OCW grants in 2017 aided 8,700 veterans and their family members

In 2017, The American Legion's Operation Comfort Warriors (OCW) program provided $149,000 in grants that aided nearly 8,700 veterans and their immediate family members across the nation and overseas. OCW is a program dedicated to meeting the needs of wounded, injured and ill military personnel and veterans by providing recreational, rehabilitative, therapeutic and comfort items. One hundred percent of donations go toward the program.

OCW provided 29 grants last year, and a few of those include:

• Providing entertainment, meals and outdoor activities to three wounded veterans and their caregivers during the Legion's 99th National Convention in Reno, Nev. One wounded veteran and his caregiver experienced a 40-minute glider flight over Lake Tahoe while another enjoyed a four-hour horseback ride along the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

• Bringing hundreds of wounded vets and their families to Six Flags San Antonio for a day of relaxation, camaraderie, food, rides and sunshine.

• Covering the cost of lodging for wounded veterans attending the sixth annual Walleyes for Wounded Heroes Fishing Retreat hosted by the Kentucky Wounded Heroes program.

• Providing televisions, clothing, toiletry kits, games, books and rehab equipment to 17 VA medical centers.

• Providing a custom-fit bike for injured Iraq Army veteran Clifford Benton of Florence, S.C. It fits his 6-foot-7-inch frame.

• Delivering comfort items and necessities to the U.S. VETS homeless center in Washington, D.C.

Visit www.legion.org/ocw to learn more about the program and to donate.