Wounded Warrior Mentors Needed
In 2004, members of the West Point Class of 1958 started the Wounded Warrior Mentor Program in the DC area. The program’s basic mission is to assist casualties from Iraq and Afghanistan who are evacuated to Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Bethesda Naval Hospital in Washington, DC.
The program assigns an experienced mentor (most with former military experience) who will help the wounded soldiers and Marines as they determine options for their future. Detailed information concerning the program may be found at our web site www.woundedwarriormentorprogram.com.
The Wounded Warrior Mentor Program defines a mentor as a trusted advisor who will assist wounded warriors in planning productive and meaningful lives. There is pressing need for volunteers to continue this mentorship when wounded warriors are discharged from DC hospitals and return to other locations in the United States. A follow-on mentor can help the wounded warrior make these adjustments.
Follow-on mentor support may include:
- Facilitating the relationship of the wounded warriors with the Veterans Administration (VA) during their transition from the military.
- Assistance in obtaining the appropriate VA medical and educational support.
- Working with the wounded warriors, their families, and the VA to ensure the wounded warriors’ physical and mental well-being.
- Assistance in establishing life goals and career guidance based on the wounded warriors’ interests and abilities.
- Providing career guidance and identifying possible business opportunities.
- Acting as a sounding board for the wounded warriors’ ideas, questions, and concerns.
Mentors and follow-on mentors act as long-term counselors for the wounded warriors. The follow-on mentor program assures a continuum of care.
If you would like to become a follow-on mentor, please e-mail the following information to rabuckner61@comcast.net:
- Home address (zip code included)
- U.S. Naval Academy class
- Telephone contact number(s)—home/work/cell
- Proximity to a VA Hospital/Facility
- Professional/educational background
This information will be entered into a database and be used to match wounded warriors and follow-on mentors. We need you in our database to ensure that we can cover as much of the United States as possible.
If you would like to discuss the program in greater depth, please feel free to contact Dick Buckner at 703–743–1490 or visit the Wounded Warrior website at http://www.woundedwarriormentorprogram.com.
