Veterans History Project

The Elks National Veterans Service Commission has become a collecting partner of the Library of Congress Veterans History Project, which collects and preserves the extraordinary wartime stories of ordinary people. Learn how you can participate by collecting interviews with veterans from your lodge and your community.

Grand Lodge

National Veterans Service Commission

National Veterans Service Commission

Important Information about the Elks/Wounded Warrior Project

  1. Deadline for Lodge submission of Elks/Wounded Warrior Project Proposal is December 1, 2009. Proposals must be submitted to the State National Veterans Service Chairperson.
  2. Events should include an activity for the wounded warriors. Activities could include but are not limited to fishing, hunting, camping, hiking snowmobiling etc. Although dinners may be part of an event, they are not events in and of themselves.
  3. Under no circumstances should the Lodge, District, or State contact veterans, hospitals, or military bases on their own. This will be done by the Chicago Office, and only after the successful submission of proposals. While we do encourage Elks to work with local veterans, that is not part of this program.
  4. Forms and guidelines for the Elks/Wounded Warrior Project can be downloaded from this page:

PGER McCallum launches Elks/Wounded Warrior Project with $50,000 Grant

Through a generous grant by the Elks National Foundation, the Elks National Veterans Service Commission has launched the Elks/Wounded Warrior Project.

During the Grand Lodge Session of July 8, 2009, Grand Exalted Ruler Paul Helsel, PGER Amos A. McCallum, Chairman of the Elks National Veterans Service Commission, and PGER Frank Garland, Chairman of the Elks National Foundation Trustees, presented a check in the amount of $50,000 to the Wounded Warrior Project.

Neil Duncan, a 25-year-old veteran who lost both legs to a roadside bomb in Afghanistan in 2005, accepted the check on behalf of the Wounded Warrior Project. Neil was welcomed with a standing ovation by those attending the session. Click the play button on the picture below to see Neil’s address to the Grand Lodge.

The Wounded Warrior Project is a non-profit organization created by and for wounded veterans. It’s goal is to provide assistance to veterans who were wounded, both physically and psychologically, in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Visit www.woundedwarriorproject.org for more information.

The Program

According to the Department of Defense, more than 34,000 service men and women have been wounded during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). When these warriors return to their communities, their adjustment to civilian life is complicated by injuries, both physical and psychological. For many, their problems can be overwhelming and lead to desperation, loneliness, and depression.

The Elks/Wounded Warrior Project helps them to realize that they can still perform their favorite recreational activities. Sharing their experience with comrades in arms and Elks will lessen their sense of isolation. Giving them a sense of accomplishment may help them to face and overcome other difficulties relating to home, career, and their community.

The premise of the ELKS/Wounded Warrior Project is simple. A Lodge will propose an outdoor event such as hunting, fishing, hiking, snow mobiling, camping, all to be held for the benefit of wounded warriors. If a proposal is selected, the Elks National Veterans Service Commission will work with the Wounded Warrior Project organization to find veterans whose abilities and desires are a match for each event.

The outdoor events will not only help heroes who made such a sacrifice, they will be a tremendous opportunity for Elks to help these Veterans who have sacrificed so much and raise public awareness of the issues these service men and women face. Elks and their volunteers will benefit from an unforgettable experience of which they can be justifiably proud.

This grant will be used to pay the expenses of Wounded Warriors who participate in outdoor events hosted by Elks and their volunteers. Lodges will fill out a request form detailing how many veterans it can host, the length and nature of the trip, and what type of logistical and financial support it can offer.

Forms and instructions can be downloaded from this page:

Lodge proposals to host an event must be submitted to the State National Veterans Chairperson for review. The deadline for submissions is December 1, 2009, with the events to be held from May 1, 2010 to April 30, 2011. Lodges and states should not contact veterans or hospitals directly; this will be done by the Chicago office and the district coordinator from the Wounded Warrior Project itself.

We believe this is an excellent opportunity for Elks to help our young heroes, and at the same time enjoy themselves in the great outdoors. It will be a challenge to organize and carry out the events, but the reward will be great, for both the Veterans and the volunteers. What a great way to show that ‘So long as there are Veterans, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks will never forget them.’