I participated in the 2018 Soldier Ride for the New York area, and it was a surprising amount of fun. We biked 70 miles or so between NYC and Long Island over the course of 3 days, and there were some really great people there between the staff and the other riders. All riders are Veterans with some sort of injury, and it's not a race so you go pretty slow. That did get frustrating from time to time with some of the other riders clearly impatient or seemed to want to be "first" all the time, which was really obnoxious especially for the hand cyclists. The staff, though, were all excellent. Well-trained, very supportive, very accommodating, all of which was great. I hope to do day rides or something with these folks as they swing through my area in the future, and hope to stay in touch with some of the people who were on the trip, since you can only go once every few years to the whole ride!

I found out about the Wounded Warrior Project in 2010. I was struggling with depression and PTSD and had just lost my job due to my VA voc rehab counselor screwing up. I had just started college and was trying to survive. They immediately responsed to me when I said I needed help. They advocated for me with the VA and got my benefits restored and helped me get into cycling through their Soldier Ride program which SAVED my life! Recently they helped me with my VA claim that had been going on for 5+ years. I am FOREVER grateful for WWP.

They have raised awareness.

I am also an "alum". Whatever that means these days. WWP has turned into a marketing machine and not much beyond that these days. One of my Marines went in there to seek help in getting a job and his "career counselor" decided to use one of the listings that was meant for him to get a job for herself. WWP is run by a cabal of civilians whose only agenda is to figure out how to pay themselves more every year without breaking the law. Veterans are an afterthought for this organization at this point. If you ever take a tour of their NYC office, it's very rare to actually see their staff working. 9 times out of 10, they're bullshitting by the water cooler. Word of advice to my fellow veterans: It's not just about going to fun events and getting free tickets for yourself and a few friends, ask yourself what these people have actually done to help our fellow disabled veterans transition, get back on their feet, get a sustainable career, housing, etc. With a 300+ million a year budget, they really should be able to do much more and for many more veterans. Instead of paying themselves ridiculous salaries and wasting even more money on their exploitative ad campaigns.

They have a specific agenda and keep it focused. One mission statement is a good thing!

They keep sending me stuff - I don't need a magnets and hats??

It is a great organization to seek help and meet other service members. None