Wounded Veterans Participate in 2015 New York City Veterans Day Parade with Wounded Warrior Project
NEW YORK (November 11, 2015) – Veterans from across the tri-‐state area gathered in Midtown Manhattan today to celebrate Veterans Day by marching in the 2015 New York City Veterans Day Parade. Thousands of grateful New Yorkers lined 5th Avenue to cheer on the parade and show their appreciation for the sacrifices made by our nation’s veterans.
Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) participated in the parade with over 1,000 wounded veterans, caregivers, family members, friends, and supporters marching. The day started with over 50 WWP injured service members, caregivers, and family members attending the live broadcast of NBC’s TODAY Show and continued with a street fair on 28th Street prior to the parade, featuring games, entertainment, and other festivities for veterans and their families to enjoy. The day concluded with a special dinner for marching WWP Alumni and their families at Dallas BBQ on 42nd Street following the parade.
“It was great to see the city of New York turn out to support our nation’s veterans of all generations today,” said Al Giordano, chief operating officer of Wounded Warrior Project. "It is important for the American public to remember our commitment to support those who have returned and continue to return from conflicts overseas.”
Through its #VeteransDayIs social campaign, WWP encouraged Americans to support injured veterans by posting what #VeteransDayIs to them. Supporters engaged through various social platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Periscope, and Google+.
Recently, WWP released the 2015 annual Wounded Warrior Project Alumni Survey, which surveyed tens of thousands of injured veterans. Based on the responses of more than 23,000 wounded service members, it includes the largest sample size of veterans injured since 9/11 and is the most statistically relevant survey response of that population to date. The year-‐over-‐year data provided by this survey allows WWP to establish a baseline, identify trends, compare these outcomes with those of other military populations, and measure the impact of and inform changes to WWP programs and services.
As part of their ongoing commitment to provide for those who have honorably served this country, WWP will launch a first-‐of-‐its-‐kind medical care network in 2016, Warrior Care Network™, to connect wounded veterans and their families with world-‐class, individualized mental health care. Warrior Care Network will increase access to quality care for two of the most commonly experienced wounds of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan: post-‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI). WWP and its Warrior Care Network partners will commit $100 million over three years to ensure that thousands of wounded veterans do not fall through the cracks.
Contact: Paul Loisel – Public Relations Specialist
Email: ploisel@woundedwarriorproject.org
Phone: 904.627.7581
About Wounded Warrior Project
The mission of Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) is to honor and empower Wounded Warriors. WWP’s purpose is to raise awareness and to enlist the public’s aid for the needs of injured service members, to help injured servicemen and women aid and assist each other, and to provide unique, direct programs and services to meet their needs. WWP is a national, nonpartisan organization headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. To get involved and learn more, visit woundedwarriorproject.org.