November 11, 2008: The headline read, "Bush marks Veterans' Day on carrier," according to the Washington Post. But much remains to be done.
Our troops still need our help. As a follow-up to Veterans' Day activities you might have missed, you can help through an organization called Survivor Corps. I checked out this organization and it appears to be completely legitimate. The Web site is top notch: Operation Survivor, is the Survivor Corps' program for U.S. veterans and service members. It is a new organizational effort here in the U.S. that is an outgrowth of the Land mine survivor movement. I visited the Vietnam organization's page, just to get a feel for its world wide presence. That is a big international organization with programs all over the globe. While she was alive, Princess Diana was connected to the group, and it has won multiple Peace Prizes. Queen Noor is currently on their board. It was founded in the '80's by a guy who lost his leg to a land mine in the Middle East conflict. Funding comes from private grants, international funders, individual and "U.S. public funding." Of the total budget, their "program" outlays are 81%, development-10% and administration is 9%, an acceptable ratio, according to my social work training.
What strikes me about this
is the fact of the organization taking on the cause of re-integrating our U.S. soldiers back into the community through peer support work. That is so very needed. But, what in the heck is our own government doing? It makes us look like a third world cause. Which I guess we are, when it comes to REALLY taking care of our wounded warriors. Sorry for the rant.
This is what the organization says about the effort. To quote:
Within the United States there are over one and a half million service members that have served in military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Over thirty thousand have been physically wounded, but many more have experienced less visible, psychological wounds. Traumatic Brain Injury and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder have emerged as signature injuries of these conflicts, with recent reports suggesting an increase in rates of suicide, alcohol and drug abuse, homelessness, and domestic violence among returning service members and veterans.
These traumatic affects of conflict, left unaddressed, could have far-reaching negative consequences for the individuals affected, their families, and our country. Survivor Corps’ work in some of the most conflict affected countries in the world has shown community reintegration to be the key factor in those that overcome their traumatic experiences, and those that are consumed by them.
Click Here to read more about Operation Survivor
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment