Since I started writing for Penthouse‘s Warrior Wire column, I’ve really gotten to know a lot about the veterans community. I’ve always had an interest in vets’ issues because of my dad (a Vietnam vet) and my cousin (who did three tours during the Iraq war), but writing about it means I have to really know my shit.
Part of what I’ve learned in the past five years (my first Warrior Wire article, “War Songs,” was published in the March 2009 issue of Penthouse) is that there are a ton of organizations dedicated to helping vets with various aspects of their lives. Some provide financial aid, others are for health care, some fight for vet-friendly legislation, and still others are simply aimed at helping returning vets have a little fun. And there are, of course, the old standbys, the VFWs and IAVAs and American Legions, who do a little bit of everything. So when my editor asked me to put together a column of some of the best, I really had my work cut out for me.
To choose, I reached out to friends and Twitter followers who were veterans and who had experience with these groups. Then I went gung-ho on the research and dug up everything I could find. There’s a list in my notebook that’s at least several pages long, not to mention the various Post-its (paper and digital) full of names and links. I didn’t want to miss a single one.
Some were easy, like IAVA’s Rucksack program, the Honor Flight Network, and the Wounded Warrior Project. Others, like Vets in Film and Television (LA) and the GI Film Festival were projects I’d wanted to write about for a while but hadn’t been able to for one reason or another. And then there were groups that were entirely new to me but that I fell in love with.
Warriors & Quiet Waters is one that I discovered because of this article, but the more I learned about it, the more I wished I’d known about it sooner. Faye, who is one of the group’s few employees, talked to me about how WQW helps vets and what their mission is, and then she described the typical FX (fishing experience). It sounded like exactly what I was looking for. Then, a few weeks later, a documentary about WQW, Not Yet Begun to Fight, screened in NYC. I was there on opening night with the half-dozen other interested filmgoers, and got to talk to one of the participants. Seeing the film and hearing him describe the experience he’d had on his FX cemented it for me. How could I not include it?
After that, I spoke to DJ Skelton about Paradox Sports. Skelton was honored in Penthouse’s 2011 Badass Issue, and he already seemed pretty awesome. Then he told me about what PS does, helping injured vets by getting them involved in extreme outdoor activities like rock-climbing and ice-climbing. Holy hell! Hearing about how guys with one arm or one leg or prosthetic limbs are hauling ass up these mountains and cliffs was beyond inspiring. So of course they had to join the list.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The other organizations profiled in this piece are: National Veterans Wheelchair Games, Project Sanctuary, Songwriting With:Soldiers and Tunnel to Towers, but there are so many others who I just couldn’t fit.
If you’re a vet, you should check out all of these amazing organizations and see which ones fit your needs. And if you’re a civilian, consider donating time or money to the group that you most connect with. Even if you can only give a few bucks, every penny helps.
And keep sending me info on any groups I’ve left out here. Head on over to my Contact page and email, tweet, or tumbl me your favorites. Or comment below. And make sure to check out the full article from the January 2014 issue of Penthouse by clicking the picture above.
Jennifer Peters 