By LTC Eric Wolf, Former Chief, Past Conflict Repatriations Branch, Casualty & Mortuary Affairs Operations Center
Editor’s Note: This is the first post in a three-part blog series on LTC Eric Wolf’s thoughts on the 2010 National Defense Forum on Wounded Warriors. The expressed comments and views of guest bloggers do not reflect the views of WTC or the United States Army.
Greetings readers. My name is Eric Wolf and I am neither an Army wounded warrior nor have I ever written a blog. Truth in advertising is always a welcomed way to start.
However, I am a Soldier and someone who is deeply interested in knowing what I can personally and professionally do to support our wounded warriors and their Families.
A friend from the Army Wounded Warrior Program (AW2) staff asked me to take some notes at this year’s National Defense Forum on Wound Warriors held this past Friday, September 9th. This being the second time I’ve attended this conference, I am thankful for the opportunity to share some of my personal thoughts, as well as news and information that I gathered at this day-long event.
This year’s theme was “A New Normal: How is the War Transforming our Force & Families.” There were about 500 attendees, military and civilians, with specialties spanning across the business, medical, private, and public sectors.
In trying to figure out how I wanted to present my thoughts, I first planned to discuss panel-by-panel, but then (thankfully) realized, you can see those names and topics online in the press release from one of the two sponsors, the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA).
To give you an idea of the event’s seriousness, some of the key speakers included several wounded warriors and their spouses, General George Casey, the Army Chief of Staff, Senator Jim Webb (D–Va.), and The Honorable Tammy Duckworth, Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Now. With the administrative pieces out of the way, where do I begin?
I guess by first stating that after 25 years in the Army, I remain in awe at the level of unwavering dedication given by our nation, military, and civilian leadership to our wounded warriors. This event furthered my admiration as their dedication became even clearer and their emotion and call-to-action became more and more apparent.
The event’s theme highlighted the untiring dedication to improve care, explore new methods of treatment, and expand the philosophy and execution of how to support not only our wounded warriors, but those who support them in their “new normal.”
This was a theme that took on many shapes and forms through the perspectives of many different presenters. Each presenter’s take on a theme taught me something new, while widening my own perspective on the topic.
I will explore these viewpoints in more detail in Parts II and III of this series.
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