WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — When wounded service members return home after deployment, the fight may just be beginning.
Some veterans come back with severe physical injuries that significantly impact their ability to reintegrate into civilian life. That may lead to more problems — like mental health issues, unemployment, substance abuse, and even family strain.
"Men and women call in and use words like repossess, foreclose, evict," said David Walker, president and CEO of the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes (CSAH). "It's a whole 'nother battlefront, but it's one that has to be recognized and supported in terms of solving issues."
CSAH moved its headquarters to Williamsburg in 2023 after spending 11 years in Loudoun County. The nonprofit is now in its 20th year of providing emergency financial assistance and other support services to post-9/11, combat-wounded veterans and their families.
"What we do is, on average, give them 1,500-1,600 dollars that pays the mortgage, puts food on the table," Walker said. "Basically, gets the stress off their back so that we don't hear another set of words like suicide, abuse, homelessness, divorce. Our mission is preventing adverse consequences that can occur as a result of the wounds of war but also the financial struggles that go on and are associated with the return."
Veterans, their spouses, and their caregivers make up 85% of the nonprofit's team.
"People love what they do. There's an intrinsic value that goes with this job. And for us that are associated with the day-to-day, you have to be, you know, caring, you [have to] be sensitive, you [have to] be confidential, and you [have to] love your country and you [have to] love the people you're working with and you understand them," Walker said. "And the best people to do that are actually the people that are experiencing it in the home. They are the best employees."
Walker said his staff plays an integral role in helping design programs and events for the veteran community — including providing meals and gift checks during the holidays, hosting conference and marriage retreats, and offering employment and education opportunities.
The nonprofit also created separate support networks for veterans, spouses and caregivers, and children.
"They're with like-minded people in a trusting, safe environment where they can relate their experiences and they grow from it. And they know they're not alone," Walker said. "Our work is 'love made visible'. And that's what we do."
In honor of CSAH's service to severely wounded veterans and their families, 13News Now teamed up with Thompson Creek Window Company to thank the nonprofit with a special surprise.
If you would like to support the mission of CSAH, you can donate money, resources, or time to help a hero. Click here to learn more.
If you or your family member is a severely wounded veteran of the war on terror and you would like to request help, click here.