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Since SoldierStrong’s inception following the tragic events of 9/11, the Stamford, Conn.-based group has donated more than $3 million of medical devices to help injured Veterans. Today’s donation is the organization’s 24th exoskeleton donation, including the 20th one to the VA system. Currently, 35,000 Veterans have access to exoskeleton rehabilitation devices.

“VA has an established tradition of using the most advanced technologies to provide cutting-edge rehabilitation care to Veterans,” said Medical Center Director Fernando Rivera. “SoldierStrong’s donation of this cutting-edge device will help us continue to maximize the independence and improve the quality of life of the Veterans that we treat.”

SoldierStrong co-founder and chairman Chris Meek said the organization’s goal to make exoskeleton suits available to every Veteran in need throughout as many states as possible was a significant factor in the local donation. This is the second exoskeleton donated by SoldierStrong in the state, allowing for use of the device to become more accessible for a wider array of Louisiana’s Veterans.

“Many Veterans who sustain spinal injuries are young men and women, which means individuals often must navigate through decades of health-related challenges when these devastating injuries occur,” Meek said. “Early rehabilitation therapy with an exoskeleton has shown to have lasting positive effects on both the physical and often overlooked mental health recovery for patients who use them. That is why we feel it is so important that exoskeleton devices are made accessible to as many Veterans as possible — young and older — at the onset of their journey of recovery, in order to positively shape and impact mobility in the decades ahead. We are honored to work with the New Orleans VA Medical Center in making our goal a reality.”

 

Delivering on its commitment to assist soldiers taking a significant academic step into their future by filling in voids left by the Post-9/11 GI Bill, the national nonprofit SoldierStrong announced the 2020 recipients of its scholarship initiative, SoldierScholar, today.

“SoldierStrong realized early on that higher education provides a crucial set of opportunities for veterans as they return home from service and begin to transition, and ultimately adjust, to civilian life,” said SoldierStrong co-founder and chairman Chris Meek. “Our organization and supporters recognize the value of the unique interaction that occurs between higher education institutions and veterans. Not only do veterans benefit greatly from higher education, but they serve as major assets to the schools they attend by bringing with them unparalleled experiences and leadership characteristics from their time in service.”

Meek continued, “Though the GI Bill has benefitted almost one million veterans in the past year, it has not historically relieved all of the costs associated with obtaining a degree. Textbooks, classroom fees, transportation, technology, tutoring and a number of other additional expenses that come with obtaining a degree are often not considered upfront when developing a general financial plan. SoldierScholar was created to fill in those gaps left by the bill and alleviate the additional costs associated with receiving a degree. It is an honor to support and assist soldiers in their academic endeavors.”

SoldierScholar scholarships are available to veterans who fought in the recent War on Terror. SoldierStrong, which primarily provides revolutionary medical technologies to Veterans Affairs medical centers across the country to help injured veterans lead full lives, launched SoldierScholar in 2012 and has since awarded more than $500,000. This year’s recipients include:

Lucas Netti, Public Administration, Syracuse University
Lucas Netti served in the U.S. Army with the 82nd Airborne Division as an infantryman and sniper team leader. This past August, Netti graduated from Syracuse University with a bachelor of arts in political science and is expected to graduate from the university with a master’s degree in public administration and a certificate of advanced studies in security studies in August 2021. Upon graduation Netti plans on pursuing a career in government in the national security sector. “Getting the SoldierScholarship means a lot to me because it gives me an opportunity to represent Syracuse University and its veteran community. It is a good way of showing my academic achievements as a veteran and is a testament to the outstanding education that the professors here at Syracuse have provided me,” Netti said.

Kala Hagen, Foreign Service, Georgetown University
Kala Hagen served in the U.S. Navy for nine years as a cryptologic language analyst specializing in Arabic and Somali. While on active duty, Hagen earned a bachelor of arts in anthropology at the University of Florida and was selected for several prestigious language immersion programs, including Middlebury College’s summer language program in California. While receiving her master of science in foreign service at Georgetown University, Hagen will concentrate on international development in the Middle East and Africa and is especially interested in reducing factors that contribute to extremism and terrorism. Upon graduation, she aspires to serve with the State Department or U.S. Agency for International Development. “I feel incredibly honored and humbled to have been selected for a SoldierScholar scholarship,” Hagen said. “I really admire the work that SoldierStrong does to help veterans, so for them to choose to invest so significantly in my education means a great deal to me.”

Jessica Evans, Civil Engineer Technology, Old Dominion University
Jessica Evans served in the U.S. Navy as a sonar technician while stationed in Hawaii and various other places around the world. In part due to financial considerations, Evans did not go to college directly after high school, and instead was inspired to join the military branch in which both of her grandfathers served. Evans sees her service as a way to honor their legacy. After finishing her bachelor’s degree in engineering, Evans plans to pursue her master’s degree. “Growing up I never dreamed about going to college let alone going as far as pursuing my master’s degree. So to have this opportunity to reach for my dreams is really special,” Evans said.

To learn more about the SoldierScholar initiative or to donate, please visit https://www.soldierstrong.org/scholarship.

Dr. Barbara Van Dahlen, appointed by the president as executive director of the President’s Roadmap to Empower Veterans to End a National Tragedy of Suicide (PREVENTS) task force, and Dr. Albert “Skip” Rizzo, director of medical virtual reality at the University of Southern California’s Institute for Creative Technologies, were recognized as this year’s co-recipients for their contributions to our country’s veterans, including their commitment to promoting mental health and wellness and medical innovation to improve the lives of veterans.

“SoldierStrong presents the Commitment to Service Award annually to individuals who have demonstrated exemplary and inspirational leadership and provided material support to SoldierStrong’s mission to help service members and veterans, many of whom have suffered catastrophic visible and invisible wounds, take their next steps forward on the battlefield, in the classroom and ultimately in life itself wherever their journey may take them,” said Chris Meek, co-founder and chairman of SoldierStrong. “It is an honor to present SoldierStrong’s 2020 Commitment to Service Award to not one, but two, extremely deserving leaders. Dr. Van Dahlen and Dr. Rizzo have worked tirelessly to leverage their talents and resources in an effort to elevate the standard of excellence in mental health care available to our country’s veterans.”

Van Dahlen was selected as executive director of the PREVENTS task force by President Donald J. Trump in 2019, which is dedicated to building a national strategy focused on improving mental health and preventing suicide among Veterans and all Americans. Named to TIME Magazine’s 2012 list of 100 Most Influential People in the world, Van Dahlen is the founder of Give an Hour, a national nonprofit that provides free mental health care to those in need. A licensed clinical psychologist who practiced in the Washington, D.C. area for over 20 years, she received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Maryland.

“Chris Meek and SoldierStrong have become valued partners to PREVENTS over the past year, and working together we will achieve our shared goal of enhancing mental health and wellbeing and preventing suicide among Veterans and all Americans,” Van Dahlen said. “It is both an honor and quite humbling to be recognized by an organization of SoldierStrong’s caliber. I extend my sincerest appreciation for this special acknowledgement and for SoldierStrong’s continued commitment to address challenges that affect those who serve, our Veterans and their families.”

Rizzo serves as Director of Medical VR at the USC Institute for Creative Technologies as a research professor at the USC Department of Psychiatry and at the USC Davis School of Gerontology. Rizzo’s research focuses on the development and use of virtual reality (VR) systems to assess and treat post-traumatic stress (PTS). With his team at ICT, he created the BraveMind VR exposure therapy program used to treat PTS in veterans. The BraveMind program creates “worlds” of combat scenarios, which place veterans back within their memories of combat to work through their post-traumatic stress. The BraveMind technology has been donated to 24 VA hospitals and medical facilities across the country through SoldierStrong’s BraveMind program.

“It is truly meaningful to be recognized by SoldierStrong for my work with medical virtual reality,” Rizzo said. “I am thankful for the thoughtfulness of their recognition, for embracing disruptive technology and ultimately ensuring BraveMind is delivered to Veterans Affairs medical centers across the country through their BraveMind program. I am honored to share in a commitment to improving the lives of veterans and take pride in all that we have accomplished together. To be recognized by a partner organization is a unique distinction and a true honor.”

“SoldierStrong recognizes leaders within various industries, like Dr. Van Dahlen and Dr. Rizzo, not only as a way to celebrate advancements made in bettering the lives of veterans but also to encourage our country’s leaders to continue to keep veterans front of mind in the work that they do and inspire others to find new avenues to benefit our heroic veterans,” Meek said.