AFW2 program supports wounded

  • Published
  • By Deborah Silliman Wolfe
  • 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  The month of November was recently declared Warrior Care Month by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates in hope of bringing programs and resources available to wounded, ill and injured servicemembers, and their families, to the forefront. 

The Air Force Wounded Warrior program is one such resource that provides personalized care to Airmen who separated or retired as a result of illness or injury received while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom. 

"The staff with the AFW2 program has been great," said retired Master Sgt. Nick Zoric, a reservist who sustained injuries while deployed from the 944th Fighter Wing in 2005. 

"Anytime I am troubled or confused, I call and ask, 'What's going on?' They find out and tell me. They are so friendly and always send us in the right direction when issues arise." 

Sergeant Zoric was medically retired in 2008 because of back and shoulder injuries he sustained while serving in Iraq. Almost immediately after he was medically retired, a representative from AFW2 called to inform him that he was eligible for the program because of the disability rating he was given. According to Sergeant Zoric, he wasn't aware of many of the resources the AFW2 representative told him about. 

"These people really have been watching my back," he said. "I have learned a lot working with them. They make sure I am going to be cared for and that I don't get left out in the cold."
Secretary Gates said that aside from winning the wars we are fighting, caring for our wounded warriors is the highest priority of his department and that it needs to be easier for troops and their families to benefit from all the assistance now available to them. 

According to www.woundedwarrior.af.mil, an Air Force Wounded Warrior is any Airman who has a combat or hostile-related injury or illness requiring long-term care that needs a medical or physical evaluation board to determine fitness for duty. A combat or hostile-related injury results from hazardous service or performance of duty under conditions simulating war or through an instrumentality of war. 

AFW2 works together with the Air Force Survivor Assistance Program and Airman & Family Readiness Centers to ensure Airmen receive professional support and care from the point of injury to no less than five years after separation or retirement, according to woundedwarrior.af.mil. The Web site also lists a variety of services the AFW2 program offers to Airmen including a personal advocate for services on the Airman's behalf, coordinating with the closest AFRC to ensure wounded warriors receive face-to-face and personalized services. It also provides professional services, emergency financial assistance, assists with integrating Airmen and their families back into the local community, connects Airmen and families with the Joint Family Support Program in each state, and helps coordinate benefits counseling and services provided by the Defense Department, Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Labor, Social Security Administration, TriCare, and other helping agencies. 

For more information about the AFW2 program and resources, visit woundedwarrior.af.mil.