The U.S. Army Wounded Warrior Program (AW2) is a program administered by the U.S Army Warrior Transition Command that assists severely wounded soldiers and families from injury throughout recovery for as long as they need help.
The U.S. Army created the AW2 program in response to the needs of the most severely wounded, injured, or ill soldiers from the Global War on Terrorism. The initiative is a response to the growing number of soldiers wounded in operations in the Iraq War and Afghanistan.
April 2009 marked the program's fifth year of service.[1]
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On April 30, 2004, the U.S. Army introduced an initiative to enhance the care and support of severely wounded warriors and their families as the Disabled Soldier Support System (DS3). The name was changed to the Army Wounded Warrior Program in November 2005 to more clearly identify the population served by the program.[2]
This system of support and advocacy guides severely wounded, injured and ill soldiers from evacuation through treatment, rehabilitation, return to duty or military retirement and transition into the civilian community. Additionally, AW2 supports the families and caregivers of wounded soldiers with their own unique needs.[3] AW2 is a component of the US Army’s public commitment to care for wounded warriors and their families.
All wounded, injured and ill soldiers are assigned to a Warrior Transition Unit to focus on healing before returning to duty or transitioning to veteran status. [4] Those with extensive medical needs are simultaneously assigned to the Army Wounded Warrior Program and receive a local AW2 Advocate to assist long term. [5]
As of November 2009, there are over 5,700 soldiers and their families are enrolled in this official U.S. Army life-long program designed to serve as a support system that guides soldiers from battlefield evacuation through treatment, rehabilitation, return to duty or military retirement and transition into the civilian community.[3]
In the Army Wounded Warrior Program, service members eligible for assistance through AW2 are a unique group of soldiers who have, or are expected to receive, an Army Physical Disability Evaluation System (APDES) rating of 30% or greater in one or more specific categories or a combined rating of 50% or greater for conditions that are the result of combat or are combat related. .[5] Additionally, the soldier must have received this rating due to their service during the time of the Global War on Terrorism beginning September 10, 2001.
Conditions are based on the Veterans Administration Schedule for Rating Disabilities (VASRD) as used by the U.S. Army Physical Disability Agency (USPDA). Some of these categories include but are not limited to:
All wounded, injured and ill soldiers are assigned to Warrior Transition Units (WTU) for healing before returning to duty or transitioning to veteran status.[7] These soldiers receive care from a team of professionals consisting of a physician, nurse care manager, and military squad leader, who are assigned to each and dedicated to helping soldiers heal – and known as the Triad of Care.[8]
Those with extensive medical needs are simultaneously assigned to the Army Wounded Warrior Program and receive a local AW2 Advocate to assist long term.
Each AW2 Soldier/Family is assigned an AW2 Advocate while they are in a Warrior Transition Unit to assist help daily issues, the transition to life post injury and any long term concerns. The AW2 Advocate also works with the soldier regarding returning to active duty, staying a reservist or medically retiring.
AW2 Advocates are located throughout the country at major military treatment facilities and VA Medical Centers and they assist Soldiers/Families through a number of different roles such as:
Many of these Advocates are located in the Soldier Family Assistance Centers (SFAC), a facility housing many service providers dedicated to wounded soldiers. The SFACs provide wounded veterans services, substance abuse information and referral for family members, financial counseling, transition and employment assistance, education counseling, public-use computers, and child care. They are designed to be a safe haven that promotes healing.[9]
A core tenant of the Army Wounded Warrior Program is the Army Family Covenant — a recent initiative to recognize growing demands from soldiers’ families strained by the War on Terrorism.[10][11] On Oct. 8, 2007, Chief of Staff of the United States Army, Gen.George W. Casey, Jr. announced the policy at a Family Forum of the Association of the United States Army’s Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C..[12]
The U.S. Army has undergone a great amount of scrutiny for its treatment of returning veterans wounded in Iraq or Afghanistan in particular at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. A class action lawsuit has been brought against the U.S. Government for perceived mistreatment of veterans by the government. The Army Times reported in 2007 that critics of the Army maintained that veterans were being shortchanged regarding their disabilities incurred while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan.[13]
Wounded or disabled veterans from other branches of service are served through other programs. The U.S. Marine Corps has two significant programs - Marine For Life and the Wounded Warrior Regiment which has battalion headquarters on the east and west coasts.[14]
The U.S. Air Force created the Air Force Wounded Warrior Program (AFW2) for airmen with certain combat-related injuries. Safe Harbor was created by the U.S. Navy to provide personalized support and assistance to severely injured sailors and their families. [15]
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