Disabled American Veterans Charitable Service Trust

The DAV Charitable Service Trust was founded by the Disabled American Veterans National Association leaders in 1986. This venture was initiated with the sole purpose of fitting in programs that cannot be incorporated into the traditional programs offered by the veteran’s service organization or the state veterans programs.

This trust aims at partly fulfilling the deficit created by funding cuts that threatens to harm the therapy programs and rehabilitation programs for the disabled veterans. The trials and tribulations faced by soldiers who return from war in faraway lands cannot be explained in words. The injury inflicted on them is usually not as obvious as a broken limb or a blinded eye. Soldiers face other challenges such as depression, combat stress and brain trauma.

An estimated 360,000 Afghanistan and Iraq veterans suffer from brain injuries according to an estimate by Pentagon officials in 2009. At least one third of them require special care. These disabled soldiers suffer from a range of problems including memory lapses, sleep disorders and disabled vision most of them resulting from suicide bombings, sniper attacks and roadside explosions.

At least sixty percent of patients suffering from head injury experience life debilitating migraines. Many of them suffer from invisible wounds such as post traumatic stress disorder or PTSD and depression. The impact of war is largely being underplayed by the nation which is why we are not aware of the extent of impact on the health of the soldiers.

DAV Charitable Trust was formed with the sole intention of addressing these issues and offering them various initiatives, support and assistance. Some of their programs include:

• Providing medical care, food, housing and job training for PTSD veterans in Baltimore, Maryland
• Equestrian activities that are therapeutic in nature at Oceanside, California for veterans who are brain injured
• Therapeutic recreation programs through marine activities at Monterey, California
• Kayaking programs to facilitate speedy recovery of veterans suffering from physical and mental trauma at Bethesda, Md

Apart from these programs, DAV Charitable Trust also offers referrals and counseling to veterans who are homeless.

To find the link to this and many other military aid and charity organizations, please visit the Military Links & Resources page.