Wounded Warrior Project


Wounded Warrior Project is an American charity and veterans service organization that operates as a nonprofit 501. WWP offers a variety of programs, services and events for wounded veterans who incurred a physical or mental injury, illnesses, or co-incident to their military service on or after September 11, 2001. Military family members and caregivers are also eligible for WWP programs.
As of August 22, 2021, WWP served 157,975 registered alumni and 40,520 registered family support members. Since its formation, the organization has partnered with several charities they deem community partners, including the American Red Cross, Resounding Joy, a music therapy group in California, and Operation Homefront. In July 2022, WWP partnered with a total of twenty-eight veteran service organizations who collectively received grants totalling over $5.9 million. WWP has also previously provided a year-long Track program, which helped veterans transition to college and the workplace.
WWP allocates 71 percent of its revenue to programs and services for wounded veterans and their families, and the remaining balance pays to support those programs.
WWP is recognized under the Combined Federal Campaign workplace giving program of the federal government of the United States with CFC #11425.

Overview

WWP offers a variety of no-cost programs, services, and events for wounded veterans and veteran families. It runs several support programs. Warrior Care Network is a mental wellness program offering post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury treatment through four academic medical centers in the United States. Warriors to Work is a program that connects veterans with employers and resources for jobs. Project Odyssey is an adventure-based program that provides group activities and psychoeducational sessions. Soldier Ride is a cycling program. The Independence Program provides veterans with occupational therapy, social workers, and rehab counselors.
WWP supports warriors in their transition to civilian life by providing job training, aiding in the navigation of veteran and disability benefits, offering emergency financial assistance, and delivering comprehensive long-term financial education. These services are becoming increasingly important as veterans are feeling the effects of inflation in 2023. WWP's Annual Survey found that in 2023 nearly 39% of wounded veterans did not have enough food for an active, healthy life.

History

Wounded Warrior Project was founded in 2003 in Roanoke, Virginia by John Melia. Melia had been severely wounded in a helicopter crash while serving in Somalia in 1992. Melia assembled backpacks distributed to injured veterans at the former Bethesda Naval Hospital and Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
Wounded Warrior Project initially operated as a division of the United Spinal Association of New York, which adopted WWP as a program in November 2003. WWP continued to support injured service members by providing them with free WWP Backpacks filled with comfort items.
In September 2005, The United Spinal Association granted $2.7 million to WWP to "develop into a stand-alone charity with its own identity and programs," with the intent to expand its services from providing immediate comfort items to providing longer-term support for returning wounded veterans via compensation, education, health care, insurance, housing, employment, etc.
The WWP Backpacks program remains a central activity of WWP, evidenced by the more than 65,000 backpacks the organization has distributed since 2018 in support of transitioning U.S. military veterans.
In 2015, the journalist Tim Mak reported for The Daily Beast that WWP was selling donor information to third parties and suing small charities using the phrase “wounded warrior” or logo silhouettes of soldiers; he also accused WWP of compensating its top officers overly generously. The following January, these allegations were picked up by CBS and The New York Times, whose reports of WWP’s use of its funds on lavish company retreats and personal enrichment of its officers aroused more public attention and led the charity to fire its then-CEO, Steven Nardizzi, and then-COO, Al Giordano. Several former employees alleged that they were fired because they had raised concerns over the mismanagement.
WWP hired a new CEO in July 2016, Michael Linnington, a retired Lieutenant general in the U.S. Army. He has increased the scrutiny on spending for travel and all expenses throughout the organization. Linnington retired in early 2024 after eight years leading the organization.
In April 2021, WWP partnered with the White House's Joining Forces and the Elizabeth Dole Foundation to provide supportive programming and bring awareness to the children of wounded, ill or injured veterans. A 2021 survey found that there are approximately 2.3 million American children under 18 living with veterans with disabilities.
In 2024, retired Major Gen. Walter E. Piatt, was named chief executive officer of Wounded Warrior Project. Piatt is a former commander of Fort Drum and the 10th Mountain Division. During his tenure as commander he worked to better connect Fort Drum to the North Country community. Piatt deployed with the division's headquarters battalion from March to August 2018, after which he released a paper about the Iraqi people's commitment to achieving peace for their nation after years of warfare.

Incorporation

Wounded Warrior Project registered for incorporation on February 23, 2005. WWP was granted accreditation as of September 10, 2008, by the Veterans Affairs Secretary as a Veterans Service Organization "recognized by the Secretary for the purpose of preparation, presentation, and prosecution of claims under laws administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs." The Veterans Administration's online List of Representatives for Accredited Organizations includes contact information for WWP's accredited service officers. as well as a search tool to access information about other VSOs.
In July 2006, Wounded Warrior Project's headquarters were moved to Jacksonville, Florida. WWP Founder John Melia cited a strong local veteran community, access to Jacksonville International Airport, and support from the local business community, specifically the PGA Tour, as the reason for the move. The WWP headquarters underwent a major $1.3 million renovation according to the Jacksonville Business Journal.

Veterans and military support programs

Mental wellness

Wounded Warrior Project provides interactive programs, rehabilitation retreats, and free mental health counseling. WWP's outpatient care and therapy sessions through Warrior Care Network provide PTSD and TBI treatment alongside four academic medical centers in the United States, including Emory Healthcare Veterans Program. Through Warrior Care Network, Wounded Warrior Project also offers treatment for veterans with PTSD using virtual reality therapy.
Mental health issues account for three of the top four most common service-connected injuries among veterans registered with WWP who served either on or after 9/11, and 3 out of 4 of these veterans reported post-traumatic stress. Many veterans report experiencing anxiety and depression, according to a WWP survey, and half of veterans report moderate to severe symptoms of two or more mental health conditions.
In 2020, Wounded Warrior Project surveyed nearly 30,000 injured veterans who served after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and found that over half reported declines in their mental health during the pandemic.
Wounded Warrior Project launched WWP Talk in 2014. The program, which connects veterans to the charity's staff members for weekly emotional support phone calls, saw a 35% increase in phone calls compared to the previous year during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In October 2022, a dozen veterans with Wounded Warrior Project completed a 400-mile motorcycle ride in California encouraging positive mental health, coinciding with National Motorcycle Ride Day and World Mental Health Day. The ride made stops in Ventura, Santa Clarita, Solvang, Santa Ynez, and the Santa Monica Mountains.
In November 2022, Wounded Warrior Project hosted a 17-mile hike to honor the 17 veterans who die each day by suicide.

Warriors to Work

Warriors to Work is a WWP veteran employment program that connects veterans with employers and resources for jobs. Through career counseling, including resume building, interview preparation, and salary negotiation assistance, veterans can find work that best fits their skill sets and allows them to smoothly transition into civilian life.

Family support programs

Wounded Warrior Project helps families of veterans reconnect through events that support family bonding and transitional skills. By providing the space and time for veterans to spend with their loved ones, the transition from service member to civilian gets that much easier. Through their veteran family support programs, Wounded Warrior Project also helps guide families through the sometimes confusing process of receiving VA benefits.

Warrior Care Network

is an initiative providing access to high-quality care for veterans mainly dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury. Established in 2016, the $100 million project included four PTSD treatment centers in Atlanta, Boston, Los Angeles, and Chicago. In October 2018, Wounded Warrior Project announced a $160 million investment in the mental health care of wounded veterans. In 2024, it invested another $100 million to fund programs for post-9/11 veterans that aim to reduce depression, anxiety, and substance use disorders.
From 2005 to 2016, the suicide rate among U.S. veterans increased almost 26 percent. Starting in 2016, Warrior Care Network provided care that includes group therapy with other veterans to learn coping strategies, such as yoga and meditation. According to a Georgia Public Broadcasting article, programs like Warrior Care Network's are likely contributing to the declining rate of suicide among former service members in the state of Georgia, where rates were significantly lower than the national veteran suicide rate in 2022. Overall, suicide rates for veterans peaked in 2018 and then fell in 2019 and 2020 by 9.7%.