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Wounded Warrior Project If you haven't already, please take two seconds to help wounded warriors and their families by asking your senators to support strong legislation for family caregivers!
Take action now to support family caregivers like Eric Edmundson's family as they struggle to care f
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U.S. Army Sergeant Eric Edmundson was injured in 2005 by an Improvised Explosive Device in Iraq. As a result of a severe Traumatic Brain Injury, he suffers from paraplegia and cannot speak.
Wounded Warrior Project Wounded Warrior Project is proud to partner with HISTORY in presenting WWII in HD.
www.woundedwarriorproject.org
WWII in HD is the first-ever World War II documentary presented in full, immersive HD color. Culled from thousands of hours of lost and rare color archival footage gathered from a worldwide search through basements and archives, WWII in HD will change the way the world sees this defining conflict. U...
Wounded Warrior Project
Overstock.com Veterans Day Series
Featured Warrior: CPL (Ret) Kevin Grafeld
Hometown: Levittown, PA
Birthday: October 18
Interests: Reading, Writing, Paintball, Dancing
As a boy, Kevin Grafeld's dream was to be a Marine. Following high school, Kevin enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps as a Ground Intelligenc...e Specialist in 2002. He deployed 18 months to Djibouti, Africa and did two tours in Iraq. According to Kevin, "Africa is hotter."
During his first tour in Iraq, Kevin served on a Guard Force. They were mortared every morning, and then defended against small arms fire and drive-by shootings at night. Kevin spent his second combat tour on a Military Training Team, training the Iraqi military.
After Kevin's second tour, transition to civilian life was challenging. His social worker connected him with WWP. He says, "I was expecting the worst" when it came to the TRACK program. "Instead, they treat us like adults... we're held accountable." Kevin wants to become an EMT and work on Life Flight as a paramedic. When asked about his feelings for his service and his country, Kevin says, "I love America, but how does America feel about me?"
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As a boy, Kevin Grafeld's dream was to be a Marine. Following high school, Kevin enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps as a Ground Intelligence Specialist in 2002. He deployed 18 months to Djibouti, Africa and did two tours in Iraq. According to Kevin, "Africa is hotter."
Wounded Warrior Project
Overstock.com Veterans Day Series
Featured Warrior: SPC (Ret) Kevin Keith
Hometown: Westminster, CA
Birthday: October 26
Alive Day: May 3, 2004
Interests: Football
Kevin Keith grew up with six siblings. After high school in 2003, he enlisted in the Army Reserves and deployed to Tikrit, Iraq, from February 2004 to March 2005.... His unit spent most days on the road conducting convoys. Kevin was a .50 caliber gunner, providing security in either the front or rear vehicle of the convoy.
In his words, they "got hit all the time." The job of the gunner is a heavy responsibility. As Kevin says, the gunner is "in charge of the convoy and the lives of everybody in it." When he was riding in the lead of the convoy, he "took no chances."
On a routine convoy, Kevin was the rear gunner when an IED was remotely detonated as his vehicle passed. The fragmentation missed him, but the concussion of the round blasted Kevin into the armor plating on the vehicle, resulting in head and back injuries.
After the relentless stress of convoy after convoy, Kevin had a tough time when he came home. He watched a documentary about a Warrior named Jeremy Feldbusch. Jeremy lost his sight, but could still hunt with the help of his dad. Kevin was inspired, so he signed up for "Project Odyssey" with Wounded Warrior Project (WWP). Thankfully, he's now on the road to recovery.
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They want the regular Kevin to come back, but war changes you... you can provide this new Kevin, but that's the best you can do. - Kevin Keith
Wounded Warrior Project
Overstock.com Veterans Day Series
Featured Warrior: SGT (Ret) Josh Fruen
Hometown: Arlington, TX
Birthday: August 4
Interests: Softball, Baseball, Outdoors
Josh was deployed in 2003 to the Sunni Triangle of Iraq. While there, Intelligence reports identified a building in which Saddam Hussein was hiding. Josh's unit was sent... on a night mission to cordon the building. They convoyed toward the building along a canal road. The truck Josh was riding in flipped over and rolled into the canal, top down in the water.
The amount of gear that soldiers wear and the difficulty of removing seats belts makes it tough to get in and out of the tight cabs of tactical vehicles. The disorienting effect of being under water at night makes it worse. Josh couldn't free himself and drowned, trapped in the vehicle. Miraculously, fellow soldiers pulled him out and medics were able to revive him.
Josh was back to work the next day.
He started to exhibit symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) while deployed. Later, he was diagnosed with a brain injury. After he returned home, a "Warriors to Work" coordinator in Washington introduced him to Wounded Warrior Project (WWP). Josh says he joined the TRACK program for support, direction, and help on "how to get back into life." He wants to study Criminal Justice and go into law enforcement.
When asked about his country, Josh says that ours is the "Greatest nation in the world - it's home."
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Josh was deployed in 2003 to the Sunni Triangle of Iraq. While there, Intelligence reports identified a building in which Saddam Hussein was hiding. Josh's unit was sent on a night mission to cordon the building. ...
Wounded Warrior Project
Overstock.com Veterans Day Series
Featured Warrior: SGT (Ret) Paul Smith
Hometown: Corvallis, OR
Birthday: September 13
Interests: Soccer, Football
Paul served as a mortar man in a line company, an infantry position. The mission of Paul's unit required them to constantly patrol villages on foot and drive long distances on p...rim...itive, dangerous roads. The physical demands and the psychological stress took their toll.
After Paul returned home, his life was filled with nightmares and flashbacks. He describes himself as inexplicably jumpy and irritable during that time. Paul's parents are missionaries; he grew up in Peru in a close-knit family. His family lamented the changes they saw in him, after he returned home.
Fortunately, Paul found a VA brochure on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and discovered that the list of symptoms described his life. Eventually diagnosed with PTSD, Paul considers himself "one of the lucky ones." His VA case manager in Florida referred him to Wounded Warrior Project. He liked the idea of being surrounded by fellow veterans again, and enrolled in WWP's TRACK program.
The camaraderie and support have helped him on his road to recovery. Now, Paul's goal is to enjoy life. He wants to work overseas in social service, "to help people out."
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Paul served as a mortar man in a line company, an infantry position. The mission of Paul's unit required them to constantly patrol villages on foot and drive long distances on primitive, dangerous roads. The physical demands and the psychological stress took their toll.
Wounded Warrior Project
Overstock.com Veterans Day Series
Featured Warrior: CPL( Ret) Blake Stocker
Hometown: Choteau, MT; Birthday: January 6; Interests: Sky diving, Surfing, Reading
Blake was stationed in Fallujah, Iraq and traveled all over the country to forward operating bases (FOBs). His days were filled with constant driving. He said, "We...'d get a few hours of sleep here and there, in the vehicles." On the road, they looked for "things suspicious - that felt wrong."
When Blake returned home he tried his best to reintegrate himself back into civilian life, but says, "Something was amiss." He experienced anxiety and anger that he could not explain. After Hurricane Katrina ravaged the southeastern United States, Blake went to Biloxi, Mississippi to help in the rebuilding effort. While there, he sought answers to his questions at the Veteran's Administration (VA).
Blake was diagnosed with PTSD. Searching on his own, he found Wounded Warrior Project. The TRACK program was the very thing for which he had been looking. Blake describes the TRACK program as a place that provides safety - a place to live, all expenses paid, with friends in the program for mutual support and stability. He wants to study neuroscience and become a professor. "Three years from now I want to be in a different country studying neuroscience - France, New Zealand, Ireland, Greece", all places where his veteran's benefits are available. When asked about his feelings regarding his service, Blake pauses while he searches for the right word and says that he's, "Satisfied. I love my country."
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Blake was stationed in Fallujah, Iraq and traveled all over the country to forward operating bases (FOBs). His days were filled with constant driving. He said, "We'd get a few hours of sleep here and there, in the vehicles." On the road, they looked for "things suspicious - that felt wrong."
Wounded Warrior Project The Family Caregiver Legislation that Wounded Warrior Project has been strongly advocating for has been merged into a larger Veterans Health Care Bill. This larger bill is now referred to as Senate Bill 1963 (S.1963), the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2009. Please continue to call and email you......r Senators asking that they support S1963. Our most severely wounded warriors and their caregivers need your help today!
Wounded Warrior Project
Overstock.com Veterans Day Series -Day 4
Featured Warrior: SPC (Ret) James Robert Gorsuch
Hometown:Jacksonville, FL
Birthday:March 24
Interests:Surfing, Thrill-seeking
James talks in an easy staccato, honing in on what he wants to say as though snapping verbal shots from his memory. After initial training, James was statio...ned in Germany and deployed to Iraq. James was an infantryman, recalling days of walking 2,000-3,000 meters, clearing out sections of houses in the city. He describes Iraq as "Hot. A whole lot of walking. Kids everywhere... they'd save your life."
Standing guard one day in an observation post, James took enemy fire. During the firefight an RPG hit the observation post and James was knocked out. When he woke up, he continued to return fire, but remembers seeing everything in slow motion. Afterward, James could barely hear for two weeks.
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James talks in an easy staccato, honing in on what he wants to say as though snapping verbal shots from his memory. After initial training, James was stationed in Germany and deployed to Iraq. James was ...
Wounded Warrior Project
Overstock.com Veterans Day Series - Day 3
Featured Warrior: SGT (Ret) Christopher Neil Horman
USMC 1998-2006. Infantry - 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines, Camp Lejeune, NC.
Chris has been deployed eight times, including two combat tours in Iraq. He has served in the United Arab Emirate (UAE), Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. ...Chris' grandfather, father, and two brothers have all served in the military.
While in the Middle East, Chris would walk through Arab marketplaces, souks,
and mingle with the locals.
In Iraq, Chris says, "We did a lot of foot patrols in the Marines and that made
us closer to the people." One thing that surprised him was that "the price of life
in the Middle East is nothing compared to what it is in the U.S."
He believes that every serviceman or woman should act as ambassadors to the United States and should "do the right thing when nobody's looking."
While deployed, Chris was guarding a vehicle suspected of housing a Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED). The bomb exploded and is one source of his injuries.
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Chris has been deployed eight times, including two combat tours in Iraq. He has served in the United Arab Emirate (UAE), Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. Chris' grandfather, father, and two brothers have all served in the military.