It’s a much different event than those of last weekend. If you see someone dressed in a soldier’s uniform tomorrow, there’s a high likelihood they actually are one – rather than a Dragon Con attendee. The Marriot Marquis in Atlanta is currently hosting the America’s Warrior Partnership Symposium, a gathering of veterans and advocates dedicated to helping communities help veterans.
The Partnership and symposium aim to bring together people from all ends of the veteran experience, caregivers, family members, Veterans’ Affairs officers, and many others, to discuss issues unique to veterans and find the best strategies to ensure veterans receive the best of opportunities as they re-integrate into regular society.
“America’s Warrior Partnership is the connection that brings local veteran-centric nonprofits together through coordination and collaboration, ensuring consistent information is obtained, relevant services are provided, and national resources are utilized. We attack inefficiency and amplify the work of established nonprofits and government agencies,” says the group.
Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA), himself a veteran of the Georgia Air National Guard and chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, is a supporter of the group and issued a reminder of the importance of the event. “This week, America’s Warrior Partnership is hosting its 6th annual symposium in Atlanta, Ga., to bring together leaders from the private and public sectors to share best practices and promote resources available for service members, veterans, families and caregivers,” said Isakson.
The keynote speakers at this year’s event were Scotty and Tiffany Smiley. Scotty is a veteran who lost his sight after a suicide car bomber attack while serving as an infantry platoon leader in Iraq. Overnight, his wife Tiffany became his sole caregiver and responsible for her two sons. Not only did she help her husband during his recovery but she helped him flourish. Scotty wrote a memoir called Hope Unseen: The Story Behind the U.S. Army’s First Blind Active-Duty Officer.
Despite his blindness, he earned an MBA from Duke University, and taught military leadership at West Point. He also commanded the Warrior Transition Unit at West Point’s Keller Army Medical Center. All the while, Tiffany was encouraging and supporting. There were of course low times. According to Tiffany, some very low. But they worked through it all and their inspirational story will be one of the highlights of the symposium.
“This symposium attracts best in class providers of some of the solutions to challenges for veterans and their families. As we, not just reintegrate into society, but continue to serve, a society that desperately wants to understand and to help but may not necessarily know how. This event is like a Rosetta Stone where you’re kind of massing the sea of goodwill and providing this platform to translate problems,” said Clint Bruce, former Navy Seal and CEO of the Trident Response Group, a Dallas-based security services group.
You can find out much more about America’s Warrior Partnership and the event on their website: https://americaswarriorpartnership.org/
