“help Wounded Tar Heel Troops” Initiative Kicks Off in North Carolina

"Help Wounded Tar Heel Troops,” a statewide initiative to provide assistance to wounded troops and their families in North Carolina, kicks off in Raleigh today with presentations from wounded soldier J.R. Martinez; Tony Civello, CEO of North Carolina-based Kerr Drug; and Lieutenant Governor Bev Perdue. The three spoke this afternoon during a kick-off event held at the North Hills Kerr Drug store, and were joined by wounded North Carolina troops and their families.

The “Help Wounded Tar Heel Troops” program is a statewide fundraising initiative aimed at providing financial assistance to wounded troops and their families. The American Legion, a nonprofit community support organization for wartime veterans will administer the funds. Money raised will be distributed specifically to North Carolina soldiers and families.

Kerr Drug is the first N.C.-based retailer to adopt the “Help Wounded Tar Heels Troops” program. Kerr Drug stores will accept cash donations and will also sell car magnets designed for the program. All proceeds go directly to the fund.

North Carolina accommodates seven military bases and the country’s fourth largest military population. An estimated 12,000 wounded troops and their families are from or reside in North Carolina.

“As many pause on September 11th to remember those who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks seven years ago and the sacrifices made by American troops ever since, few realize that the battle has just begun for more than 400,000 wounded troops who return home to devastating financial burdens,” said CEO Civello. “Kerr Drug is proud to lead this campaign and we urge our customers to participate so that those heroes who have sacrificed so much already can begin to rebuild their lives.”

North Carolinians can participate in the “Help Wounded Tar Heel Troops” program in several ways:

· Donate funds at www.HelpTarHeelTroops.com or any Kerr Drug location between now and the end of the year.

Visit http://www.HelpTarHeelTroops.com to purchase t-shirts and car magnets. All who donate $3 or more will receive a free “Help Wounded Tar Heel Troops” car magnet.

· North Carolina-based retailers are asked to contact mailto:info@helptarheeltroops.com to adopt the program in their stores.

Lieutenant Governor Bev Perdue, a strong supporter of the military in this state, called on citizens and other businesses to support this effort to help wounded service members.

“Across our state thousands of members of our armed forces have returned to their families severely wounded – only to find a battle of financial and medical burdens waiting. Together we can raise millions of dollars – and we can help our wounded warriors rebuild their lives and their families,” she said.

J.R. Martinez, spokesperson for Help Wounded Tar Heel Troops, was 19 years old when his Humvee ran over a landmine in Iraq. He suffered 3rd degree burns over 40 percent of his body and has undergone over 30 surgeries. He has since crusaded to help other wounded veterans and has been featured on Oprah, Entertainment Tonight and in PEOPLE magazine.

“When a troop is injured, his or her family often leaves behind their job and home to stay by their loved ones’ side during recovery, suddenly reducing their household income. So, these families tend to rack up major credit card debt just to get by and suffer from other financial nightmares like home evictions, utility shut-offs and car repossessions,” explained Martinez. “These are families living right here in this state. They live on your street and stand behind you at the checkout line. Without the generous support of North Carolinians through this campaign, these hardships will continue. On behalf of the thousands of families right here in your own backyard, I urge you to applaud their sacrifice with a helping hand.”

In addition to rehabilitations for physical wounds, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI), wounded troops and their families fight a new battle on the home front. Many face skyrocketing unpaid medical expenses, utility shut-offs, car repossessions and home evictions. Consequently, divorce and suicide rates are considerably higher among the same population.

· 400,000 troops from the current wars have come home suffering from physical wounds, PTSD and TBI.

· Wounded heroes have an average loss of income of $1,837 per month after their injury.

· 45 percent of spouses or parents of a wounded hero lose or quit their jobs in order to care of them.

· More than 53 percent of wounded troops reported a change in their child’s behavior since they were injured. Children of deployed and injured service members are more likely to react with depression, anxiety, withdrawal, anger, hyper vigilance and sleep problems.

· The average disabled hero takes 12 to 15 medications per day. Financial assistance from the government can be slow in coming, taking four months to two years to arrive, resulting in unpaid medical expenses.

· 85 percent of wounded heroes incur more than $5,000 in credit card debt after their injury.

· More than 22,000 veterans have sought help from a special suicide hotline in its first year alone. Roughly one in five soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan displays symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, putting them at a higher risk for suicide. .