Wounded Veteran Gives Back Through Special Statues

For Army Reserve veteran Barry Pettit, getting to connect with family at different events after work and on weekends is a highlight. Getting to do it with other veteran families makes it even better.

“I like the family stuff,” Barry said. “My kids got to hang out at a water park; I went pheasant hunting and fishing. It just brings the family together.”

Barry is talking about experiences with Wounded Warrior Project^® (WWP). At those gatherings, families spent time together and veterans were able to get outdoors with other warriors, while also bonding with other military families.

Barry spent more than 14 years between Reserve and active duty and was injured while deployed to Iraq. He connected with WWP in 2015 and started spending more time with fellow veterans. From fishing to football to a golf outing, Barry has been able to connect with warriors as they helped one another in their recovery.

He also discovered a way to give back to WWP, through his job at AT&F, a metal fabricator that creates parts for aircraft carriers, submarines, armored vehicles, rail cars, and construction equipment. Barry used scrap steel to create statues of the WWP logo, which depicts one warrior carrying another off the battlefield.

Read about how Wounded Warrior Project helps veterans around the country.

“I asked one of the engineers if we could cut something because I thought it was cool,” Barry said. “I took a picture and showed someone with Wounded Warrior Project, and he asked for more of them. He gave them to warriors, and they loved them.”

Appropriately, the scrap steel comes from the same materials used on military-grade projects. It is put through a laser machine that cuts out the logo and a stand.

WWP awards the statues to warriors and supporters who go above and beyond. They have also become a source of pride for AT&F employees, many of whom are veterans.

“My teammates will come in off the clock, so they don’t interrupt production,” Barry said. “AT&F is a family. We have a motto, ‘Do what you say you’re going to do and take care of each other,’ and they prove it when they keep cutting these.”

Technology helps speed the process along. An engineer programmed the logo into the company’s system. Any team member can now just type in a code and watch the machine work. It then punches out the wordmark for Wounded Warrior Project. In minutes, the statue is ready to be cleaned up with a grinder to smooth sharp edges; then it is ready to be presented to a veteran.

“I go to events, and I see Wounded Warrior Project give them to guys who are far worse than I could ever imagine,” Barry said. “When they get something like that, it’s like, ‘I’m actually being noticed.’ It’s good to let them know they are not forgotten.” 

Learn more about how WWP empowers veterans to live the logo and achieve their highest ambition at https://newsroom.woundedwarriorproject.org/.