Looking for charities that support our troops

[skipos]

My wife is currently working at a VA hospital and is blown away by how crappy it is compared to other hospitals. From what I have heard, this is a common problem.

I know many people like to "support our troops" by putting a magnet on their car, but how about supporting our troops when they come back home with a bunch of expensive mental or physical problems? I was wondering if DUers have had any good experiences with charities that generally help veterans with this.

I googled a few, but it is hard to know the best place to put your money.

Any info is appreciated.

[Lowell]

1. The VFW and American Legion

are both very active in helping veterans re-entry society. The posts I belong to visit the VA Hospitals and help provide counseling services. Our Service Officers can help the vets in filing their claims and navigating the maze of forms needed to get government aid.

[nam78_two]

2. These two groups

are well respected:
Disabled American Veterans
http://www.dav.org/
http://www.dav.org/cst/

http://www.pva.org/site/PageServer
Paralyzed Veterans of America

I give to them when I can and they are good groups...And they could probably use any help seeing how they seem to be attempting to phase out all govt funding for groups like these :(...

No estate tax from the poor wittle wich kids but you don't want your tax dollars being leached by those disabled vets :sarcasm:

[skipos]

3. Thanks for the info!

kick!
:kick:

[Ian David]

4. Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN)

http://www.sldn.org/templates/index.html

Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), founded in 1993, is the nation’s sole legal aid and advocacy organization assisting members of the US Armed Forces harmed by “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” and related forms of intolerance.

The service members we help become part of our community—our family. They are patriots, and we treat each with the dignity and respect they deserve. Their stories are both heartbreaking and inspiring, and since our founding, we have heard nearly 7,500 of them when we responded to their calls for assistance.

Make a Donation Now! Join the thousands of people who take a stand against federally sanctioned discrimination! Make a tax-deductible donation to SLDN right now.

http://ga1.org/sldn/supportsldn.html

[Ian David]

5. Operation Helmet - Over 23,266+ Upgrades Sent

The number of upgrade kits requested continues to increase. Unfortunately, the donation amounts are lagging and the number of backlogged kits are increasing. Please help!

Checks made out to: Operation Helmet.

To make a 'specified donation' of a helmet kit(s) to an individual or unit, use the "Contribute" button.

Mailing address:74 Greenview Street, Montgomery, TX 77356
Electronic mail: [e-mail]
Telephone: [phone] Answered gladly 8AM-5PM CST (sorry, English only)

Grumpily answered before and after... this is our home phone.

The 23,000th helmet upgrade kit was sent this week to a young Marine Lance Corporal from the "Betio Bastards" 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. We need a bit of help outfitting this Marines' 130 buddies in Kilo Company. "Buy an upgrade for a Bastard"

The Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center's (DVBIC) funding has been cut in half - from $14M to $7M. Click here for the story. Folks, we understand how tight this coming year's budget will be, but this one is critical. We need to get the funding restored for these folks. Write a note to your congress critters on this issue.
http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2005/11/03/plaintiff_alleges_alito_conflict/


MARADMIN 362/06 Released - Authorizes Use of Pad Suspension Kit in the Marine Lightweight Helmet
Until this is fully operational, there are a lot of front-line combat troops still unprotected. We will continue to raise money and send helmet upgrades until we know for certain they are being received by Marines in harm's way...then we turn more attention to the Air Force and Navy personnel still in need.
http://www.usmc.mil/maradmins/maradmin2000.nsf/37f49138fc3d9c00852569b9000af6b7/0c49a42dc7a49b10852571bd00812dcc?OpenDocument


For our friends from the great white north
OPERATION HELMET provides helmet upgrade kits free of charge to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as to those ordered to deploy in the near future. These helmet upgrades do three primary things:

* Protection - Shock-absorbing pads keep the helmet from slapping the skull when hit with blast forces, fragments, or being tumbled along the ground or inside a vehicle. This decreases the chance of brain injury from bombs, RPG's, vehicle accidents, falls, etc.
* Comfort - If it is more comfortable, it will stay on troop's head longer and more often.
* Stability - Keeps the helmet firmly on the head and out of the eyes.

The life you save might save another!

More:
http://www.operation-helmet.org/



Edited to add:

I just paid $71 to send a helmet. I included this note with my order:

"Please send helmet to any Massachusetts National Guard unit not involved in prison security or detention. Thanks"


I hope they send me a bumper sticker!

[wicket]

6. I like IAVA

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America

http://www.iava.org/index.php