Tampa foundation springs to action upon hearing of wounded, fallen commandos

The Tampa Tribune / TBO.com

Military News

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The death of one commando and the wounding of two others in a firefight in Afghanistan is a stark reminder of how dangerous that country remains and why organizations like the Tampa-based Special Operations Warrior Foundation are still needed.

The casualties took place as U.S. commandos were on a mission to train, advise and assist their Afghan special operations counterparts in that country’s restive Helmand province, Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook told reporters during a Tuesday afternoon press conference at the Pentagon. The battle was still raging and Cook offered scant details about the casualties or even which branch they served with. Several Afghan troops were also wounded, he said. The death marked the first U.S. service member killed in 2016.

Meanwhile, 8,000 miles away in Tampa, the Special Operations Warrior Foundation is gearing up to help the two wounded troops and any children of the fallen commando, according to the foundation’s president and chief executive officer, Joe Maguire.

Once informed by U.S. Special Operations Command that the wounded are stabilized and back in the U.S., the organization will cut a $3,000 check for each, said Maguire, a retired Navy SEAL vice admiral.

While the military will pick up the tab for the primary next of kin — a spouse or a parent — to fly to whereever the wounded are recovering and will put them up in a hotel, there are often children and other family members who want to be there. And many times, Maguire noted, the wounded will require long-term care, meaning that the next of kin might have to leave work to help.

“We supplement that with $3,000 to get them back and forth and help out with other things,” said Maguire. “Uncle Sam will not pay for kids to come to the hospital, but that helps with healing. Our philosophy is that when someone is wounded, the entire family is wounded and we have to do our darnedest to help.”

The foundation also sends the wounded a package with a fully loaded and operating iPad “with full internet connectivity to keep in touch with other family members as well as the troops back in Afghanistan,” said Maguire.

Since 2006, the foundation has awarded $2.2 million to the wounded, Maguire said.

Aside from helping the wounded, the foundation has a scholarship fund that will pay for the children of fallen commandos to attend whatever university or college they are accepted to, as well as grief counseling, academic counseling and tutors from kindergarten through college.

“These folks were at war,” said Maguire. “They are still deployed all over the world and are in extreme danger.”

But even training is deadly, said Maguire. Last year, 20 commandos were killed in training, he said, adding that each family was eligible for the foundation’s benefits.

For more information, go to specialops.org.