triron said. "I came out here hoping to challenge myself physically, but also to learn more life skills and build a network with other veterans in my community. We all have that service history in common, but it's surprising how quickly everyone has come together. Everything comes back together to give us that sense of unity. We're all motivating each other, supporting each other. I needed that, and I need it in my day-to-day life."
