By KEVIN CHIRI
Slidell news bureau
SLIDELL – It only takes one story to understand the importance of the annual Wounded War Heroes fundraising banquet.
Jason Austin was a 17-year-old young man who graduated almost 10 years ago as a military policeman for the U.S. Army and began his assignments serving various areas of security throughout the world.
His last assignment was in April, 2007 when he was in charge of combat operations training Iraq policemen in the Middle East. The vehicle he was riding in struck two Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and exploded, leaving him with a traumatic brain injury, as well as severe injuries to his cervical spine, abdomen and hips.
Austin, a Mandeville resident today, had to learn how to walk again and it took him an incredible 900 days in three different hospitals with four surgeries.
It was the Wounded War Heroes who re-introduced him to the great outdoors of Louisiana by taking him hunting, fishing and bow hunting again—essentially giving him a life back.
“Wounded War Heroes sent me on life changing fishing trips that I could have never afforded,” Austin said. “The bonds that were formed with other wounded warriors on those trips are the ones that we miss so much from our days in the military.”
Wounded War Heroes is a St. Tammany Parish-based non-profit group that began by reaching out to wounded warriors, then changing its mission to bring wounded warriors into the great outdoors. Not only did it provide them important recreation, but more than that was the time spent with other wounded warriors.
The main fundraising effort for the Wounded War Heroes each year is the annual banquet that will be held on Friday, June 17 at the Castine Center in Mandeville. To become a sponsor or purchase a ticket to the Wounded War Heroes banquet, go online to woundedwarheroes.org.
The dinner will include an open bar with the purchase of a $10 raffle cup. Also included in the banquet will be gun raffles, a silent auction, live auction, and live music by Harvey Jesus and Fire. Single tickets are available for $50 each, while sponsorships are still being sought.
Guests are free to wear casual, camouflage, or patriotic attire. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. with dinner served at 6:30, including a ceremony to honor all veterans. At 7:30 there will be music and dancing to follow.
This year’s major sponsor for the event is the Riecke Family of Companies, along with GulfSouth Real Estate Management Group, American Bank & Trust, and SECO Properties.
Wounded War Heroes is headed by Matt Cole, a Covington resident and Marine Corp veteran, who suffered a spinal cord injury that left him a paraplegic when Insurgents attacked his operating base in Hadetha, Al Anbar Provence Iraq.
“Showing a wounded warrior a good time was the original goal of WWH, but it has grown to be much more than that,” Cole said. “The founder and board members of Wounded War Heroes are doing something that all the medication and therapy in the world can’t do–getting a wounded war hero out of the house and into the great outdoors.”
(See Banquet, Pg. 3B)
Cole was a soldier who benefitted from Wounded War Heroes as well. After he returned home three weeks after Hurricane Katrina to an uncertain future, he continued therapy and obtained an Associate’s Degree in Culinary Arts. But his disability, PTSD and depression limited his motivation to participate in life.
“I was one of those guys in deep depression, sleeping till noon, not doing anything with my life and having thoughts that I can’t do the things I used to do. Wounded War Heroes got me out of the house and into the outdoors, it was the time around the campfire that got me talking about my experiences and communicating with other veterans. Because of Wounded War Heroes I am still married, have three wonderful children, and work full time as a Veterans Service Officer with the Louisiana Dept. of Veterans Affairs. With the help of WWH I found my second calling–helping other veterans. This work has become my life’s passion,” he explained.
Wounded War Heroes gives disabled combat veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan an outlet to relive Post Traumatic Stress or to show them that despite their disability they are still capable of accomplishing the same things that abled body people can do.
“It is the goal of WWH to get our nation’s finest back on their feet by introducing our wounded war heroes to a new outdoor hobby or reconnecting them with an old one. By doing so, WWH is saving lives and facilitating friendships that will last a lifetime,” Cole said.
To become a sponsor or purchase a ticket to the Wounded War Heroes banquet, go online to woundedwarheroes.org.