JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – For over 20 years, the Wounded Warrior Project has made it its mission to provide the simplest care and comfort items to wounded service members returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan.
As the needs of these wounded warriors have changed, so have the services offered. From programs in mental health and long-term rehabilitative care to advocacy efforts, Wounded Warrior Project CEO Walt Piatt said every day they are saving lives with what they do.
“Too often, young individuals who serve in our military have to, sadly, accept the end of the life they thought they were going to have and embrace a path in life they didn’t think was possible,” he said.
As a veteran, Piatt knows that the role he’s been given isn’t an honor, but a great responsibility.
For 42 years he served in the US Army and was deployed to combat many times. So, taking care of those who are coming back home, is of the utmost importance to him.
“You meet warriors that have been part of our programs, and they tell me, ‘Wounded Warrior Project saved my life.’ I’ve learned firsthand from serving the military that coming home from war shouldn’t be harder than going to war, but sadly, it is,” Piatt said. ”So many of our veterans return from some really very difficult deployments, but they’re not yet home, so it’s our mission every day is to bring them home. I call it keeping the promise. That’s our why, and we continue to do that throughout this first year here, and we will continue to do it as long as it’s required.”
Piatt’s priority is to support veterans in every way possible, whether they need a job, mental health resources, or simply reassurance that they are not alone.
“We made a promise that we would always be there no matter what. And so, every day I wake up and every day I come into this organization, no matter where I’m at in the United States, for this organization, I know that we have to keep that promise, because every warrior kept their promise. They kept this nation free. They went where they didn’t really want to go. They had to do things they really want to do. Now it’s our duty to bring them home and keep that promise,” Piatt said.
One worry they are seeing is the cuts from the federal level.
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While Piatt said they are concerned, he said he spent time last week at the nation’s Capitol and they want to help.
“I met with all members of the Veterans Affairs oversight committee. I’ll go up again this week, and I’ll meet the new Veterans Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Everybody in Washington DC wants to help our veterans. Nobody wants to cut veterans’ benefits. What I promised them is that we are seeing a lot of anxiety right now, and this is a population that has high anxiety already, and we don’t want to add to it. So we told our warriors last week, I wrote them all a letter, and I said, We got your back. We’re going to keep the promise,” Piatt said.
Piatt said it’s his responsibility to report back to Capitol Hill what they are seeing and if they see that any of the cuts have a negative impact, they’re jumping right in to keep that promise.
But Piatt said for those who truly want to help a veteran and can’t give or even volunteer, a thank you is more than enough.
“I think for many warriors, they don’t understand how grateful their nation is. They don’t understand how deeply they are appreciated. I do. I’ve seen how America cares about their warriors or veterans. I’ve seen how Jacksonville carries about warriors and veterans. I mean, we love them. We know what they’ve done, but they feel awkward. They don’t feel yet connected to society in many ways. They’re afraid of society to just show your appreciation, to say, you know, good morning, good afternoon, thank you for your service is a big one, because it really matters,” Piatt said.
It’s small words like that, that can really help a veteran going through something others don’t see, Piatt said.
“To say that, to say thank you, thank you for serving when many did not for other reasons, but thank you for doing that. Thank you for protecting me, protecting my family, protecting beautiful Jacksonville. Thank you and just know that identify with them as a human being. It helps. It all helps,” Piatt said.
To learn more about the Wounded Warrior Project visit this website.
