Welcome to the Wounded Warrior Mentor Program 

The Wounded Warrior Mentor Program (WWMP) was started by members of the West Point class of 1958 in 2004, to provide mentoring services to wounded military members recovering at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) in Washington, D.C.  It has since expanded to include a number of West Point classes and several mentors from the other Service Academies to provide mentoring services to wounded military members wherever they are located. 

Lee Miller '58, Bruce Holmberg '61, Greg Gadston '89, Alton McCallum '02, and John Herren '58

The Wounded Warrior Mentor Program

The Wounded Warrior Mentor Program matches volunteer mentors with Wounded Warriors at Walter Reed and, in some cases, with follow-on mentors after the soldiers or Marines leave Walter Reed.  The program was founded by several members of the West Point Class of 1958 when it became apparent that Wounded Warriors needed more individual attention than the Army could provide.  Wounded Warriors needed to be oriented on a new profession and a new life, as well as being counseled on benefits, jobs, educational opportunities, and handling of finances.  After Walter Reed, when the Wounded Warriors leave the familiar environment of the hospital support system and their buddies, many need mentors to continue supporting them.  This program enjoys the full support of the hospital commander and her staff and the Wounded Warrior Transition brigade commander and his entire chain of command.  We also have available an entire support team to help us in almost every phase of our support to our Wounded Warriors. 

Somewhere between 70 and 80% of the Wounded Warriors will leave the service.  Many of those who do stay must be reclassified into a new military career specialty.  The founders of the program identified a need for mentors to help the soldiers with backward planning to answer the question: “What will my future life be in three to five years?”  Mentors are asked to bond one-on-one with their Wounded Warriors in a surrogate parent relationship – one that is based on trust so that the Wounded Warrior have someone to turn to for help and guidance. 

Mentors are all volunteers and most mentors are combat veterans.  We come from West Point classes, as well as classes from the Naval and Air Force Academies and several other organizations whose members have volunteered to help. There is a program organization led by Lee Miller ’58 and mentors are organized by class, each with a class leader to provide support and guidance and to monitor mentor effectiveness. 

Anyone interested in becoming a mentor in the greater Washington DC are should contact Lee Miller at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . 

People outside the DC area who are interested in becoming follow-on mentors should contact Dick Buckner at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Development of the West Point Wounded Warrior Mentor Program

As a result of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, many severely wounded soldiers and Marines are medically evacuated to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC. While the military medical system has excelled in saving lives - the “save rate" exceeds 90%, unprecedented in modern warfare - the number of critically wounded soldiers also is unprecedented. As well as the trauma of enduring lost limbs, many soldiers suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBl).

While the dedicated staff at Walter Reed has excelled in medical treatment, it does not have the resources to provide one-on-one support to the combat wounded to help them make life decisions after recovery. Recognizing this shortfall, four members of the Class of 1958, led by Lee Miller, started an informal program in November 2004 to help Wounded Warriors at Walter Reed focus on life after the military. At any one time there are about 700 wounded outpatients recovering at Walter Reed, but only about 20% percent of those stay in the military. A significant number leave the service, transi­tion into the VA medical system, and then move into civilian life.