"After 9/11, millions of Americans raised their hands and said, 'Send me.' That tragic day awakened the heart of the warrior in so many Americans who volunteered to serve, and they kept their promise to this country," said WWP® CEO Walt Piatt. "It is now our turn to keep our promise to be there for them no matter what. Not for five years. Not for 25 years. For as long as they need us."
Learn more about how WWP is remembering 9/11 and keeping its promise to warriors.
WWP started in 2003 by delivering backpacks filled with comfort items to the bedsides of wounded service members. To warriors, those backpacks became a symbol that they were not forgotten in their time of need. What began as a simple gesture grew into a movement — and an enduring promise to show up for warriors and their families through whatever came next.
More than two decades later, that commitment means being there wherever warriors are on their journey home. Right now, WWP is at the bedside of newly injured service members, helping care for them and their families during the earliest and most uncertain moments. This immediate support reflects a reality WWP has long understood: The needs connected with military service begin long before transition and often continue well after the uniform is retired.
The Journey Home
"It should not be harder to come home from military service than it is to go, but for many veterans it is," said Piatt. "A warrior can return to American soil, leave the hospital, take off the uniform, and still have a long way ahead. That's not coming home; that's coming back. Coming home should be a journey we walk together — through recovery, rebuilding, and reconnecting to a life of hope and renewed purpose. We must bring every warrior home — mind, body, and soul."
That journey is reflected in WWP's logo: one warrior carrying another. The warrior on top represents someone in a time of need. With the right support, warriors find strength, connection, and purpose — and can become the warrior on the bottom, carrying someone else forward. For more than two decades, WWP has seen that come full circle as warriors become mentors, advocates, community leaders, and a source of strength for others. It is a reminder that recovery can lead to something more: purpose, possibility, and the opportunity to help the next warrior along the way.
Helping warriors thrive starts before a crisis. It means reaching them earlier, connecting them to effective care, removing barriers to support, and building the stability that helps warriors and families move forward — through mental wellness, financial security, strong relationships, and connection. This is where WWP steps in – embedding those we serve with a community and connection familiar to that found in military service and with programs and services that reflect the full weight of what warriors are carrying. It also requires communities to be part of the solution. No warrior comes home alone.
If you served on or after Sept. 11, 2001, connect with WWP to access free programs and services.
Sept. 11 changed our nation forever. The generation that stepped forward in the years that followed changed it, too. Looking ahead means pushing for outcomes once thought impossible. WWP is working to save a million more lives, cure PTSD, end veteran suicide, and end veteran homelessness — changing what is possible for warriors and families. How we show up for them now is part of the legacy we choose to carry forward.
Be part of what comes next. Learn how you can keep the promise to veterans, service members, and their families, here.
About Wounded Warrior Project
Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) is the nation's leading veterans service organization, focused on the total well-being of veterans, service members, and their families. Our programs, advocacy, and awareness efforts help warriors thrive, provide essential lifelines to families and caregivers, and prevent veteran suicides. Learn more about Wounded Warrior Project.
SOURCE Wounded Warrior Project
Share this article