Over on the porch. Well worth the read.
I haven’t liked that organization for quite some time, mostly because of the way they portray wounded Veterans as being objects of pity. Salamander puts it better than I have been able to.
an organization that uses the same visuals, tone and background music for those who fight our wars, that are are also used for starving African children … and at the same time squash local organizations using a huge legal budget.
Touché.
Here is some perspective, without minimizing the sacrifice. The total US combat wounded in 13 years in Iraq and Afghanistan numbers around 52,000, with the vast majority being minor wounds with RTD (return to duty), such as mine were. (Of the approximately 1,400 wounded suffered by 1st Marine Division in Anbar from February-September 2004, about 1,200 were RTD. If those percentages hold for the larger number of 52,000, the total number with wounds serious enough to prevent a return to duty numbers around 7,500.) We know that the number of traumatic amputations is fewer than 1,600. This means, with just the last three years of donations, WWP has received enough money for almost $100,000 for each of the 7,500 seriously wounded Vets, or $457,000 for each traumatic amputee. This is on top of the medical care and equipment provided by the VA for these Veterans.
With a CEO salary of almost half a million a year, the selling of donor lists, and this sort of reprehensible behavior:
According to a number of smaller groups, the Wounded Warrior Project… has been spending a good deal of time and money suing other veteran-serving nonprofits on the basis that their names or logos constitute infringement on their brand.
I agree with Salamander, not a dime to WWP from me. I will give to a smaller charity in a heartbeat. One that does not make helping our wounded Veterans a “common business practice”, and one that does not intentionally harm others trying to give back to those who gave so much.
UPDATE: XBradTC here. C0ncur all and endorse original message. There are many fine organizations to donate to, and it’s your money. But I would like to mention one that does have a sterling reputation, Fisher House.
