Wounded warriors are military service members who have suffered a serious life altering injury, both in combat and non-combat situations, that typically ends their ability to continue to serve on active duty as determined through normal Medical Evaluation Board/Physical Evaluation Board processes. Most are returning service men and women who have served in combat environments such as Iraq or Afghanistan. Each of the four services (Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines) supports their wounded warriors in different ways. For example, the Army runs the U.S. Army Wounded Warrior Program (AW2), the Marines run the Wounded Warrior Regiment, the Air Force runs the Air Force Wounded Warrior Program (AFW2), and the Navy has the Safe Harbor program. The following are examples of disabilities that are used as criteria to determine wounded warrior status:
- Loss of vision/blindness
- Loss of limb
- Spinal cord injury/paralysis
- Permanent disfigurement and/or severe burns
- Traumatic brain injury
- Post traumatic stress disorder
- Mental Illness not limited to Schizophrenia/Bipolar Disorder
- Fatal/incurable disease
- Any other condition requiring extensive hospitalization or multiple surgeries
Many of them receive care at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland and are eventually honorably discharged. They attempt to reintegrate into society but options can be limited for these noble servicemen and women.
