A week of transformations

Just three days into this week's Road to Recovery Conference and Tribute at Walk Disney World, Karen Lopez already had seen a change in her husband, OEF-OIF veteran Louis Lopez. "I've seen him interacting with other veterans," Karen said. "He's in a shell most of the time, but I've seen him come out of that shell when he's been around these people."

The Coalition to Salute America's Heroes and The American Legion co-presented this year's Road to Recovery, which provided an all-expense-paid trip to the Swan World Resort to more than 100 severely wounded Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom veterans and their almost 400 family members. There also was a $500 check presented to each veteran on the final day of the conference.

For David Walker, chairman of the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes board of directors, seeing transformation in veterans like Louis is the most rewarding part of the Road to Recovery. "A program like this is cumulative," Walker said. "When you stand back and look at the last four days, watching the transformation take place, you know that they've been inspired. This program is an effort to give them hope and inspiration ... the things they didn't realize they had, in terms of the ability to overcome something. PTS, TBI, how to go handle that. A marital issue. Substance abuse.  

"They're networking with each other. Also - this is the best part - they get a deeper understanding that there are resources available to them beyond what they understood prior to this program. That helps them understand that there are not just individuals to their left and to their right, but there are organizations and resources, too. What do I take away from that? A great deal of satisfaction. That's what I feel."

The Road to Recovery featured a wide array of inspirational speakers and educational presentations from experts from the government, the private sector and non-profit organizations. Information was shared on health care, insurance, employment opportunities and post-traumatic stress. There also was a career fair featuring multiple national corporations, training in résumé writing and job interviewing, and counseling sessions for veterans, their spouses and significant others.

Some of the speakers were previous invitees to the Road to Recovery, who also serve as inspiration to Walker.

"We have alumni that have been with us since the very first Road to Recovery. So we're talking six years," he said. "Those who have been with us for six years, for a couple years ... watch how their marriages are rock-solid. Watch how their reliance on substance abuse is non-existent. They're aspiring for a better job, a better career. They have that inspiration, and that inspiration has motivated them to dig deeper and find something that can be more valuable, from a career standpoint and a contributing standpoint to society."

Andrew Berry, a 30-year-old Army veteran who did two tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and is 100 percent service connected, was attending his first Road to Recovery, but it wasn't his first experience with the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes. After separating from the Army in September 2009, there was an error with Berry's paperwork that resulted in no pay for two months. Married and the father of four boys ages 3-10, Berry said he was almost kicked out of his house and couldn't afford to pay for food for his family or pay any bills.

A worker at the local Vet Center put Berry in touch with the Coalition, which came through in a major way. "(The Coalition) paid our rent for three months, sent us money for food, and it was all within 24 hours. There was no red tape," Berry said. "They gave us a Christmas last year."

Berry said he was amazed by "how open everyone at the conference has been. There are a lot of similarities with veterans who have been through similar circumstances that I've been through," Berry said. "It's easier to open up to them than my wife."