America’s servicemen and servicewomen may no longer be on battlefields in the Middle East, but the CEO of the Wounded Warrior Project, Lt. Gen. (ret.) Mike Linnington, appeared on 710 WOR’s Len Berman and Michael Riedel in the Morning program to remind listeners that the fight to heal their broken minds and bodies continues.
Speaking on the 20th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, Linnington rattled off grim numbers to Berman and newsman Joe Bartlett, who was filling in for Riedel. “Thousands and thousands of service members served; many gave it all. A little less than 4,500 were killed. More than 30,000 were physically injured and tens of thousands with traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorders are still recovering today.”
Linnington testified before Congress two weeks ago to emphasize unseen injuries, as well as another critical area where volunteer organizations like the Wounded Warrior Project have been helping veterans. “Financial stress, not surprising, has become a bigger issue for post-9/11 wounded and injured, the challenges of inflation, a faltering economy, jobs,” Linnington explained, “so we help those that we serve that are interested in working have opportunities to go back to work.”