Jeffrey Sinchak joined the United States Navy in 1984 and ultimately became a combat medic and was also a Diver. He earned the title “Doc” from military personnel who came in contact with him. He retired in 2008 as a Chief Petty Officer. Today he works on the Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP). We got to hear about this program at Rotary.
The Wounded Warrior Project takes a holistic approach when serving warriors and their families to nurture the mind and body, and encourages economic empowerment and engagement. Through a high-touch and interactive approach, WWP’s mission is to foster the most successful, well-adjusted generation of wounded service members in our nation’s history.
Sinchak is a motivational speaker who emphasized various critical elements of life. He talked about “Courage”. It takes courage to go beyond the ordinary to be a husband, father, business entrepreneur, hire and fire people. It took courage to volunteer in the military and to serve in whatever capacity he was called upon to perform.
He talked about what kept him going after he left the service and helping the sick, dying and wounded. His job was to give people hope even though the odds were stacked against a person.
He spoke about not accepting failure. Failure he said is not the path to success and he added that we are not teaching people how to deal with life.
When Jeffrey came home from the combat zone, he described himself as “miserable”. The experiences he had in combat affected his mental well being. He was angry and confused. He became less tolerant and could not handle stress. However, while looking at this life quite candidly, he found strength thru adversity.
The Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) serves veterans and service members who incurred a physical or mental injury, illness, or wound, co-incident to their military service on or after September 11, 2001 and their families. On that date, America watched in horror as approximately 3,000 people died including hundreds of firefighters and rescue workers. Many warriors note a sense of duty to volunteer for the military following these tragic events.
Sept. 11 also served as a stimulus for Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, and New Dawn. Operation Iraqi Freedom refers to military operations in Iraq that began March 19, 2003 and officially ended August 31, 2010. Operation Enduring Freedom refers to combat operations in Afghanistan and other regions in support of the Global War on Terror. Operation New Dawn refers to the conclusion of operations in Iraq beginning September 1, 2010 and ending December 15, 2011.
The project instills hope into the minds of the veteran and family. The hope is that something extraordinary can happen when the people work helping others. By being bold and brave the people on staff can help save lives of veterans and their families. This work starts as early as someone is injured in combat and carries on at home.