The wife of a triple amputee Veteran had something to say when she received a hat from the Wounded Warrior Project.
Courtney Leigh Schumacher posted her thoughts to her personal Facebook page and they quickly went viral:
Dear Wounded Warrior Project,
Please stop sending us merchandise. We do not want the hats, stickers, magnets, clothing and backpacks you send us throughout the year. I don’t understand how you have the funds for these items, yet you can’t help the countless Veterans who need it. You can show us your programs and have a few Veterans testify for you, but it means nothing. I’m not a person who read a negative article about you and is now deciding to speak out. I am a caregiver who approached you in my time of need and I was told no. I was 3 weeks away from delivering our second son when my husband was injured. I flew from California to Bethesda to be by his side.
I asked for baby items and assistance with travel for our immediate family so I could recover. I was told no. These were two of my dozen of requests that were all denied. I asked then what can help us with and you said “whatever you need.” Merchandise was the only thing we have ever received from you.
She goes on to list another organization that did help her and provided baby items and plane fare so that she could be in Maryland with her husband.
This isn’t the first time that the Wounded Warrior Project has come under fire from veterans who are less than happy about the way they were treated by the organization. Nor is it the first time that how the group spends its revenue has been questioned.
They have been accused of having too much in assets and not spending enough directly on veterans, but rather giving money to other organizations via grants where even more of it is swallowed up in administrative fees.
What do you think? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!
