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WASHINGTON, Oct. 9, 2008 – Operation Life Transformed honored six scholarship recipients, including the recipient of the 100th “Caregivers of War Wounded Training Scholarship,” during its “Celebrate 100” reception held here recently. Operation Life Transformed provides education and resources to wounded-warrior caregivers and military spouses through private and corporate entities. Its focus is to enable caregivers and military spouses to create a portable lifestyle. “Forty-three percent of our applicants are moms and dads that move across several states [and] give up their jobs so that they can sit bedside with the loved one,” said Tania Mercurio, chief executive officer...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 7, 2008 – The Defense Department is a strong supporter of the federally managed AbilityOne program, which works with private and public groups to provide goods and services to the government and jobs for the blind and other people who have severe disabilities, including wounded veterans. “As the largest customer of this program, the Department of Defense has a responsibility and a tremendous opportunity to increase support by procuring more goods and services provided by the AbilityOne program,” John J. Young Jr., undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, stated in a March 24 memorandum. AbilityOne,...

SAN DIEGO, Oct. 2, 2008 – Army Staff Sgt. Michael Fradera had never even been on a sailboat before an improvised explosive device in Baghdad blasted away both of his legs during the early days of the troop surge in Iraq. Kevin Wixom, captain of B-Quest II, shows Army Staff Sgt. Michael Fradera how to steer the vessel through San Diego Harbor during the National Veterans Summer Sports Clinic. DoD photo by Donna Miles  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. But yesterday, the former 1st Infantry Division soldier, now medically retired from the Army, was the king of San...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 1, 2008 – Wounded servicemembers and their families in San Diego will have a second “home away from home” during the recovery process when Naval Medical Center San Diego celebrates the grand opening of Fisher House II on Oct. 3. Fisher House II, the second Fisher House facility serving Naval Medical Center San Diego, stands ready for its Oct. 3, 2008, grand opening. Courtesy photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The Fisher Houses provide respite and accommodations for families of active and retired military patients who have been admitted for medical care. “This facility represents the...

SAN DIEGO, Oct. 1, 2008 – More than 50 recently wounded veterans, including troops being processed through the disability evaluation system, are experiencing the healing power of recreation here through the first National Veterans Summer Sports Clinic Pilot Program. Marine Cpl. Sherman Watson (left), who suffered a traumatic brain injury in Iraq, and Eric McDaniel Jr., a former Army sergeant who suffered a stroke in training at Fort Bragg, N.C., participate in track and field events during the National Veterans Summer Sports Clinic in San Diego. Department of Veterans Affairs photo by Gene Davies  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 9, 2008 – President Bush visited Walter Reed Army Medical Center here today to pay respects to wounded soldiers and their families, and to the medical personnel who care for the injured. After his visit, Bush commented on the paradoxical human conditions produced by combat wounds. “On the one hand, you see the horrors of war; on the other hand, you see the courage of the people that have volunteered to serve,” he said. “I marvel when I come to Walter Reed. I marvel at the fact that people say to me, ‘Mr. President, I'd do it...

A wounded soldier home from Afghanistan on sick leave was forced to spend the night in his car after a hotel refused him a room. Corporal Tomos Stringer was told by staff at Metro Hotel, in Woking, that it was company policy not to accept members of the armed forces as guests. The 24-year-old had travelled to the Surrey town to help with funeral preparations for a friend killed in action. It was so late that Cpl Stringer, who had broken his wrist jumping off an Army truck as it was attacked, had no choice but to bed down in...

OMAHA, Neb., Aug. 7, 2008 – With the world’s attention focused on the Olympic Games that open tomorrow in Beijing, a former 3rd Infantry Division soldier severely wounded in Iraq is gearing up to compete in the Paralympic Games that open there Sept. 6. Former Army Spc. Scott Winkler, a 3rd Infantry Division soldier severely wounded in Iraq, has his sights set on winning gold medals in discus, shot put and javelin during the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing. Defense Dept. photo by Donna Miles  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Former Army Spc. Scott Winkler has his sights...

WASHINGTON, July 29, 2008 – Iraq’s interior minister thanked U.S. servicemembers and their families for their sacrifices on behalf of his country during a visit with wounded U.S. troops at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here today. Iraqi Interior Minister Jawad al-Bulani speaks with reporters after visiting with wounded U.S. servicemembers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., July 29, 2008. Bulani praised the sacrifices made by U.S. troops and their families on the behalf of Iraq. Defense Dept. photo by Gerry J. Gilmore  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Through an interpreter, Jawad al-Bulani told reporters...

OMAHA, Neb., July 29, 2008 – Recently wounded combat troops are here getting advice and encouragement from those who understand best what they’re up against: other disabled veterans who have learned to live with their disabilities. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Anthony Felder, who lost his leg in a motorcycle accident after returning from a Middle East deployment, said he finds inspiration among disabled veterans participating in the 28th National Veterans Wheelchair Games in Omaha, Neb. Defense Dept. photo by Donna Miles  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Veterans of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, including five current patients at...

OMAHA, Neb., July 29, 2008 – About 500 disabled veterans, including recently wounded warriors from Iraq and Afghanistan, are entering their final day of competition here today at the 28th National Veterans Wheelchair Games. William Kafka, a disabled veteran from El Paso, Texas, prepares to take a shot during nine-ball pool at the 28th National Veterans Wheelchair Games in Omaha, Neb. Department of Veterans Affairs photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The event is the world’s largest annual wheelchair sports competition. It brings together veterans with spinal cord injuries, amputations or other mobility or neurological conditions to compete...

WASHINGTON, July 23, 2008 – Wounded veterans have a new source to turn to when looking for housing to meet their individual challenges after the expansion of a successful pilot program in Texas. “Helping a Hero” has been working for the past year to provide adaptive homes to wounded veterans of the war on terrorism, said Meredith Iler, chairman of the organization’s Wounded Hero Home Program. “Our principal activity is to provide specially adapted homes for qualifying servicemembers as well as engaging the community to provide services and resources for our wounded heroes and their families,” she said. “We...

WASHINGTON, July 17, 2008 – Servicemembers being treated at military medical facilities in the national capital region now can recuperate with their families thanks to one group’s ingenuity and the generosity of corporate donors. Christopher Payne Jr. enjoys his new home in the Operation Homefront Village serving Washington’s Water Reed Army Medical Center and the National Naval Medical Center, in Bethesda, Md., July 15, 2008. The village offers transitioning wounded warriors rent-free housing while they recuperate at one of the medical facilities. Photo courtesy of Operation Homefront   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Operation Homefront welcomed wounded warriors...

WASHINGTON, July 16, 2008 – Wounded veterans and their families looking for help reentering civilian life can turn to an organization in Huntsville, Ala., that takes a holistic approach to that task. “Still Serving Veterans” enables and empowers wounded veterans and their families by helping them reintegrate into the work force and community via counseling, coaching, guiding, job transition, and assistance in obtaining all Veterans Affairs benefits to which they are entitled, Werner W. Baker, the organization’s executive director, said. This holistic approach begins with a case manager, who documents individual needs, desires, abilities and limitations of the veteran...

Ok. I think I must apologize Have I been too busy? "Upon hearing my young friend's complaint, I had to sigh. In the back of my mind I recalled hearing of how my sister Pinkies and our friends at Veterans for Peace had been pelted by objects hurled at them by (you guessed it) the “Freepers” while visiting our wounded troops at Walter Reed."

WASHINGTON, July 11, 2008 – More than 400 guests attended a dedication ceremony for the 39th Fisher House recently built on the grounds of Hunter Holmes McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center, in Richmond, Va., one of the VA’s four Level 1 polytrauma centers. This artist’s rendering depicts the 16,000 square-foot, 21-suite Fisher House built on the grounds of Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center, in Richmond, Va. The 39th Fisher House was dedicated in a ceremony July 10, 2008, at the house. Courtesy of Fisher House Foundation  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “It was an opportunity to be...

WASHINGTON, July 9, 2008 – An organization that focuses on helping severely injured veterans channels its efforts toward providing the kinds of assistance they don’t otherwise get. The Independence Fund provides “the tools, therapies and guidance that they are otherwise not receiving,” said Steve Danyluk, the organization’s president. The Independence Fund, he explained, is built upon three pillars of support. These pillars, according to the Independence Fund Web site, include providing specialized tools and therapies to troops and veterans, promoting the overall well-being of severely injured veterans through physical and leisure activity, and providing advocacy and guidance through veterans...

WWP's Year of Outreach: Building a New Front Porch Katherine Phillips, an 85-year-old woman from Mobile, Alabama, tells the story of when she was a young married woman and her husband came home from World War II. They lived in a little neighborhood where all the homes were built for GIs. And every night after they put their children to bed, the Phillips and their neighbors would gather on the porch and the young men would exchange stories. The boy next door had ridden with Patton across Europe. The boy across the street went in just after D-Day. Another had...

WILLIAMSBURG, Va., June 27, 2008 – On Aug. 19, 2006, the life of Army Capt. James Barclay IV changed forever. Army Capt. James Barclay IV bonds with his hunting dog, Bryant. A Williamsburg, Va., trainer donated his services to train Bryant for Barclay, who was wounded in an Afghanistan roadside-bomb attack. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Joe Laws   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. He was in the lead vehicle of a convoy in a remote area of Afghanistan when a roadside bomb tore through his vehicle. Barclay survived, but suffered burns over 40 percent of...

WASHINGTON, June 17, 2008 – Mental Health practitioners nationwide are donating their time and services to provide free, confidential counseling to military people and their families. “Combat affects everyone in one way or another,” explained Dr. Barbara Romberg in an “ASY Live” interview on BlogTalkRadio. “Most people react when exposed to a situation where there are extreme or horrific events; it is a human reaction to abnormal situations.” ASY Live is part of the Defense Department’s America Supports You program, which connects citizens and companies with servicemembers and their families serving at home and abroad. Romberg, founder and president...

WASHINGTON, June 16, 2008 – The relationship between servicemembers and their coffee is so storied that the hot black liquid has a role in nearly every war movie ever made. With a desire to support the troops and an understanding of that relationship, the mother and daughter team of Tamra Gravitt and Crystal Espiritu started GI Java. The coffee shop serves its brew to each customer with honor, integrity and excellence above the call of duty, according to a news release from the coffee shop. The company, with five locations in Washington state, offers coffee in military-themed sizes: the...

FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas, June 13, 2008 – A new lifesaving standard of care has garnered the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research here a prestigious recognition: invention of the year. The innovation, called Damage Control Resuscitation of Severely Injured Soldiers, was named one of the Army’s “Top Ten Greatest Inventions of 2007.” “The American Association for Trauma Surgeons calls this one of the biggest improvements to trauma care in the last 10 years,” said Michael Dubick, senior research pharmacologist for the Institute of Surgical Research. The invention is aimed at saving severely injured soldiers with internal injuries that...

WASHINGTON, June 5, 2008 – Walter Reed Army Medical Center rolled out a sophisticated new vehicle today that will make wounded soldiers’ ride to the Army hospital safer and smoother. Army Maj. Gen. Carla G. Hawley-Bowland, commander of North Atlantic Regional Medical Command and Walter Reed Army Medical Center, left, and Army Col. Patricia Horoho, commander of the Walter Reed Health Care System, center, give Army Secretary Pete Geren a tour of a Patient Evacuation Vehicle. Unveiled June 5, 2008, during a ceremony at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., the PEV is a semi-trailer-sized hospital on...

6/3/2008 - BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) -- The Air Force vice chief of staff traveled to the Air Force Theater Hospital at Balad Air Base May 29 to visit wounded warriors and accompany them on a flight back to Ramstein Air Base, Germany. Representing Secretary of the Air Force Michael W. Wynne and Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. T. Michael Moseley, Gen. Duncan J. McNabb carried a message of appreciation and respect for the dedication and sacrifice of injured military personnel serving in the war on terrorism. "I don't have the words to express my deep...

WASHINGTON, June 3, 2008 – The University of Kansas national champion men's basketball team began their victory lap in the nation’s capital yesterday by visiting wounded warriors and signing autographs at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here. The University of Kansas national champion men's basketball team poses for a picture with injured soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC. The team and coaching staff kicked off their two-day tour of the nation's capital by visiting wounded warriors June 2, 2008. Defense Department photo by John J. Kruzel  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Towering players in...

The Silver Star Families of America was organized to remember, honor and assist the wounded of our Armed Forces in any way we can.

WASHINGTON, June 2, 2008 – Building or remodeling homes to accommodate the needs of severely wounded warriors returning from Iraq and Afghanistan is the way Kirt Rebello and everyone else involved with “Homes for Our Troops” have chosen to thank servicemembers for their sacrifice. “A wounded servicemember’s life is forever changed,” Rebello -- vice president and projects director for Homes for Our Troops – said during an interview on “ASY Live,” a program on BlogTalkRadio.com that’s part of the Defense Department’s America Supports You program. America Supports You connects citizens and companies with servicemembers and their families serving at...

KIRKUK, Iraq, May 29, 2008 – On opposite sides of the globe, two groups of people in very different environments worked together to raise money for individuals suffering from brain injuries. U.S. Army soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team and U.S. Air Force personnel and civilian contractors begin a two-mile charity Memorial Day run on Forward Operating Base Warrior in northeastern Iraq's Kirkuk region. The deployed Americans joined the 21st annual Amy Thompson Run to Daylight to help those suffering from brain injuries. U.S. Army Photo by Spc. Jason Jordan  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image...

FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas, May 23, 2008 – When Army Command Sgt. Maj. Mark Cornejo was wounded in Iraq, he had to return stateside for medical treatment, reluctantly leaving his comrades and mission behind. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Mark Cornejo, who was injured in Iraq in 2007, speaks at his change of responsibility ceremony May 13, 2008, at the 187th Medical Battalion headquarters at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Photo by Elaine Wilson, Fort Sam Houston Public Information Office  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. But one thing that never left him was his desire to serve. After three months...

WASHINGTON, May 20, 2008 – Neither rainy May skies nor unseasonably cool temperatures stopped cyclists from beginning the 480-mile “Road 2 Recovery” ride from Walter Reed Army Medical Center here to Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C., today. Army 1st Lt. Ferris Butler takes a lap around the traffic circle just inside Walter Reed Army Medical Center's 16th Street gate before heading for Charlotte, N.C., on May 20, 2008. Butler, who lost half of his right foot and his left leg below the knee in a bomb blast, was one of several wounded warriors who embarked on the 480-mile...

LAUREL, Md., May 20, 2008 – A group of wounded U.S. military veterans gathered at a Maryland ice rink for some fun, camaraderie and exercise May 17. Marine Cpl. Ray Hennagir goes after the puck at the wounded warrior ice hockey clinic at Gardens Ice House, in Laurel, Md., May 17, 2008. Hennagir lost both his legs and four fingers on his left hand on June 16, 2007, near Fallujah, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated. Defense Department photo by Gerry J. Gilmore  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Armed Forces Day is an ideal time to start...

BROOKS CITY-BASE, Texas, May 14, 2008 – Starting your own business can be a daunting venture, even under the best of circumstances. But add to that the challenges of being a service-disabled veteran, and the experience can be overwhelming. Professor Mike Morris addresses members of the first Entrepreneurial Bootcamp for Veterans at the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University in July 2007. Morris is the Witting Chair in Entrepreneurship at Whitman. Photo courtesy of Syracuse University  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. That scenario troubled Mike Haynie, a former Air Force major. A few months after beginning his...

WASHINGTON, May 12, 2008 – Two former Marines have set out to provide wounded veterans with a week’s worth of rest and relaxation in luxury homes. Dennis Cline, a wounded veteran, enjoyed a week’s vacation through Vacations for Veterans. The organization works to match Purple Heart recipients from the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts with available vacation homes. Homeowners donate at least a week’s worth of free lodging to the veterans and their families through Vacation for Veterans. Courtesy photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “Our mission is to pair up recently wounded veterans who are the recipients of...

LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas, May 8, 2008 – Wilford Hall Medical Center here has launched a new program emphasizing the importance of literacy to parents and children alike. Reach Out and Read, a national nonprofit organization, uses several methods to promote early literacy as part of routine pediatric care, including having volunteers reading aloud in pediatric waiting rooms. Its main approach, though, is to promote literacy during well-baby or well-child visits for children from ages 6 months through 4 years. Pediatric providers trained in the Reach Out and Read model offer age-appropriate tips to emphasize to parents and...

WASHINGTON, May 8, 2008 – Thanks to great strides in medical care, today’s U.S. warriors have a 50 percent greater chance of survival if they’re wounded on the battlefield than their Vietnam War counterparts did. State-of-the-art prosthetics help troops who have lost a limb resume many, and in some cases all, of their pre-injury activities. The Defense Department is hoping to find new and even better ways to help the nation’s warriors as it researches a field called regenerative medicine that would enable people to generate new skin and even grow new limbs, Army Col. (Dr.) Robert Vandre told...

PORT O'CONNOR, Texas (Army News Service, May 5, 2008) - More than 125 wounded Soldiers and their Families were able to forget about hospitals, doctors and physical therapy during a day of fishing, relaxation and old-fashioned Texas barbeque Saturday. About 135 local fishermen volunteered their time and boats during the second annual Warrior's Weekend to take wounded warriors from Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Walter Reed Army Medical Center in D.C., Fort Hood, Texas, and Fort Bragg, N.C., out on the Gulf of Mexico while cheering town residents greeted the six buses of troops with flags, signs, hugs...

PHILADELPHIA, April 29, 2008 – The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff called on the citizens of Philadelphia last night to embrace those who have lost loved ones or who have been wounded in service to America. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen received the Gold Medal of the Union League of Philadelphia during a ceremony at the 1862 building, right down the street from City Hall. The league was established during the Civil War as an organization to help restore the Union, and it has pursued its mission to uphold the nation for the 135 years since. Mullen challenged...

Last year 44 states, the District of Columbia and cities across the nation joined with the Silver Star Families of America to remember and honor our wounded and ill on May 1st. This year the organization is hoping all 50 states will join with them but they are taking a more grass root approach to this May 1st to kick off Military Appreciation Month.

4/24/2008 - RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFPN) -- Staff Sgt. Matthew Slaydon lay motionless on a dusty road in Iraq, his body riddled with shrapnel after an improvised explosive device exploded about 2 feet from his face. His left arm hung by a couple of tendons and his face was unrecognizable. His friends worked frantically to save him from an early grave. Sergeant Slaydon, an explosive ordnance disposal technician from the 56th Civil Engineer Squadron at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., was critically injured Oct. 24, 2007, while serving to protect convoy routes in Iraq. The explosion left him...

WASHINGTON, April 24, 2008 – A group of wounded warriors got a presidential send off at the White House today as they launched a three-day bicycle ride to show the world and themselves what they’re still capable of accomplishing. President Bush joined Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen, Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon R. England, and the secretaries of State and Veterans Affairs on the South Lawn, heralding the wounded warriors for their service, sacrifice and inspiration. The riders set out on the “White House to Light House Challenge” that will take them from the White...

MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, April 22, 2008 – Wounded warrior care is becoming increasingly effective at helping servicemembers through their transition, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said here yesterday. Marine Gen. James E. Cartwright toured wounded warrior barracks here and met with troops at Tripler Army Medical Center during a visit to U.S. Pacific Command. During his visit, Cartwright said he immediately noticed the low number of people. “The first thing you notice is there’s only about 10 people here, which is a good thing,” the general said. “The population is down significantly. Hopefully it...

Teams of university scientists backed by US government funds hope to grow new skin, ears, muscles and other body tissue for troops injured in Iraq and Afghanistan. The $US250 million effort aims to address the Pentagon's unprecedented challenge of caring for troops returning from the war zones with multiple traumatic injuries, many of which would have been fatal years ago. "We've had just over 900 people, men, some women with amputations of some kind or another since the start of the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq," said Ward Casscells, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs. Many have also suffered...

WASHINGTON, April 17, 2008 – The Defense Department today launched a five-year, Army-led cooperative effort to leverage cutting-edge medical technology to develop new ways to assist servicemembers who’ve suffered severe, disfiguring wounds during their wartime service. U.S. Army Surgeon General Lt. Gen. Eric Schoomaker explains, during an April 17, 2008 Pentagon press conference, how researchers are growing a new ear for a badly burned Marine using stem cells from his own body. This is one area of advanced treatment being explored by the new Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine. Defense Dept. photo by R. D. Ward   (Click photo...

WASHINGTON, April 17, 2008 – The military services continue working to provide the best medical care possible to servicemembers and their families, promoting best clinical practices while also addressing concerns about rising costs, the top military doctors told Congress yesterday. The Army, Navy and Air Force surgeons general told the Senate Appropriations Committee’s defense subcommittee that the Defense Department’s medical programs are improving the care provided to the force as they conduct a broad range of operational missions. Lt. Gen. Eric B. Schoomaker, Army surgeon general, said a focus on quality and best value for caregivers’ efforts -- not simply...

WASHINGTON, April 16, 2008 – Retired Army reservist Joseph L. Bowser was 9 years old when he first experienced the thrill of skating and using his hockey stick to whack a rubber puck across the ice on a frozen pond in his birthplace of Toledo, Ohio. Retired Army Sgt. 1st Class Joseph L. Bowser plays competitive ice hockey despite the loss of his lower right leg due to an injury suffered from an exploding enemy rocket April 12, 2004, in Balad, Iraq. Courtesy photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Today, the 48-year-old Iraq veteran still plays ice hockey,...

WASHINGTON, April 15, 2008 – Wounded veterans who once enjoyed sports and being outdoors have the opportunity once again, courtesy of a program in Alabama. “Lakeshore Foundation’s ‘Lima Foxtrot Programs for Injured Military’ help servicemen and women adapt sports and recreation activities so they may get back to living healthy, active, independent lives,” said Susan Katz, the foundation’s communications coordinator. “These programs are open to military personnel who have sustained severe service-related injuries in recent warfare in Iraq, Afghanistan and other locations in the world.” For more than 20 years, the Lakeshore Foundation has worked to enable people with...

4/9/2008 - TAMPA, Fla. (AFPN) -- The deputy director of the Joint Staff's Strategic Plans and Policy Directorate at the Pentagon went on a mission April 7 to raise the morale of patients at the James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital in Tampa and brought along cheerleaders from the 2008 Women's Final Four teams and an Air Force Band. Brig. Gen. Michelle D. Johnson led the band members and cheerleaders through the halls of the hospital to lift the spirits of wounded American servicemembers. General Johnson is the most decorated female athlete in U.S. Air Force Academy history. She was selected...

WASHINGTON, April 9, 2008 – Wounded veterans recovering in some California Veterans Affairs facilities hear some of their visitors long before they see them. Blue Star Riders is a group of motorcycle enthusiasts who visit with veterans recovering at the Palo Alto, Livermore, Martinez and San Francisco Veterans Affairs facilities at least once a month, said Richard Hamilton, the group’s founder and president. “(Blue Star Riders) are dedicated to supporting our troops and veterans, as well as honoring all wounded troops and fallen heroes,” said Hamilton, a former Marine and Vietnam veteran. Members of the group visit with as...

GETTYSBURG, Pa.—Seamus Garrahy (center right), former Marine, cooks steaks for Marines who visit his home in Gettysburg, Pa. Garrahy continually opens his home to Marines who visit Gettysburg. (Photo courtesy of www.gunghosauce.com). (RELEASED) LIBERTY MOUNTAIN, Pa. (March 21, 2008) -- Marines with Chemical Biological Incident Response Force, II Marine Expeditionary Force, gave back to the military community here Feb. 29 - March 2. Marines assisted wounded warriors from Walter Reed Army Medical Hospital and had a helping hand from another patriotic citizen working behind the scenes. “They assisted the wounded warriors. I assisted them with steaks and beverages,� said...

WASHINGTON, March 20, 2008 – Wounded warriors in need in San Antonio now have a place to call home as they transition from military to civilian life. The new facility is Operation Homefront’s first of four planned transitional housing facilities across the United States. Jody Brothers from the PGA Tour and representatives from local Wal-Mart and Sam's Club stores were on hand to cut the ribbons on the apartments the Wal-Mart Foundation sponsored. “Thanks to these and other sponsors, wounded warriors and their families can live at Operation Homefront Village rent-free so they can rebuild their financial foundation as...