Living After Sacrifice: Honoring Heroes Who Gave Their Lives in Battle By Dan Schnock – National Alumni Director, Wounded Warrior Project
Memorial Day is a time for us to remember and express our deepest gratitude for the many soldiers who laid down their lives in service to our country. It’s a day that stands on shoulders of heroes. It pays witness to a timeless oath American warriors gave to defend this great nation at all costs – up to and including their lives. At Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP), we honor all sacrifices made on the battlefield, and we stand ready to help those veterans who survive their injuries and come home to a new mission. It’s a mission just as important as their previous, requiring just as much dedication and endurance to achieve success: to find and live your most positive, fulfilling life. I’m reminded of two brave warriors who lost much, but managed to find a new path forward. They survived combat injuries, and now the lives they live pay tribute to those before them – and serve as a testament to what “living after sacrifice” truly means. They inspire us all. It Takes a Community These days, Dozer Reed’s attitude is very positive, but it hasn’t always been that way… While serving as a National Guard medic in Iraq, a Humvee accident launched Dozer into the vehicle’s roof. His neck and back buckled from the impact. For the next five months, Dozer tried to maintain routine missions, but the days were filled with excruciating pain. His body could take no more. Six surgeries later, Dozer was medically retired. Soon after, his marriage fell apart. When Dozer shares his story, he says those were the darkest days of his life. But that wasn’t the end of his journey. He still had a mission, and Wounded Warrior Project was there to help his path forward. 18
HOMELAND / May 2018
Dozer Reed & Joey Hooker
It’s still inspiring to me to see how camaraderie and peer support play such a significant role in healing – both mentally and physically. It’s still inspiring to me to see how camaraderie and peer support play such a significant role in healing – both mentally and physically. That’s why our connection events are so popular. They help warriors like Dozer step out of isolation and connect with warriors and their communities. And that’s exactly what happened. At a WWP event, Dozer met a fellow servicemember who also served in the Louisiana National Guard. That’s how the bond started. Sharing similar experiences continued to strengthen their friendship until the two warriors became like family, supporting and encouraging each other in life and recovery. Now, Dozer’s prevailing sense of honor and need to help others has expanded. As a WWP peer mentor, he leads by example and shares his story in hopes to inspire warriors and supporters. After all, it’s his belief that it takes an entire community – from family and friends to organizations like WWP – to heal a warrior.