Warrior Finds Female Support Through WWP
In the military, “got your six” is a phrase to reference having someone’s back. It is referenced in movies and television shows, but for Antoinette Wallace, it took connecting with Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) to really feel it.
“I found this hub of people that have my back,” Antoinette, a National Guard veteran said. “I now have unique relationships with people who I know will be lifelong friends. I know they understand me and have my six.”
Antoinette first learned about WWP through a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) program.
“Another veteran told me how Wounded Warrior Project linked her with other veterans. I came to realize I qualified based on my post-traumatic stress.”
A common misconception is that you must have suffered a physical injury to take part in WWP’s free programs and services. The veterans charity has helped take on the invisible wounds of war for 15 years, first through hospital visits with backpacks loaded with comfort items, now with impactful mental health programming.
Through WWP, Antoinette also connected with other female veterans, something that has been instrumental in her recovery.
I participated in Soldier Ride in New York, which is my hometown, and I met some warriors whom I feel should have been in my life from the beginning. Many are from the other side of the country, but we speak and try to spend time with each other on a regular basis.”
These support structures are vital for a warrior’s recovery. In a survey of the warriors it serves, WWP found some of the challenges female veterans face. Among the issues they face, a higher rate of clinically significant depression, more homelessness than male counterparts, and more female veterans have no income from work.
WWP brings female warriors and veterans together through female-only connection events and mental health workshops.
They find Wounded Warrior Project and are connected with a solid support system. I’m living proof of the success that WWP has created in my life. I went from totally depressed and hopeless to thriving.
Contact: Rob Louis – Public Relations, rlouis@woundedwarriorproject.org, 904.627.0432