Sitrep Jan 2025 Vol 18

Sitrep

Jan 2025 Vol. 18

Wishing you a Happy New Year!

As we start the New Year at the Navy Safe Harbor Foundation we have a change in the watch. Heidi Weller, President Extraordinaire is leaving the Board of Directors. She will be greatly missed. Fair Winds and Following Seas Heidi as you sail into the next chapter of your retirement. I will be fleeting up from the position of Secretary – Board of Directors to assume the Presidency on 1 January 2025. I am very excited to take the Helm and continue the wonderful work of the Navy Safe Harbor Foundation which aims to ensure that every seriously wounded, ill and injured Navy and Coast Guard Sailor is given every opportunity for a full recovery by providing non-medical care and support to sailors and their families. I am excited to propel the work of the foundation forward and support the Mission. I wish to thank the Board of Directors for placing their faith in me. Thank you to all the Navy Safe Harbor Foundation supporters and our sailors as we sail into the New Year!

CAPT (ret) Patricia Watts Kelley, USN, PhD, APRN

Thoughts From Our Board

Heidi Weller

As a board member of the Navy Safe Harbor Foundation (NSHF), I am deeply committed to our mission of supporting seriously wounded, ill, and injured Navy and Coast Guard Sailors and their families. This dedication stems not only from a profound respect for our service members but also from the tangible impacts I’ve witnessed through our work.

Every day, Sailors and their families face unforeseen challenges due to injuries or illnesses incurred in the line of duty. The path to recovery is often long and fraught with difficulties that extend beyond physical ailments—financial burdens, emotional turmoil, and logistical hurdles can be overwhelming.

If you have followed Navy Safe Harbor Foundation’s progress through the last four years since this newsletter started, you may feel you know me since I have written the Sitrep and various other articles in each of our editions. But what you know is the Foundation, our mission, and hopefully, the benefits of your support. These are all important pieces of the journey you have taken with us, but today, I would like to introduce myself.

Ten years ago, a friend introduced me to the Navy Safe Harbor Foundation (NSHF) and its mission to support wounded, ill, and injured Sailors. That introduction changed my life. A nurse by training but a stay-at-home mom at the time, I was looking for a rewarding activity outside my regular routine. As a Navy wife the Foundation seemed like a good place for me to give back. After a quick call to Rear Admiral Christopher Cole, President of NSHF at the time, I volunteered to help him with clerical tasks in the office. A once-a-week commitment led to joining the board and taking on the responsibilities of the Secretary position in 2015. When RADM Cole transitioned to CEO of the Association of the United States Navy and resigned from his role as President in 2019, he suggested I consider stepping up to President. I must confess this was an intimidating responsibility, but after careful consideration, I accepted the nomination and, ultimately, the position.

The last five years have brought some challenges along with many personal rewards. The most obvious challenge was when COVID-19 shut down the country. The sudden restriction of face-to-face support the Sailors faced highlighted an already stressed and compromised community. With a few adjustments to our programs, we continued to assist with needs ranging from childcare to transportation costs. We converted our Caregiver program to a virtual platform to provide resources and resiliency while they navigated the pandemic along with their Sailor’s medical treatment plan. We continued to support the athletes participating in Team Navy’s training schedule as the camps and events changed and evolved to meet the health concerns.

Challenges aside, the stories of strength and perseverance regularly touched my heart. Sailors, their families, and their caregivers are incredibly resilient, and with a bit of assistance from the Navy Wounded Warrior Program and support from the Navy Safe Harbor Foundation, their success and achievements are in their stories. From the Sailor injured in the USS Bonhomme Richard fire and explosion who went on to participate in the Warrior Games and is now coaching new participants, to the Sailor diagnosed with cancer who completed her degree and started her post-military career, to the family who lost two children in a car accident yet worked together to build a successful life outside of the Navy I know that meeting our mission provides a buffer and resources otherwise not available. These stories encourage me every day.

In January, I will turn over the care and keeping of the Foundation and its mission to Pat Kelley. I am grateful for my experiences while giving back to a vital and important group of men and women who swore to protect our country. I also appreciate you all as donors who have made this journey possible—fair winds and following seas.

Navy Helps Wounded Warrior Recover and Excel

Ed Lundquist

Information Systems Technician (IT) First Class Maria Edwards has been recognized by the Navy Wounded Warrior (NWW) program and Navy Safe Harbor Foundation (NSHF) as the Navy’s “Wounded Warrior of the Year.”

Edwards was diagnosed in February 2022 with stage 3 breast cancer, and required a long and difficult journey of chemotherapy, surgery and reconstructive surgery, immunotherapy, radiation treatment, and hospitalizations due to infections and other complications. She says she’s grateful for the help she received from NWW and NSHF.

Edwards served aboard USS Boxer (LHD 4); Naval Computer and Telecommunications Station San Diego; USS Nimitz (CVN 68); Commander Navy Recruiting Command Millington, TN; USS Anchorage (LPD 23); Naval Computer and Telecommunications Area Master Station, Pacific (NCTAMS PAC); and USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112). She earned my Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist qualification on USS Boxer; my Enlisted Aviation Warfare Specialist qualification aboard USS Nimitz; and qualified as an Enlisted Information Warfare Specialist at NCTAMS PAC. Her last assignment was on the staff of Commander Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific (CNSGMP), where she was responsible for communications operations.

As an IT, Edwards knew her job was important. “We ensure network connectivity and communications from ship to shore, helping the ship carry out its mission safely and securely. We also make it possible for Sailors on board to communicate with their loved ones.”

The NWW program is an official Navy organization, established in 2007 to help returning Navy and Coast Guard combat-wounded warriors. A year later it expanded to include the ill and injured. Edwards was referred to NWW by her primary medical care team, but Sailors and Coast Guardsmen may also self-refer to Navy Wounded Warrior, or be referred by a family member or their command leadership or their medical team. NWW is a voluntary program, but it is a benefit of service.

According to NWW’s website, it is “the Navy’s sole organization for coordinating the non-medical care of seriously wounded, ill and injured Sailors and Coast Guardsmen, and providing resources and support to their families. Through proactive leadership, the program provides individually-tailored assistance designed to optimize the success of the wounded warriors’ recovery, rehabilitation and reintegration activities.”

NWW partners with the Navy Safe Harbor Foundation (NSHF), a private non-profit entity, to help non-medical care support and services beyond what NWW is able to provide. Surface Navy Association was a sponsor of the Wounded Warrior of the Year award presentation luncheon in Washington, D.C.NSHF can provide financial support to wounded warriors and their families beyond what the government can provide, said retired Coast Guard Rear Adm. Jeff Hathaway, the vice chairman of NSHF.

In addition to NSHF, Edwards said that NWW opened the door to many opportunities she otherwise would not know about.

“The NWW team had social events that allowed me and my family to engage with others who were facing similar challenges, which helped me avoid being sad or depressed. Through the Veterans Administration’s Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) program, I finished my associate’s degree in criminal justice and went on to earn my bachelor’s degree.”

Once she was able to take part in physical activities, she was able to attend a Navy Wounded Warrior Adaptive Sports Camp. “I was accepted on to the Navy Team and took part in the Warrior Games, where I won a bronze medal in running, something I loved but thought I would never be able to do again,” she said. “The encouragement of the coaches and team really made me feel accepted.”

Edwards said she appreciates the support and care from her shipmates. “When I received my cancer diagnosis, my chain of command–from my division chief all the way up to my commanding officer–was very supportive of me and helped me to get orders to shore duty so it would be easier to receive the care I needed.,” Edwards said.

“I’m also grateful for the encouragement and love I received from my family,” she said. My mother came out to Hawaii to help us. That’s when she discovered that she, too, had breast cancer. I was able to be with my mother throughout her treatment as well because I had similar treatment and I could help her through it. I knew my daughters were scared, but they were strong, full of encouragement, and made us laugh even on our worst days.

Although she is now retired, she is giving back to the wounded warrior community. “I am leading a team with the Operation Red Wings Foundation to help other female veterans who have experienced PTSD in the military, and to share my own illness, experiences and trauma with others,” she said. “It’s a comradery I didn’t know I needed.”

Edwards said there’s always someone or something available to provide help in the Navy Wounded Warrior program “You are not alone.”