chaptersinaction Invisible Wounds
Council and chapter members support the Virginia Wounded Warrior Program that helps veterans from all wars and their families who are affected by traumatic brain injury, PTSD, and other injuries.
T
his department’s main story, “Helping Wounded Warriors,” tells an inspira-
tional story about what is possible in helping this nation’s injured service- members. Just one MOAA state coun- cil can make a difference, and so can one chapter. In Virginia, both of these things are happening at the same time. The many wounded warriors return- ing from Iraq and Afghanistan contin- ue to need significant help. As the war in Iraq winds down, the fight picks up in Afghanistan, and the number of wounded warriors continues to grow.
Virginia Council of Chapters decided to help by linking up with a coalition of state veterans’ service organiza- tions. As part of its efforts, the council convinced state legislators that, even during financial hardship for the state, funding the Virginia Wounded War- rior Program (VWWP) was important. Elsewhere in the state, MOAA’s
More than a few MOAA chapters
are in towns with deploying National Guard and Reserve units. They see the effects of wounds suffered in battle and know the families affected. The
Mount Vernon Chapter connected with a group known as the West Point Wounded Warrior Mentor Program. Four chapter members signed up to mentor injured servicemembers receiving treatment at a military medical center in the Washington, D.C., area. Chapter member Lt. Col. Paul Mehler, USA-Ret, is mentoring a 24-year-old combat engineer who used to go out ahead of servicemem- bers on patrol and disarm IEDs. Me- hler and other chapter members meet with their assigned servicemember once a month through the Soldier and Family Assistance Center at Fort Belvoir, Va. The goal is to help these soldiers move forward in their lives and develop a five-year plan. The pro- gram also is in place at National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., and at Fort Meade, Md., and Fort Gordon, Ga. The Mount Vernon Chapter also has started a new Wounded Warrior Committee, which will coordinate
ON THE ROAD: This month, Col. Lee Lange II, USMC-Ret., director of MOAA’s Council and Chapter Affairs, will visit chapter members in Ari- zona, California, and Virginia. Go to MOAA Calendar, page 82, for dates.
4 2 MI L I T A R Y O F F I C E R O C TO B E R 2 0 1 0
member efforts to support service- members who will be treated in the Fort Belvoir hospital now being built. Read on and find out more about
what can be done by MOAA members who care about their fellow veterans and believe in one generation of war- riors helping another.
— Col. Lee Lange II, USMC-Ret. Director, Council and Chapter Affairs
Helping Wounded Warriors
V
irginia is home to more than 819,000 veterans. Some of these veterans and
their families have been affected by what have been called the war on terrorism’s hidden injuries — PTSD and traumatic brain injury (TBI). For many veterans who pride
themselves on their mental and emo- tional fortitude, admitting they need help is difficult. Some wonder how their peers will view them or worry about whether their military careers will be affected adversely if they seek treatment for PTSD or TBI. Other veterans don’t know they’re eligible for benefits or lack convenient access to VA services. “People were falling through
the cracks, and these were people who needed our help,” says Virginia
PHOTO: STEVE BARRETT
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