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Justin Young
Good News
According to the organization
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of
America (iava.org) 48,253 soldiers
have been wounded in the
conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan
since their inception. IAVA also
reports that there were 23 Army
suicides in the month of June 2012
alone.While the averageAmerican
cannot begin to fathom the
stresses, emotions and horrors that
come as a part of participating in
war, the harsh reality is that many
soldiers return home feeling ill-
adjusted, misunderstood and left to
now face life alone. Many soldiers
suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress
Disorder (PTSD), some develop
substance abuse or other mental
health issues, all of which are only
compounded when a wounded
soldiermust copewith the physical
pain of a combat injury.
The
Wounded
Warrior
Project
(woundedwarriorproject.org) has
a vision “To foster the most
successful,
well-adjusted
generation of wounded service
members in our nation’s history.”
WWP’s mission is to honor and
empower wounded warriors.
WWP’s purpose includes raising
awareness, enlisting the public’s aid
for the needs of wounded service
members, to help injured service
members assist each other, and to
provide unique and direct
programs to meet the needs of
injured service members.
WWP takes a holistic
approach to ensure that no aspect
of a wounded warrior’s care and
recovery is overlooked. To address
mental and emotional challenges,
WWP offers a Combat Stress
Recovery Program including
retreats, counseling and online
resources.WWP seeks tomeet the
economic needs of wounded
veterans by providing job training
andplacement. To address physical
needs, WWP offers fitness
programs, rehabilitation programs,
and adaptive sports designed to
help injured soldiers regain their
confidence and independence. But
perhaps themost important aspect
of what WWP does is provide a
venue for relationships and
mentoring
where
wounded
warriors can connect with others
who share their same struggles, and
who can relate and empathizewith
them in a way that most simply
cannot.
The following are just a few of
the thousands of soldiers that
WWP’s outreach and care
programs have been able to
impact.
Justin Constantine
In October 2006, Marine
Corps Major Justin Constantine
was shot in the head by a sniper
while on combat patrol in Iraq.
Thanks to the swift and skilled
actions of his brothers in arms,
Constantine did not lose his life
that day. Nevertheless, six years
later, he reports still being only
about 75 percent recovered.
Constantine confesses, “Even
though I try not to, I still feel
embarrassed and guilty about my
injury.” His involvement with
WWP and the support of his wife
Dahlia have helped him deal with
the intense physical and emotional
challenges he has faced along the
way. Today, Constantine is a part
of
a
wounded
warrior
Congressional task force and
works for an FBI counterterrorism
unit. Constantine holds fast to
WinstonChurchill’s famous quote,
“Never, never, never, give up.”
Good News - Broward Edition
36
March 2013
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