Wounded Heroes Program

One of the biggest challenges our wounded troops face is the transition from military to civilian life after being injured in the line of duty. This is difficult for anyone leaving the service, but our wounded heroes often face additional physical and emotional challenges. Navigating the multiple bureaucracies responsible for their needs can be tremendously frustrating and far too often our heroes fall through the cracks. They also often need financial assistance to bridge the gap and we help them as they get their affairs in order.

The Wounded Heroes Program is designed to provide a safety net and ensure this doesn't happen. This program grew out of the efforts of  Pam Payeur and her dedicated team of volunteers, who banded together and were committed to make a change.  Pam watched her son, who had come home after being wounded, as he fought yet another battle to get the benefits he had earned. Together they started the first chapter of our Wounded Heroes Program, and now they strive to help Warrior Legacy Foundation coordinate its efforts nationally.  Historically, the Veteran's Administration and the State and local programs that are designed to assist our heroes take much time and effort before they begin to provide services.  In addition, there are private organizations and groups that would love to help if they are made aware of the needs of these worthy Veterans. The Wounded Heroes Program will assist our brave military by coordinating and putting all these aspects of assistance into place so that each one of our Veterans receives the support they need and rightly deserve. The Wounded Heroes program taps into its vast pool of resources to help welcome our troops home from the battlefield and back into society as valued members.

We provide a wide scope of assistance with rent/mortgage, vehicle repair, utilities, food/household needs, access to legal and counseling professionals, advocacy, supporting the oft-forgotten caregivers, expertise in successfully completing the mountains of paperwork and administrative requirements for entry into the programs for wounded veterans, and making sure the little ones have birthdays and holidays to enjoy. We are able to resolve cases quickly because we are not bound by the constraints of a large bureaucratic system. We honor the generosity of our donors by being as fiscally responsible as possible. We do this by negotiating with landlords, lenders, and others to pay them directly and  use gift cards for needed items. ALL money raised here in Maine stays here to help Maine's wounded return to civilian life, and every member of our team is a volunteer so that as much funding as possible goes directly to help our military.

The selfless sacrifices made by these brave men and women and their families inspire us to honor and support them  in any way we can, and making sure they get every bit of help possible during this transition is a tiny step towards that. They deserve to continue living with honor and dignity. We are proud to help them on that journey.

The POC for this program is Pam Payeur. She can be reached at 207-468-1026. Her email address is pam.payeur@warriorlegacyfoundation.org

Click here to make a secure donation!

For more information on this and our other programs, please contact:

David Bellavia
Executive Director

Jim Hanson
Sr Dir Communications

 
 
Miss America contestants don combat boots for Charity

The contestants for the 2010 Miss America Pageant took time out from their busy schedule to step into the boots of out troops and help raise awareness about charities that assist veterans returning from war. They posed for photographs as part of When They Come Back...We Give Back which supports programs such as Warrior Legacy Foundation's Wounded Heroes Program. The ladies made Rocky's brand new S2V Special Ops boot look stylish and were thrilled to help remind America of the many ways they can offer a hand to those who sacrificed so much for them. The Miss America Pageant chooses an area for the contestants to focus on and this year it is military charities. They have USO tours planned and many other ways to highlight issues like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury.

WLF is proud to be a part of this campaign and help spread this message of gratitude and a call to assist our brave warriors as they transition from combat back to the community. We have a number of initiatives planned to promote awareness of the many programs that help ensure that our returning vets get all the benefits and assistance they have earned with their selfless service.



We are expanding our Wounded Heroes Program of Maine.  This Program assists Veterans injured in the line of duty with the basic needs to navigate everyday life.  The Veterans can be helped initially with rent assistance, gas cards, grocery cards, vehicle repair, clothing, household needs, Christmas gifts and Christmas trees for their families, and so much more.  Two ladies from Maine started Wounded Heroes Program of Maine.  Pam Payeur watched her son, who came home after being wounded, fight another battle to receive the benefits he had earned.  She eventually played her Mom card and stepped in to help.  Carmen Chatmas brought to the group her experience in fund raising and her business background to assist the management and inner workings of the organization.  These two determined ladies, along with their dedicated Program Team, built the model we are using to provide this type of assistance nationwide.  We are building a database that will list many of the available benefit programs, as well as government and private assistance for wounded heroes, along with tips and guidelines to get them started.  We are looking for volunteers to join this program and help vets in their local areas.We are expanding our Wounded Heroes program which helps injured vets navigate the many bureaucracies necessary to get their benefits as well as helping them find housing, jobs and pretty much anything else they need. This program was started by a lady in Maine named Pam Payeur who watched as her son, who left the service after being wounded, fought a battle at home to get the help he needed. She eventually played her Mom card and stepped in to help. She and a band of intrepid volunteers built the model we are using to provide this type of assistance nationwide. We are building a database that will list all of the available benefit programs and government and private assistance for wounded heroes and also tips and tactics to get them started. We are looking for volunteers to join this program and help vets in their local areas.

 

WLI Releases Its' 3d Paper On Afghanistan:

''Who Are We Fighting In Afghanistan and Pakistan?''

The Warrior Legacy Institute announces the release of it's third paper "Who are we fighting in Afghanistan & Pakistan?" as well as an accompanying video. This complements the previous papers and videos on " A Population-Centric Counterinsurgency Primer" and "Counterterror as Strategy for the Af/Pak Theater". All of these are written so they can be understood by and educate all Americans regardless of their knowledge about military topics. Our hope is that this will allow them to follow the debate about this vital subject from an informed perspective.

This paper gives a brief history of the rise of the Taliban and al Qaeda following the withdrawal of the Soviet Union from Afghanistan in 1989. It traces the Taliban's origins in the Pashtun regions and their fight to take over the government and impose their strict religious rule country-wide. It follows the ebb and flow on both sides of the border and the eventual entry of al Qaeda to the theater. It focuses on the tribes that make up the insurgency and their leaders, but is not a definitive look at all of these groups. It also takes a look at the current state of Taliban and al Qaeda in both countries and the areas they control.

 

 

 
 

The Salute To All Our Veterans From
Veterans Day!

We Have A New Fight Song!
We Have A New Campaign!