CHAIRMAN’S CORNER
O
n any given day, our Teammates in Naval Special Warfare are down range in more than two dozen countries around the world. As the maritime special operations component of the U.S. Special Operations Command, NSW maintains a global perspective. Our Teammates are deployed to address security challenges across geographic boundaries. Every day their work helps shape the complex and dynamic state of global affairs. This strategic perspective is a challenge for NSW and all SOF amidst fiscal restraints.
SEALs, Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewman (SWCCs), and supporting mission specialists are building and sustaining relationships with our allies. Their work provides security force assistance, and fosters capacity and capabilities within our SOF partners. In turn, this global SOF network can better counter threats and help us mitigate regional instabilities from expanding into global conflicts. Since 9/11, NSW has paid a price to execute the array of missions our Nation has required. The operator and family sacrifices are profound. A recent article in the New York Times titled War’s Elite Tough Guys Hesitant to Seek Healing said: “Of the 600 service members who have received Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and psychological treatment at the Bethesda, Maryland National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE), nearly a third are from special operations units (~200), even though SOF constitutes only two percent of Department of Defense personnel.” NSW has reported 131 of our Teammates have gone to NICoE. This equals 66% of total SOF service members treated. This speaks volumes to the potential impact on SEALs, their families, and our community. The Navy SEAL Foundation remains committed to maintaining a resilient, sustainable, and healthy NSW Force into perpetuity so our Teammates can accomplish their mission sets. At the same time, our commitment runs strong to assist our transitioning Teammates who have served our Nation with honor and distinction.
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The BLAST • Summer 2014 • Vol. 46, No. 2
Retired Rear Admiral Garry Bonelli, Chairman, Navy SEAL Foundation
To carry this commitment forward, we have partnered with The Honor Foundation to provide an elite transition program in an academic setting for our NSW community. In June, I attended a transition class sponsored by The Honor Foundation at the Rady School of Management on the campus of the University of California San Diego. This laser-focused program is designed for SOF operators, who are hungry for a transition program that is tailored to their skill sets, experience levels, and competitive nature. NSW personnel within 12-18 months of terminal leave may begin the admission process. Former NSW and SOF community members have been shaping the corporate environment around them for decades. Now, operators and support personnel will be given the tools to adapt and refine their skills to be successful with the missions in today’s business world. With funding support from the Navy SEAL Foundation, The Honor Foundation is providing tailored transition programs available through worldclass institutions such as UCSD and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. These compressed four-month programs will propel our Teammates and afford them a competitive advantage to jumpstart their post-service careers. If you’re interested in learning more about The Honor Foundation, email: transition@navySEALfoundation.org and visit www.thehonorfoundation.org. Here are a few other data points in 2014 that are indicative of the busy year we are having for our well-established Navy SEAL Foundation programs: - awarded 233 scholarships totaling more than $1 million to NSW active duty, their spouses, and children; - provided funding support to assist a Teammate with funeral expenses for a family member; - delivered on an emergency relief fund request by a service member whose home was destroyed by a tornado; - supported emergency travel for a NSW operator to see his brother with brain cancer in hospice; our Navy supports flights back to the U.S., but does not cover travel in-country; - funded Warrior Support & Family Services including TBI/PTS treatment support, support
for injuries sustained by active duty personnel, and multiple cases of support for family illnesses; - assisted family Survivor Support with mortgage payments, grief counseling, tutoring support, and private school grants; and - kicked off Navy SEAL Foundation summer camps in June with Camp Ethos in San Diego; your Foundation sponsors camps in California, Hawaii, Mississippi, and Virginia. Hundreds of NSW kids are participating this year, and all camps are NSW focused. In addition, the Navy SEAL Foundation is working with Naval Special Warfare Command headquarters to literally build on the successes learned at the Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek, Virginia. Our SEAL Heritage Center building located on the base in Little Creek serves our community very well. We now have an initiative for the Navy SEAL Foundation to fund, operate, and maintain a similar building facility on the base in Coronado. Diligence and perseverance are a big part of the challenge to get such a facility up and running along the pristine Coronado Silver Strand. Both the Commander, Naval Special Warfare Command, and the Commander, Navy Region Southwest have indicated a willingness to have their staffs work with us to make the SEAL Heritage
Center West part of their strategic capital improvement plans. The timing is right. It will be a multi-year process. I am optimistic that we can have a special place for our west coast Teammates and their families to serve a multitude of military functions, conferences, and family gatherings. The need is there, it’s the right thing to do, and it’s worth the effort! Lastly, and I can never say this enough, with the steadfast support of generous donors, our dedicated board of directors, numerous selfless volunteers, and professional staff, we will promote and execute the Navy SEAL Foundation’s mission of immediate and ongoing support to our Teammates, their families, and the families of our fallen. Very Respectfully, Garry Bonelli Chairman, Board of Directors Navy SEAL Foundation
Navy SEAL Foundation 2014 Scheduled Events Throughout the Year July 19 July 26 July 28 August 7 August 9 September 6 September 11 September 12 September 13 September 19 September 20 September 21-22 September 27-29 October 11 October 14 October 20 October 23 November 3 December 4
Team Kainer Multi-Sports Events Allen Stone Memorial Races Eastern Shore Paradise TPC River’s Bend Birdies for the Brave Charity Event Denver Evening of Tribute 31Heroes WOD (local Crossfits) Sporting Clay Shoot Chicago Evening of Tribute CDR Pete Oswald Memorial Golf Tournament U.S.S. Missouri Dinner 2nd Annual Kiowa Clay Shoot Virginia Beach Fallen Heroes Birdies for the Brave Half Moon Bay SEAL Tribute Celebration TPC Twin Cities Birdies for the Brave Charity Event TPC River Highlands Birdies for the Brave Charity Event TPC Jason Polana Birdies for the Brave Charity Event Pedal for Patriots TPC San Antonio Birdies for the Brave Charity Event New York City Gala
Hampton Roads, VA Virginia Beach, VA Eastern Shore, VA Maineville, OH Denver, CO Nationwide Harrisburg, PA Chicago, IL Bellingham, WA Honolulu, HI Kiowa, CO Virginia Beach, VA Half Moon Bay, CA Half Moon Bay, CA Twin City, MN Cromwell, CT Princeton, NJ Atlanta, GA San Antonio, TX New York, NY
For further information about the above events, please email development@navysealfoundation.org.