Since 1919, Americans have observed November 11 as a day to honor the sacrifices of those who have fought for freedom. Originally called Armistice Day, President Wilson first declared November 11 a day of remembrance following the end of hostilities between the Allied nations and Germany in World War I on November 11, 1918.

President Wilson set the tone of observance with the following words, “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations...”

 Following World War II, President Eisenhower formally renamed Armistice Day to Veterans Day, expanding the day of memory to commemorate the sacrifices of all those who have served their country. We continue to join together as Americans each November to celebrate the legacy of freedom our nation’s heroes have created.

Assistance for the New Generation

This Veterans Day, America is celebrating a new generation of veterans and honoring their sacrifices. Leading the way in this year’s festivities is the Wounded Warrior Project, a nonprofit organization founded for this new generation to serve as a support system and advocate for those recovering from severe injuries incurred in the line of duty.

Founded in 2003 by injured veterans, the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) helps the injured from the time they arrive in military hospitals, eventually assisting individuals to successfully transition into civilian life. The group’s signature program is their WWP Backpacks, which are delivered to severely injured individuals when they arrive in military hospitals and contain essential personal care and comfort items like clean clothes and calling cards.

WWP’s activities extend beyond simply delivering backpacks, and include adaptive sports and outdoors events, support and education for family members, benefits counseling, career assistance, programs for traumatic brain injury and burn survivors, and coping assistance for individuals struggling with combat stress and post-traumatic stress disorder. All programs are offered to the wounded free of charge and are supported by individual donations, fundraisers, and corporate sponsorship. No government funds are collected or accepted. This year, WWP will also participate in the Combined Federal Campaign (as registered charity #11425), which gives federal employees the opportunity to donate part of their paycheck to pre-screened national charities. 

In addition to direct services to the wounded, WWP gives injured service members a voice in Washington, D.C., with an active policy program focused on issues relevant to wounded warriors. The warriors scored a major victory in 2005 when legislation introduced by injured service members with help from WWP was signed into law, giving active-duty military personnel access to traumatic injury insurance. Current efforts include initiatives to ease the transition for individuals between the Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs, extend medical insurance coverage terms for the wounded, and provide stipends to family members who must leave their job to care full-time for a severely injured family member.

Celebrating Veterans Day Online

To spearhead this year’s Veterans Day festivities, the group launched a new area on their website at woundedwarriorproject.org/veteransday2007 which includes a range of multimedia exhibits and events.

A highlight of the new website is an online video series, the After Action Report, which tells the stories of seven individuals who have been injured in the recent War on Terror. These poignant videos, narrated by actor Matthew Modine, give viewers an intimate look at these individuals’ struggles and triumphs as they recover from devastating injuries, including traumatic brain injury, blindness, severe burns, and amputations. Not content merely to survive, the individuals featured in the videos have each overcome their injuries to achieve incredible accomplishments.

Each week leading up to Veterans Day, a new video is released. Viewers can automatically download the videos each week for free and watch them on media players like ipods. The videos are also available through youtube.com and iTunes. Following Veterans Day, WWP plans to film additional videos, all of which will be available on the group’s website.

In addition to the videos, Wounded Warrior Project is sponsoring a national print ad campaign celebrating veterans and working to create an interactive calendar of Veterans Day events across the country. Visitors can log onto the site to find events in their hometown or add local events to the ever-growing list.

The culmination of the Wounded Warrior Project’s Veterans Day excitement is the dedication of the WWP Sacrifice Center. The WWP Sacrifice Center will present a series of exhibits to tell the stories of wounded warriors, starting with their decisions to serve and carrying through to their triumphs and successes after injury. Exhibits focus on the seven guiding character traits of warriors, including Duty, Honor, Courage, Commitment, Integrity, Country and Service. New displays will be included from time to time, including new warrior profiles, legislative issues affecting injured service members, WWP activities and events, and information and examples of the latest prosthetic and body armor technologies. Based in Jacksonville, Florida, at WWP’s headquarters, the Sacrifice Center will host visits from school groups, JROTC groups, and the community. The center will also provide a home base for WWP Interns, veterans, and injured service members in the Warriors to Work program. The Sacrifice Center will open November 6 with a dedication ceremony for the 26 founders of WWP.

Continuing the Celebration Year-Round

Although focused on Veterans Day, WWP sponsors events year-round to bring awareness to the needs of injured service members. This year, WWP will be teaming up for the second year with the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) to connect with the college sports community. This year’s events will include the playing of WWP public service announcements during pre-game festivities and the appearance of WWP representatives and warriors at select football games.

As part of the partnership, local wounded warriors will be honored prior-to and during events on university campuses by participating in programs including escorting the Color Guard into the stadiums and the pre-game coin-toss. Coin-tosses will be highlighted by a special Wounded Warrior Project commemorative coin that features both the WWP and NACDA logos.

To help continue the efforts off the field, NACDA is also supporting additional programs including Wounded Warrior Project motivational speakers who will visit a number of participating colleges to give speeches at team banquets, training camps, and pre-game locker room meetings. 

More information about the Wounded Warrior Project and their programs can be found on the group’s web site at woundedwarriorproject.org or by calling 877-TEAM WWP (832-6997).

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