History -
Warrior Healing Campaign
Founded in 2014 by three former military officers, one of whom fought as a Marine in Operation Iraqi Freedom and two of whom served during the Korean War, Warrior Healing Campaign was formed to promote the restorative powers of both a supportive family and an engaged community during the healing process of our nation’s veterans.
Treatment regimens for veterans recovering from the visible and invisible wounds of combat vary according to their particular circumstances – some require long-term hospitalization for life-threatening wounds, while others only need intermittent care. Because a veteran’s medical needs may fall anywhere along this broad treatment continuum, it’s important to consider the stage of their recovery in order to understand the obstacles they’re facing and the needs they may have.
For example, veterans in the Acute Phase of recovery – those with severe physical and/or emotional wounds – need significant and often prolonged medical attention. The needs of these patients (and their families) are quite distinct from a veteran in the Reintegration Phase, whose recovery has progressed to the point where his or her focus shifts to creating a rewarding post-military life – finding gainful employment, rejoining their community, and embracing a new life together with their family.
Warrior Healing Campaign aims to address the needs of veterans and their families at both ends of this recovery spectrum:
· Acute Phase: The Campaign has partnered with the Richmond Fisher House – an organization that provides families of wounded service members a comfortable place to stay, free of charge, while their loved-ones receive long-term treatment just across the street at the McGuire VA Medical Center – to raise $500,000 for their Foundation. This money will be used to provide meals for the family guests - a meaningful way to make their stays as pleasant and hassle-free as possible. Research shows that treatments can be made more effective, evidenced by happier patients that heal more quickly and are discharged earlier, when those patients’ families are residing nearby.
· Reintegration Phase: The Campaign will enlist the support of Charlottesville’s community - media outlets, public officials, businesses, and citizens alike - to raise awareness for the challenges faced by combat veterans and their families, the needs they have as they transition back into the civilian world, and practical ways we can help. The goal is to stimulate community buy-in for serving those who served – hiring initiatives, education opportunities, and monetary donations to name a few.
Together, as a community, we can make a difference.
Treatment regimens for veterans recovering from the visible and invisible wounds of combat vary according to their particular circumstances – some require long-term hospitalization for life-threatening wounds, while others only need intermittent care. Because a veteran’s medical needs may fall anywhere along this broad treatment continuum, it’s important to consider the stage of their recovery in order to understand the obstacles they’re facing and the needs they may have.
For example, veterans in the Acute Phase of recovery – those with severe physical and/or emotional wounds – need significant and often prolonged medical attention. The needs of these patients (and their families) are quite distinct from a veteran in the Reintegration Phase, whose recovery has progressed to the point where his or her focus shifts to creating a rewarding post-military life – finding gainful employment, rejoining their community, and embracing a new life together with their family.
Warrior Healing Campaign aims to address the needs of veterans and their families at both ends of this recovery spectrum:
· Acute Phase: The Campaign has partnered with the Richmond Fisher House – an organization that provides families of wounded service members a comfortable place to stay, free of charge, while their loved-ones receive long-term treatment just across the street at the McGuire VA Medical Center – to raise $500,000 for their Foundation. This money will be used to provide meals for the family guests - a meaningful way to make their stays as pleasant and hassle-free as possible. Research shows that treatments can be made more effective, evidenced by happier patients that heal more quickly and are discharged earlier, when those patients’ families are residing nearby.
· Reintegration Phase: The Campaign will enlist the support of Charlottesville’s community - media outlets, public officials, businesses, and citizens alike - to raise awareness for the challenges faced by combat veterans and their families, the needs they have as they transition back into the civilian world, and practical ways we can help. The goal is to stimulate community buy-in for serving those who served – hiring initiatives, education opportunities, and monetary donations to name a few.
Together, as a community, we can make a difference.
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Mr. Jamison had the honor of serving with this wounded Marine, SSgt Jones, in Al Qaim, Iraq in 2004/5. Despite becoming a double amputee, SSgt Jones has embodied the indomitable Marine spirit, which is powerfully evident in this widely-seen photograph. |
Photo Credit: Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation
