Gold Star Father Named Humanitarian of the Year For Reaching Out To Wounded Warriors

Some of the most incredible people I have the privilege of knowing are those who have lost a son, daughter, husband or wife — some in war, some to cancer, some to horrible accidents. Although the losses they endure are enough to crush any person, some of these families use that pain to push forward and do something awe-inspiring to keep the memory of their lost loved one fresh and alive.

Their determination serves as a conviction to the rest of us who want to give up after a bad day at the office and fighting traffic or dealing with unruly kids. Perspective is more valuable than gold, and Gold Star families have a perspective that should be considered daily.

William “Mike” White, Army Vet and transportation specialist at Surface Deployment and Distribution Command headquarters, and AMVETS 2010 Humanitarian of the Year is such a person. Please read on:

Army civilian named ‘Humanitarian of the Year’ for his wounded warrior support

Mar 29, 2010
By Mike W. Petersen (SDDC (AMC))
Excerpt from army.mil

Personal tragedy has led one Department of the Army civilian on a path of healing that is changing lives for wounded warriors and garnering national recognition.

William “Mike” White, an Army veteran and transportation specialist at Surface Deployment and Distribution Command headquarters, has been named AMVETS 2010 Humanitarian of the Year by the AMVETS National Ladies Auxiliary for his nonprofit work in support of wounded servicemembers and veterans.

White is the founder and executive director of Camp Hope, in southeastern Missouri. Camp Hope’s mission is to provide disabled veterans the opportunity to participate in the outdoor activities they enjoyed prior to becoming injured or disabled.

White’s journey to help others started with tragedy. His son, Pfc. Christopher Neal White, a Marine assigned to the First Marine Expeditionary Force, died in Iraq in 2006 when an improvised explosive device detonated under his vehicle in al-Anbar Province. According to his father, Chris was an avid outdoorsman from an early age, learning to hunt and fish while growing up in Kentucky and Missouri. White and his family were determined to find a way to keep their son’s memory alive. The most logical choice was to do something associated with the outdoor activities Chris loved.

With this in mind, White purchased 180 acres of land – known as Chris Neal Farm – 70 miles south of St. Louis, Mo., to provide disabled veterans a handicapped-accessible lodge and land for outdoor recreational activities, to include hunting and fishing. He named the small farmhouse on the property, which serves as the interim lodge, in honor of Camp Hope in al-Anbar Province, Iraq. A new lodge, currently in the planning stages, will become the official Camp Hope facility, with outlying handicapped-accessible cabins already in construction for visitors.

Since opening in 2007, the camp has garnered attention and support from all over the nation. Numerous organizations and individuals have leant their time, resources, equipment and energy to build up the camp. The AMVETS Riders have adopted Camp Hope as their first national fund raising program and are already well on their way to completely funding the construction of a wheelchair-accessible cabin. Veterans Airlift Command, a national network of volunteer aircraft owners and pilots which provides air transportation to wounded warriors, veterans, and their families, has also leant its support to Camp Hope’s visiting veterans, flying them to and from the camp and elsewhere.

But for all the support Camp Hope is getting nationwide, the biggest surprise for White has been the effect a week at deer camp can have on a wounded veteran.

“My initial thing was to help them learn to work with what they had. I had no idea it would be a healing process for them,” White said. “Over the week, they help each other work through their hurdles. They come in one way, and leave another. Now they keep in touch when they get home and have that added support network.”

“This place is the best medicine,” said Capt. Joe Bogart, an Army combat engineer who lost an eye and was rendered legally blind by an IED in Iraq in 2006. Bogart, the camp’s first hunter, has become a regular visitor and vocal proponent for Camp Hope because of his experience.

“When I first came here, I got to know some other guys and we started talking about things we have dealt with,” Bogart said in an interview at Camp Hope during a turkey hunt in 2008. “You talk to other people and get to see other perspectives out here. For some people to come out to deer camp, it allows scars to heal. Scars on the outside heal, but the ones on the inside are the hardest to heal.”  LINK TO ARTICLE