Supporting America’s Wounded Warriors

Have you ever been to Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Yankee Stadium in New York or Coors Field in Denver? Each one is an incredible facility with its own, unique charm. When each is sold out for a home game, it holds about 50,000 major league baseball fans.

Now imagine any of those stadiums is full of loyal, enthusiastic fans, and every one of them is a veteran of the United States military who was wounded in combat. That’s just about how many Americans have been wounded in service to our country since 9/11.

Thinking about those more than 52,000 men and women in uniform in that way helps me visualize just how many veterans are living with the physical scars of serving in a time of war. And that doesn’t count the hundreds of thousands who live with invisible wounds from depression to post-traumatic stress disorder. Although it has been several years since a large number of troops were in combat at any one time, Americans have remained in harm’s way while we have continued to fight the war on terror. That means Americans have continued to be wounded in combat and need the support of a grateful nation.

As a veteran of the U.S. Navy myself, I am deeply appreciative of the sailors, soldiers, airmen, coasties and Marines who suffered wounds in service to our country. It’s why I proudly support the Wounded Warrior Project, and I’m asking today for your support as well.

The Wounded Warrior Project is a charity and veterans service organization that offers a variety of programs, services and events for wounded veterans of the military actions following September 11, 2001. At Exeter Finance, we have been part of the Wounded Warrior team for several years -- primarily through taking part in its annual running events. More than 100 of our team members have participated in the Wounded Warrior runs each summer to raise funds and build awareness for this important cause.

This summer, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 12th Annual Wounded Warrior Military Miles 5K, 10K, and Half Marathon in Dallas are virtual events. Although we can’t unite and run as a team, we still plan to take part individually and continue supporting the organization’s programs and services. The goal is to complete our runs by July 26, and we’re asking for your help.

We’re asking our employees, dealers, customers, business partners and friends to support the Wounded Warrior Project in three ways this month:

• Run or walk at least 1 mile
• Donate at least $1
• Post at least 1 photo from your run/walk on social media
  (Use the hashtags #WoundedWarriorRun and #ExeterSupportsWoundedWarriors)

If you are a veteran, please accept my thanks for your service. For everyone who is part of the Exeter community, I hope you’ll join us in helping America’s wounded warriors. We consider it a privilege to take part in such a worthy effort, and we’d be honored to have your support as well.

¹ Ballpark & Stadium Comparisons - Capacity of Current Ballparks BallparksofBaseball.com, 2020 https://www.ballparksofbaseball.com/comparisons/current-ballparks-capacity/
² U.S. Department of Defense Casualty Status, June 22, 2020 https://www.defense.gov/casualty.pdf
³ Wounded Warrior Project https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/