Opinion ID: 182637
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: wwp

Text: John Melia founded WWP. Melia is a former Green Beret and member of the 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne). In 1992, Melia was a passenger in a CH-46 helicopter that caught fire and exploded over the Red Sea off the coast of Somalia. Melia suffered burns over 20% of his body. While recovering in military hospitals around the world, Melia noticed that, although he was receiving first-rate medical treatment, there were gaps in the services the armed forces provided to wounded veterans. In 1995, Melia left the military. In 2002, as wounded veterans began returning to the United States from the Afghanistan War, Melia decided to help. Melia just wanted to provide something simple, the things that I didn't have when I came back ... like underwear and socks and a calling card and a backpack to carry my stuff in. Melia founded WWP in the basement of his Virginia home and, with the donations he collected, delivered backpacks stocked with care and comfort items to nearby military hospitals. In the ensuing years, WWP has greatly expanded its offerings to wounded veterans from the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars. Today WWP provides bedside training about veterans' and social security disability benefits, an adaptive sports program, college preparatory courses, and small group combat stress counseling. In partnership with Trek Bicycle Corp., which donates custom-made bicycles to disabled veterans, WWP sponsors Soldier Ride. WWP employs over 100 people and spends 75% to 82% of donations directly on wounded soldiers and their families. In 2008, WWP spent $39 million. Advertising, marketing, and other public relations activities allow WWP to tell stories of wounded warriors and the way that [WWP] has helped them in order to drive up an interest and a public awareness about [WWP's] cause. WWP sends over ten million mailers annually and appears on a massive amount of television and radio shows. [3] WWP has become synonymous with veteran service to this generation of wounded veterans and their families. WWP operates two websites, woundedwarrior.org and woundedwarriorproject.org, which were first registered in January 2003 and March 2004, respectively. In 2005, WWP registered its now famous trademark, which depicts one soldier carrying another soldier on his back.