HIGHLIGHTS ARCHIVE
CINCINNATI, Nov. 9, 2017 -- Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) teamed with Dewey's Pizza to give warriors and their families a chance to experience old-school pizza-making techniques: tossing dough high in the air to shape it, topping a pie with favorites, and sliding the pizza into a huge oven. Of course, the final exam, the most anticipated part of pizza school, is eating your creation.
"I felt it was a great experience for me and my kids to bond," said Army Reserve veteran Matthew Lawrence. "The team members were super helpful with crafting the pizza with the kids."
Matthew went with sausage, green peppers, and banana peppers on his unique pizza creation. He said he thinks he'll now try to make his own pizza at home.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Nov. 6, 2017 -- Veteran owned business and custom longboard maker KOTA Longboards® today announced a campaign designed to give back to Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP). KOTA, which stands for Knights of the Air, has a strong affinity for the military community and fully supports the WWP mission to honor and empower Wounded Warriors.
"Longboarding is a physically invigorating and mentally relaxing activity for all ages," KOTA Founder Mike Maloney said. "Over the past few years, KOTA has worked with Wounded Warrior Project to develop a post traumatic stress healing program around the recreation of longboarding to great success. Now we're honored to offer this limited edition design that directly supports the critical work Wounded Warrior Project does serving our veteran community."
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Nov. 6, 2017 -- For the past eight years, Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) has surveyed wounded veterans registered with the organization. The annual polling represents the largest and most comprehensive annual survey conducted by a veterans service organization. It provides valuable insights into the lives of more than 100,000 men and women who were wounded serving our nation and now are served by WWP. The data – including topics such as injuries, challenges, unemployment, health care choices, and successes – helps determine the needs of today's generation of wounded warriors.
Results in this year's survey, completed by more than 34,000 veterans, show more injured veterans are trusting the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for health care concerns. More warriors are also gainfully employed than in past years. However, there are significant challenges these men and women face.
CHICAGO, Nov. 1, 2017 -- One-in-five veterans deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq lives with the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). That estimate, from a RAND study, helps make the invisible wound of war one of the signature injuries of the global war on terror.
PTSD symptoms may range from anxiety, isolation, guilt, insomnia and intrusive thoughts. Responses to these symptoms may include irritability, hypervigilance and social isolation. The range and manifestation of symptoms makes PTSD complex and challenging for clinicians to treat.
An innovative collaboration between Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) and four top academic medical centers addresses those challenges. Warrior Care Network® is a partnership to bring world-class mental health care to injured veterans around the nation.
DALLAS, Nov. 1, 2017 -- To raise support for Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP), The Saxton Group, McAlister's Deli's largest franchisee, will kick off the next iteration of its Cookies for a Cause campaign. Throughout November, McAlister's Deli will sell cookies with camouflage and gold star sprinkles, with 50 cents of each cookie sold benefitting the warriors WWP serves.
"While we're known for our McAlister's Famous Sweet Tea™, our cookies are just as sweet, and this cause makes them even sweeter," said The Saxton Group, LLC co-CEO Adam Saxton. "We have locations next to some of the country's biggest military bases and have always supported our nation's bravest. Additionally, we're proud to have a number of veterans and reservists working in our restaurants. This campaign is our way of honoring the heroes who form an important part of our customer and employee base."
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Oct. 31, 2017 -- Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) embraced the Halloween spirit by inviting local warriors and their families for an afternoon of fun and healing at its annual Halloween event.
WWP staff transformed their headquarters into a Halloween carnival complete with costumes, themed activity booths, and treats around every corner.
More than 50 warriors and their families came dressed in costumes and made their way through the carnival enjoying games, candy, pizza, and good company. Booth activities included painting pumpkins, bowling, temporary tattoos, and photo booths.
NEW YORK, Oct. 27, 2017 -- More than 116,000 people have already viewed part of a recent Facebook Live event to raise awareness about veteran suicide. Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) produced "Suicide Awareness: What You Should Know" in partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Department of Defense (DoD).
During the hour-long broadcast, presenters focused on stigma, risk factors, available resources, and collaboration. Viewers also heard from veterans who took the strong step to get help while in crisis.
"No one told me there may be these types of triggers – insomnia, anxiety, difficulty connecting," said Taniki Richard, Marine Corps veteran. "I needed a space to talk, and that is where Wounded Warrior Project came in."
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, Oct. 26, 2017 -- Hurricane Maria roared ashore in Puerto Rico on the morning of Wednesday, Sept. 20. The powerful storm packed sustained winds of more than 150 mph, whipping through an island nation already impacted by another hurricane just weeks earlier.
As the sun rose, the island of more than 3 million people – including about 75,000 veterans – discovered terrible devastation. Puerto Rico's electric grid was in shambles. More than three weeks after Maria, the utility that provides water to 97 percent of the island struggles to meet demand.
Puerto Rico veterans have played a significant role in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. More than 700 injured veterans and family members on the island are registered with Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP). Like much of Puerto Rico, they have all been impacted by the hurricane.
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.