Receiving a backpack might seem like a small gesture, but one veteran credits that initial act of compassion followed by ongoing support for saving his life.
In 2005, about a year after retired Army Spec. Jason Brasse was deployed to Iraq, an improvised explosive device blasted shrapnel into just below the knee of his right leg. While in a hospital from his injuries, he received a backpack from Wounded Warrior Project, which contained “every piece of clothing” he owned for more than a month.
“Freedom is the only reason that I stand here today,” said Brasse. “After I was devastatingly wounded by an IED, it was Wounded Warrior Project, honestly, that brought my freedom back.”
Wounded Warrior Project received a $50,000 donation Wednesday, Dec. 18, from Hannaford Supermarkets officials at the Navy Operational Support Center in the Town of Glenville. Hannaford’s donation was generated through the “Believe in Heroes” program in partnership with Acosta Sales & Marketing. Brasse, a spokesman for WWP, accepted the donation for the non-profit organization.
“The servicemen and women of our country make enormous sacrifices to protect our freedoms each day, which is why organizations such as Wounded Warrior Project are so vital to our community,” said Brian Fabre, spokesman for Hannaford. “The programs offered through Wounded Warrior Project offer injured veterans critically important services designed specifically to meet their unique needs.”
Brasse is a peer mentor with WWP, providing the support that helped turn him from the brink of suicide to nearly full recovery. He also travels to various events to share his story.
“After 13 surgeries, with numerous doctors telling him he’d never walk again,” said Fabre said about Brasse, “today, he walks, swims and mountain bikes with little pain.”
WWP’s Combat Stress Recovery Program specialists help veterans overcome physical and mental issues, said Brasse. Health and wellness events are also held nationwide to help injured veterans “adapt to their new normal.”
“I’m fortunate to have scars to show as the majority of my brothers do not,” said Brasse. “This leg stopped me from doing 10 things, but my head stopped me from doing a thousand things. And it truly was all that support that helped me realize that I still have a purpose here.”
For about two and a half years, Brasse went to therapy three times a week to regain mobility in his leg. He regained 95 percent mobility in his right leg. However, during recovery he never felt “safe and secure,” even with his family in his home.
“Daunting as the physical rehab was, the mental issues I faced were far worse and far more debilitating to my lifestyle than my leg was,” he said.
