Program is helping our wounded warriors

Sierra Vista Herald, Sierra Vista Arizona ^ | Bill Hess

[SandRat]

SIERRA VISTA — Many wounded soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan know what it is to be disabled, Col. Greg Rose told an audience attending a Sierra Vista Commission on Disability Issues.

The Intelligence Center’s deputy commander for training had an audience who knew about being disabled, as some at the Wednesday luncheon suffered from a variety of maladies. But, like returning wounded GIs, who Rose called “Wounded Warriors,” those sitting in wheelchairs or who were sight-impaired, know that the spirit of overcoming a personal problem will be done by the soldiers.

The horrific wounds soldiers and other members of America’s armed forces suffer lead to amputations, brain injuries and other catastrophic problems, he said.

About 30 percent of those being wounded in combating the War on Terrorism suffer grievous injuries, the colonel commented.

Today’s soldiers and veterans “give more than we know,” he said.

And, their families are asked to do more when a wounded loved one returns, Rose said.

What the wounded warriors want “is to be self sufficient and contribute (to society),” he said.

Many do not want to leave the Army, and the Army doesn’t want to lose their service, Rose said.

The Wounded Warrior Program seeks to help those who want to remain on active duty do so and those who opt to leave the military to find jobs in the Army where their abilities can be used in a civilian role, the colonel said.

He talked about a Special Forces soldier who lost a leg above the knee to a rocket-propelled grenade who is teaching young soldiers at the Intelligence Center.

Not naming the 37-year-old soldier, Rose said he is determined to remain on active duty and has set a goal to reach a certain level of physical capability to do it.

With the support of others, the soldier “is on active duty today; that’s what the Wounded Warrior Program is all about,” Rose said.

Looking at the more than 70 people at the luncheon, Rose asked them and all the members of the civilian community to reach out to wounded soldiers, regardless of whether they decide to remain in the Army or return to civilian life.

Noting many of those being wounded are young people, he said what has to be recognized is “these soldiers are patriots and most joined since 9-11.”

Saying he has a brother who is a physician at the Army’s Walter Reed Medical Center, Rose said his sibling is impressed by those who return in a wounded state with a determination to continue with their lives.

“They are not kicking themselves in the backside,” Rose said.

Answering the call to support the Army’s Wounded Warrior Program, was Mike Strait, the chairman of the special city commission.

Learning one of the needs is phone cards, Strait announced Wal-Mart donated $50 to the project and commissioners put in extra funds, leading to $350 for phone cards for the Army program.

“Anyway we can help, we’ll help,” he said.

Rose noted that the war on terrorism is going to take time before it ends.

Fort Huachuca is an integral part of America’s war plan, he said.

Before the terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2001, the Intelligence Center trained about 6,000 soldiers a year, but last year that number was more than 13,000 and it is expected to increase even more during the current budget year that began on Oct. 1, the colonel said.

But, it is not only the training at the Intelligence Center that has a direct connection to the nation’s war on terrorism, he said, noting the 11th Signal Brigade has deployed and will continue to send its soldiers into harm’s way, Rose said.

The nation must reach out to the returning GIs, especially those who have been badly wounded, he said.

The nation must realize that for a member of the Army “once a soldier, always a soldier,” is a creed they live by, and that in or out of uniform, they want to serve the nation any way they can, Rose said.

[SandRat]

Wounded Warrior Help.