Fund helps veterans receive support, honor

  • Published
  • By Airman Madelyn Ottem
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Gary Mills returned to the U.S. from Vietnam in 1968 suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and Agent Orange symptoms. Upon his return there were no organizations that existed to help him cope or heal from his afflictions that were brought on by the Vietnam War, Mills said.

Experiencing this severe negligence toward the services was one of the reasons he became such an advocate for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund today.

"Vietnam veterans didn't get this kind of help," Mills said. "There weren't any programs for them. I don't want other service members to have to deal with this."

The Fallen Heroes Fund is an effort dedicated to honoring and supporting the heroes who serve in defense of our country and their families, Richard Santulli said, chairman of the board for the IFHF.

The fund has made it possible for the Center for the Intrepid, a rehabilitation center, to be built in San Antonio, Texas. The Center for the Intrepid has a mission of supporting and treating all service members who were disabled in overseas operations.

"I think it's amazing that this organization denies no one," Mills said.

The National Intrepid Center of Excellence, the most recent facility completed by the fund located in Bethesda, Md., is committed to treating military personnel suffering from PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injury as well as educating family members about various therapeutic options.

Both facilities offer a unique opportunity for patients to choose a custom-made treatment plan that suits their individual needs. The fund maintains the goal of using their staff to find advances in physical therapy techniques and psychological rehabilitation to further benefit the military personnel.

Mills speaks at public events, schools and anywhere he can about the IFHF.

"When I found this organization I had to get the information out," said Mills. "I don't want to collect money; I just want the word out to the general public so people can do the research and make their own mind up."

Mills speaks on behalf of the organization with no desire for recognition or payment. His personal experience brought him to the realization that military personnel deserve medical help after sacrificing for their country.

"I am very pro-veteran," said Mills. "If you serve our country then you're a hero."

For more information visit www.fallenheroesfund.org