Happy Mother’s Day
When we started down this path in 2001, we simply wanted to help others, to be a volunteer in this post-9/11 world. I didn’t think it would turn into a foundation, but in 2002, we began an association with a newly formed group called United Warriors Survivor Foundation (UWSF). Founded by Petty Officer Nick Rocha, the goal was to assist the surviving spouses of our Special Operations personnel, mostly Navy SEALs, who were killed in action (KIA). I admit I was a bit star-struck to meet some of our Special Ops warriors, the heroes who brought down the Taliban in Afghanistan, the “Tip of the Spear”, but I was soon also heartbroken to see the young widows left behind by those who never made it back. I became very close to this group of women and created many friendships that still exist today.
When the war in Iraq began, a new group of women started losing their spouses. These women were conventional forces surviving spouses, generally younger and, in many cases, new mothers who had married their high school sweethearts, only to see their husbands get deployed shortly after the wedding. For the most part, these ladies were not prepared for what was to come, to be a new mother and a widow, especially while only being in their twenties.
It was an easy decision for us to start a foundation to help these women. Getting our non-profit tax exempt status was not difficult, but becoming a viable non-profit to help our troops was a different story.
We had no training in non-profits, much less any idea how to help people going through such horrible times. After all, what does a Realtor, which I have been my whole working life, know about dealing with deep grief? So we took the easy way out. We identified our beneficiaries and sent them money. To us, it seemed like it was hard to mess that up.
And then we thought about the kids who were left behind, so we started to send the kids birthday gifts and Christmas presents. We simply thought it was something both kids and their moms would appreciate.
But then the tough questions started to crop up such as: “Who’s going to send flowers to mothers on Mother’s Day since their husbands are no longer here?” It was then that we saw a real need for someone or some group to do this, and we thought, “We’ll do it.”
And that was it, that was the entire thought process behind this program. It simply made sense.
The years have passed, and we have become better at what we do. We have moved on to helping our combat wounded. The wives, mothers and caregivers of those wounded in combat have a lifetime of sacrifice caring for them, and we want to recognize that.
Wounded Heroes of America grows every year, and we now do a variety of things to help our combat wounded. We help them financially, we advocate on their behalf to solve problems, and we educate the public on an array of topics. We have learned a lot over the years about what it’s like to live with PTSD and TBI, and how those illnesses can affect the family members and friends of those who suffer.
But there are things that haven’t changed, no matter how much time has passed. As a matter of fact, the longer it’s been —the more meaning it has when that person receives recognition for their loss and- or the life’s work of taking care of a combat wounded.
The simple gesture of giving flowers as a way to say, “Thank you, we know what you gave up, and we know the pain you’ve endured because of the loss of our fallen hero and the daily sacrifices you make caring for our combat wounded” is a message well-received. I wish we knew where all the mothers and of our fallen and wounded were, and that we had the resources to send everyone flowers for Mother’s Day, but we don’t. We do what we can, though, to send our moms this message of appreciation on their special day. Theses flowers come with love from many people who care and recognize how special our mothers are.
Happy Mother’s Day from all of us at Wounded Heroes of America.