Just a heads up...
I frequently see a commercial on Fox News for WWP that features a soldier named Eric.
His father, Ed, and mother, Beth, make appearances in the commercial telling what WWP has done for Eric and their family.
Although they now live in North Carolina, I believe, when Eric enlisted, they lived here in Iowa, in Charles City.
I worked with Eric for a while at the K-Mart in CC.
He was stationed in Alaska when his unit was deployed.

Here is a link to a FB page about him, I suppose you have to be a FBer to see it, but...
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.243226622494872.1073741849.169182316565970&type=3

i wish this fine man the very best and i hope contributions will help his battle.

that said, i discontinued my support of the wounded warrior project after they pissed all over the firearms industry.  there are many other really great orgs like them that embrace their major contributors and don't go PC to satisfy a handful of hate lobbies.

^there you go

and this:

https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=12842

CEO salary for FY 2012 is $311538.00


Cedar Valley Outfitters also has a hard on for WWP

http://www.cedarvalleyoutfitters.org/shoot-for-heroes-june-14-2014-is-shaping-up-to-be-a-great-day-of-honoring-those-who-served/news/

I personally would rather my money go to fellow Iowa vets not a CEO's salary and other crap

we've been supporting Hunting 4 Heroes recently and have helped with Luke's Wings in the past.

didn't know about cvo's dealio.  that sounds great!

I was planning on being a sponsor for the CVO's Shoot for Heroes. Seemed like a good time for a good cause and its around the time the gun shows are slowing down.

Ya, I tried to mention that (and the financials) to a gun store that was doing WWP fundraisers. They did not take factual criticism very well and blew up at me.

Was a GD thread about how much WWP sucks I believe the ceo is a huge liberal douche iirc i know a friend gave to them but stopped after he read more into it.

looking into it, I'd believe it. There is stuff about WWP not wanting to do a guest spot on a gun talk show then doing damage control saying it is about "branding" and not wanting to be associated with guns or weapons. They say that they are trying not to take sides politically. But they will take donations from a gun toting fundraiser.

BTW Ernie nobody is bashing Shoot for Heroes, just the WWP charity or "business"  because someone needs to profit from disabled vets right?

PS Ernie you can take your Facebook pity party on this issue and put it right next to the transfers you don't do and the guns you wont order.

And Ernie, while I applaud you for your efforts educating people in the news, hosting classes, and doing Shoot for Heroes, your business will "get by" as you say without me and my family. Sadly I spent over half a years pay in your store when i returned from Iraq and it has been over 5 years since you have even acknowledged me.

Is Chris Kyle's charity still good or did that get turned inside out after his death? I heard at one point someone got greedy and wanted to take control but Taya was fighting.

if i understand it right chris' former business partners stole the business blind and infringed on the copyrighted goods and trademarked items when starting their new company.  so this widow is getting sued by jesse 'fucko' ventura and is in litigation with her husband's former friends...  lousy deal man...  lousy.

That's what I was referring to-so it's not resolved yet, and even that charity isn't good to donate to.

As for Jesse, herpes is too good for him.

I'm with Michael on this one...^^^

So, let me get this straight...

A guy as unarguably and unashamedly pro-gun as Ernie from CVO decides to support WWP despite their alleged "anti-gun" stance, and people are actually going to argue with him about it?  This is a guy who won't even get his hair cut someplace he can't carry, f'crissakes.  

I'm just going to quote him from Facebook at this point, cause he said it better than I can:

you're confusing two things...

1, ernie, although i don't know him, is known as a pretty good egg by most people i talk to.  i'm not suggesting he's anything but upstanding.
2, wwp made their bed, fucked up, and handed out spin after their PR person went PC on tom grisham and the firearms industry as a whole.  read it HERE...

WWP didn't want anything to do with logos AFTER they got their tit in the ringer.  the issue came BEFORE their bullshit logo spin...  they said they didn't want to be associated with firearms businesses, since veteran harm themselves with firearms.  you suppose they applied that same logic to cars, or anything else?  no.  

wwp fell into the propaganda trap.  we don't hear about 'violence' today on the news, we hear about "gun violence" all the time.  why?  because it demonizes the word "gun" and all things "gun" take on a negative light.  that isn't an accident.  so wwp bought that line of pc bullshit and regurgitated it to the masses.  too bad there is a strong 2A undercurrent in all things military, thus veteran.  this backfired horribly on wwp, as it should have...

to put that in perspective, consider the below.  i wrote this a few weeks ago on the facebook page:

"When I hear somebody talking about "Gun Violence" they are using propaganda whether they realize it or not. There is no such thing as 'gun violence' folks. There's just violence. When somebody gets socked in the yap, we don't call it "fist violence" and when somebody gets pushed backwards over a cut tree base, we don't refer to it as "stump violence" do we? If you watch the news or listen to the radio you'll notice they use the word "gun" in only negative connotation in an attempt to demonize it, and by association, anyone/anything associated with it."

"When you know something is bs, don't perpetuate it, or as a group, we become part of the problem instead of the solution..."

what ernie chooses to do to benefit others is his choice.  i'm glad he's willing to do it.  few folks will go out, raise money, and work on behalf of others.  i commend him.  i simply wouldn't choose that charity, that's all...

wwp's logo response is pure spin.  there is a chain of events and a timeline.  go read it.  see what was said when, the responses, and it'll be clear the wwp response to come on the grisham program WAS NOT logo oriented.  wwp didn't want anything to do with guns.  she said it.  it can't be taken back.  

wwp's statement disrespects the core of what those veterans have fought for in years past.  does nobody see the irony in a pro veteran organization that is willing to shun the largest contributors and the basic 2A virtues our military has given all to protect?  



that said here's a list of really great orgs that might be helpful (there are many others by the way):

Hunting 4 Heroes
Fisher House
Marine Corps Law Enforcement Foundation
Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA)
Soldiers' Angels
AMVETS
American Legion
The Military Order of the Purple Heart
US Vets
Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund
Rolling Thunder
Hearts Toward Home
Iraq Star
National Veterans Foundation
Folds of Honor

Guys, I'm gonna ask that if you want to discuss problems with WWP, please do it in another thread.
I did not start this thread to make it a pissing barrel about WWP.
Like them or not, I do have to believe that they do a lot of good for the service members and their families that they help.
Are there better? Apparently. I don't know. I haven't followed it.

I started this thread because we all see stories about different things that happen elsewhere in the country that get lots of coverage when similar things that happen around here seem to be ignored and I just wanted to point out that an Iowa soldier and his condition and his family were the subject of a national commercial.

Thanks,
Greg

Pretty much echoes what I've heard wwp comes through hands out t-shirts then leaves

i hear ya, and you're right.  consider doing the same for other too in their threads greg.  we'd appreciate the same courtesy from you in kind.

Pretty sure I haven't taken other's threads in a negative direction.

this thread wasn't a negative direction, unless you call honesty negative.  i'll im you...

i did go take a look at the fb ditty and check it out.  sounds like he had a great hunt!  good deal!

Not sure how to explain this without rambling...

Yeah, negative wasn't the right word but it was what I come up with at the time.
I wasn't trying to either endorse WWP or disparage them; simply draw attention to an Iowa soldier being helped.
It was suspected that if Eric even survived he would be in a chronic vegetative state for the rest of his life, but as you can see, his recovery so far has been incredible.
Regardless of how people feel about WWP, the assistance the Edmundson family has received from WWP has to be recognized; it has helped them to no end.

I wasn't expecting anyone to run out and make donations, but I was disappointed that a thread that was meant only to draw attention to Eric and his situation and commercial, not WWP (though it it was through a WWP commercial) turned into what it did.

I was at Walter Reed a few weeks ago trying to figure out why I randomly go deaf in my left ear for minutes at a time.  (they have it narrowed down as a probable eustacian tube problem; can't be fixed, but at least we're on the path of knowing WHY, which counts for something I suppose.....the nasty tinnitus and random hearing loss is gonna be a bitch for the rest of my life, but it's a far sight better than a lot of friends ended up, so I ain't one to bitch)

there was a gentleman there with a golden retriever wearing "service dog" placards.  he was his PTSD therapy pooch, and we had a VERY good conversation for about 15 minutes.  a woman nearby mentioned how she'd gotten some funds to WWP by buying a couple shirts for her grandsons, and the dude.......had a PTSD moment.

it started out as "I'm really sorry to hear that...." and then he.  went.  OFF.

Apparently a WWP rep visited him in the hospital while he was recovering physically, and gave him a ton of shirts, stickers, and other branded stuff.  The rep told him to make sure he told all his friends about WWP and everything they did for him and he said "I don't understand....all you've done is give me a bunch of shit to advertise for you."  Response from the rep?

"You aren't camera-marketable.  You don't have any physical disfigurements.  That's what we're interested in, sorry."  Walked out.

I'd hardly believe it if his were the only instance I've heard of that happening, but lots of the fellas I've met at WRNMMC, even guys with amputations, had similar stories.

Apparently WWP threw a huge party for their full-time employees (at least several of the "top-ranking" ones) on Maui a couple years back, with the total bill well into 7 figures.  Makes you wonder how much good they could have done for wounded vets if they'd maybe thrown the party somewhere in Florida or California, and spent the rest where they should have.  Or even just not have the trip at all, and spent it ALL on the people they should have.

According to CharityNavigator, their total income in FYE (fiscal year ending) 9/2012 was $154,958,901.  Their expenses were $95,511,549.

What in the actual FUCK did they have to spend NINETY FIVE MILLION DOLLARS on?  Thirty-five million of that was "fundraising expenses"....

Some charity.  Non-profit my ass.

Hidden Wounds, EOD Warrior Foundation, SOWF, American Snipers, there's DOZENS of fantastic non-profits out there that actually do INCREDIBLE work for the guys who didn't come back whole (physically or otherwise).  My personal favorite is my good friend Gordon Melton at Hunting With Soldiers.  I've been fortunate enough to hunt with him and his VP Jason Dane several times down in Paducah, TX and what a phenomenal team those guys are.  Very good friends and just awesome human beings doing for people they've never met before, simply because of the job they have (and if anyone reading this has ever been in a combat zone, hit me up.....I'll get you in touch with them for TX hogs, deer, yotes, whatever!).

WWP can eat a whole bag of dicks for all I care.  They've become victims of their own hubris.

Maybe a HTF trip to Zombie Burger on June 7.

Annual feeshin trip with dad; stopping by CCA tp pick up a coiple lowers before we leave.