Departments

Region 8 Veterans Charge Forward and
Begin Sponsorship with the Wounded Warrior Project

August 1-3, 56 delegates converged on the grounds of the Crown Reef Resort at Myrtle Beach S.C. for the Region 8 Veterans Council conference.

The conference was filled with many inspiring comments and remarks from leaders across the UAW including Director Gary Casteel, CAP Rep. Roy Thomas and Education Rep. Joe Rypkowski from the Region 8 office. All speaking: were clearly appreciative of their freedom and patriot’s for those serving today and in the past.

It’s clear and the point was made that we as veterans, union activist and citizen’s we can have an impact on the up-coming fall elections and the opportunity to get “America back on the right tract from the right-wing extremist forces that have pursued a go-it-alone foreign policy that has led our nation into war in Iraq and how dangerous a president with unchecked power and a go-along congress can be.

In short, UAW veterans “also have the life experiences to explain to voters that our veterans have risked their lives and being dissent isn’t un-patriotic but required in a vibrant democracy. It’s one of the freedoms we preserved while serving in uniform”.

Veterans issue speakers also included 3 very caring ladies, 2 from the WJB Dorn VA Medical Center, Columbia S.C.

Dr. Rachael Rossman, Director of Mental Health gave an excellent presentation on PTSD. Dr. Rossman pointed out the common and uncommon characteristics of PTSD when working with veterans of the different war time eras, and how we can best identify PTSD and nationwide wide programs to help out veteran membership.

Priscilla Creamer, Public Affairs and Voluntary Services addresses the delegation explaining statistically in general how healthier people are who volunteer time to help others. She also noted on many different areas where volunteers made a difference in the patients well being and praised all the volunteer hours the UAW Veterans put in all the VA’s across the country.

Alta Millings, Immediate Past State Commander of the Vietnam Veterans of America of S.C. was of great benefit to the conference. She helped arrange the speakers from S.C. and the Color Guard, VVA Chapter 925, and talked with the delegates about the current administrations short coming concerning veterans, the process and “how to” get bills past thru legislation. Alta Millings is a lady vet herself and was a great inspiration to us all.

Reports were given by all locals and state councils attending, with no doubt our veterans committee’s are working hard within their communities across Region 8.

WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT

The Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) is a non-profit organization dedicating to assisting the new generation of severely injured service members. Delivering personal and responsive attention for these heroes, WWP provides free programs and services for the severely wounded, enables veterans to help veterans, educates the public and enlists their aid in this important effort.

Wounded Warrior Project has reached thousands of wounded servicemen and women, providing comfort items, counseling and rehabilitation to aid in the transition from a hospital bed to an independent productive life. WWP work begins right at the hospital bedside of the most severely injured as they undergo treatment and rehabilitation in Dept. of Defense hospitals and VA Medical Centers. Many of the injuries are traumatic amputations, gunshot wounds, burns, blast injuries and severe head trauma that will retire these brave warriors from military service.

The WWP was founded on the principle that veterans are our nation's greatest citizens.

With so many UAW members serving in the Reserve and National Guard components of the military and with these components serving in the many areas of conflict and war across the world, the Region 8 Veterans Council recognized we need to be involved in a program that would give immediate aid and attention to our brave members in arms if God forbidden they should become severely wounded. Thus the Wounded Warrior Project was selected as a program the Region 8 Veterans Council would become involved in.

During both the Region 8 Veterans Conference and the UAW Veterans National Conference in Black Lake, when asked, all locals attending had members serving or had served in Iraq, Afghanistan and other places of conflict around the globe.

During the Region 8 Veterans Conference, Mr. Ed Salau who supervises the development and implementation of WWP programs and services throughout the Eastern United States gave a and heart wrenching and gripping account of the type injuries he our brave service members face in today’s War on Terror. IED’s, roadside bombs and suicide bombers are the number one weapon’s the insurgents are using that cause the most harm to our troops. With today’s battlefield medicine and quick evacuation time more and more of our troops are surviving catastrophic injuries.

Ed is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps and the North Carolina Army National Guard, serving from 1988 to 2005. In November, 2004, while serving as an Infantry Platoon Leader in Iraq, Ed lost his left leg by a RPG, when his platoon was ambushed. Ed an expert infantryman was also a ski instructor and helped trained soldiers in mountainous training, since his injury, Ed has the heart and determination to live his life to the fullest and continues to ski and works with the WWP’s Adaptive Sports project and continues to be registered with the Professional Ski Instructors of America. Ed is a true champion, a great person and a role model for us all.
Region 8 introduced the WWP to the UAW Veterans National Conference in Black Lake; Jeff Searcy, Marketing and Development Director, was in attendance and had another fine presentation that touched the hearts and left the delegates at awe. Sharing success stories of our severely wounded soldiers, it was clear, the WWP was something the UAW needed and wanted to be involved in. Jeff Searcy and the WWP connected with every veteran in the audience, weather you were a WWII, Korean, Vietnam, Gulf War or a War on Terror vet, the delegates wished such an outstanding and committed service organization would have been established during their era.

During both conferences a total of $8,500 was raised with commitments made from other Regions and local union’s to involve the WWP in their programs and activities. I personally appreciate the hospitality and interest everyone showed the WWP staff members. Both Jeff Searcy and Ed Salau were very complimentary and overwhelmed with the UAW Veterans enthusiasm and good heartiness’.

WWP in a unique organization, where there are many military service organizations that provide services to active duty service members and their families, and many veterans’ service organizations that, provide services and opportunities for fraternal interaction to veterans upon their discharge from service, few organizations devote their resources to assisting the severely wounded during the critical period from when they enter the hospital, to when they return to their communities and re-enter civilian life.

The WWP staff knows first hand the special needs of the severely wounded as many of their staff are wounded warriors themselves. The WWP staff are driven and determined and has the knowledge and resources to make a difference in the lives of the critically wounded so they can go out and make a difference as a leader in the family and in their communities.

The Wounded Warrior Project services and benefits include:

Family Assistance; it is recognized that when a service member suffers a severe injury the impact can be just as devastating for their families. WWP tries to ease the burdens on families by subsidizing necessities such as housing, food, daycare, air and ground transportation while families are visiting their loved ones at military hospitals in the US and overseas.

Benefit Counseling; WWP employs a highly trained staff of benefit counselors who identify the government benefits and services needed to assist patients as they return to their communities and re-enter civilian life.

Advocacy; WWP gives wounded veterans a voice in local and national issues. Thanks in part to WWP’s efforts, last December the President signed into law, the Wounded Warrior Law, a new program that will pay severely injured service members up to $100,000. As of March 2006 the Wounded Warrior Law has paid 1,543 service members a total of 103 million dollars- an “average” of 66,800 each.

Adaptive Sports: WWP has partnered with Disabled Sports USA and established the Wounded Warrior Disabled Sports Project to provide a variety of opportunities for the wounded and their families to experience everything life has to offer through sports and recreation. The program involves training to participate in sporting events like outrigger canoeing, golf, water skiing, cycling, snow skiing and rock climbing. The program is focused on overcoming obstacles and challenges the severely wounded veteran may face once in the civilian world.

Wounded Warrior Backpacks; When a service member is critically wounded and flown out of the field it can take weeks for their personal items to reach them in the hospital. Often they awake from the operating table with nothing more than a hospital gown to their name. The Wounded Warrior backpacks provides personal comfort items like personal clothing, pen and paper, stamps, CD player and hygiene items. These items give the wounded a personal feeling that they have something of their own and are instrumental to the psychological side of recovery.


For more information go to:
www.woundedwarriorproject.org
or Mark Peterson at
hogxtco3@msn.com



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