PTSD - Wounded Warrior Project
June 18th, 2009Maggie Haynes talks about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder / Combat Stress.
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Category : General | Tags : wounded warrior project wwp veterans |
Maggie Haynes talks about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder / Combat Stress.
Maurice Jackson with the Wounded Warrior Project talks about the recent changes to the Traumatic Servicemembers Group Life Insurance program (TSGLI) and how it affects injured servicemembers.
As Operation Outreach draws to a close, the teams gather in Nashville for a closing celebration for the community to gather and thank the warriors. Also in the episode are visits to Fort Bliss and a backyard barbecue, where talk turns to the effect a warrior’s injury has on his family, friends, and hometown.
In this episode, the Northeast team pays a visit to the US Military Academy at West Point, while another Operation Outreach team meets with a father and son who have a musical approach to reaching out to injured veterans.
As Operation Outreach continues, the Texas team makes a stop in Round Rock, where a father and son reconnect after the son’s deployment to Iraq. Other stops this week include Ft. Sill, Oklahoma, where the team meets Staff Sergeant Danny Lamont-Thomas, who is recovering from a traumatic brain injury at the Warrior Transition Unit. Staff Sergeant Lamont-Thomas talks about connecting with the outreach team and encourages his fellow warriors to reach out for help in recovery.
Harrisburg, PA. Lawton, OK.
Operation Outreach doesn’t just hit big cities; teams scour the county to find warriors in their home communities, even in towns in rural America. And just as the troops overseas have their mission, the troops of Operation Outreach are charged with a mission of awareness, friendship, and family.
In this episode, the Operation Outreach teams visit Oklahoma and Pennsylvania, where talk turns to the psychological effects of war and the personal challenges wounded warriors face as they return home.
The momentum is beginning to build. The guys of the Wounded Warrior Project’s Operation Outreach roll into Texas and Pennsylvania to bring the message of perseverance, dedication and solidarity. They discuss their mission and their injuries with other veterans on the Cracker Barrel Front Porches.
The second half of the story is the most moving video to date from Operation Outreach, and it doesn’t star any of the Outreach staff. Instead, a retired medic named Alan Babin takes the spotlight and shares his story of adaptation and survivability with members of the team. While his mother shares some of the horrific details of Alan’s injuries and his recovery, Alan, with his amazing smile, tells everyone there is more to live for, and a whole lot to give up, by quitting. The last frame of Alan, hand in the air, eyes focused, saying, “never give up,” emotionally parts the waters between where a person was before they saw this piece and where they are now.
Gonna stand my ground, won’t be turned around
And I’ll keep this world from draggin’ me down
Gonna stand my ground and I won’t back down
- Johnny Cash, I Won’t Back Down
With the same tenacious, bare-knuckled dedication they had in the United States Armed Forces, the guys and gals of Operation Outreach take these last moments to stage for the most recent part of their own recovery as wounded warriors – reaching out to fellow veterans who don’t know there are organizations standing ready to provide assistance. Reaching out is just the first step, and inspiration is at the very first stop on the long summer road ahead. It’s vets helping vets, and the power of community and shared experiences that keep the tires turning.
Wounded Warrior Project’s Operation Outreach is on the road and coming to a town near you! Watch our Operation Outreach Video Blog to follow along as we meet other wounded warriors around the country!