Injured service members involved in the Wounded Warrior Project got together recently to practice their archery and firearm skills at an indoor shooting range in Pennsylvania.
The gathering at the shooting range is part of the Wounded Warrior Project’s alumni program, which brings injured veterans together for camaraderie and support through shared experiences. The Alumni program is one of nearly 20 programs and services WWP provides to wounded veterans.
WWP Alumni get together for sporting events, service opportunities, concerts and other activities that foster the development of a supportive network of others who have been faced with similar experiences.
“It’s always good to be around other veterans, and needed for someone like myself,” WWP Alumnus Marianne Sheehan said. “I get it, I’m not alone. But that doesn’t make it any less lonely. When I’m surrounded by people who understand … for a moment I feel okay, even happy like ‘wow, I belong to a team again’ and there’s nothing more powerful than that.”
The WWP alumni first received a safety briefing before they split up into groups to shoot bows, pistols, rifles and submachine guns. They practiced their skills by firing at paper zombies and small targets.
“Maintaining my shooting skills is a mental and physical positive for me,” WWP Alumnus Nicholas Sansevero said. “On this day, I must say the archery range was my favorite. I am fairly new to archery and with some guidance from the instructor and a little tweaking, I vastly improved my knowledge of the sport as well as my accuracy.”
In addition to honing their shooting skills, the WWP Alumni also enjoyed camaraderie with others who have had similar life experiences.
“My experience with WWP events has always been positive and I encourage other Alumni to take part,” Sansevero said. “I met Alumni, Veterans, and civilians that I have never met before. It’s unfortunate that some of us live so close yet don’t know each other because we can be a helpful resource for each other.”
To learn more about the Wounded Warrior Project, visit www.WoundedWarriorProject.org.
Photo Credit: PR Newswire
