Make me give 'til it hurts

Henry Hyde, the editor of Miniature Wargames with Battlegames Magazine, is an ardent supporter of the Combat Stress Appeal. In the UK, they call Combat Stress what we in the US refer to as Post-Traumatic Stress. One of his most effective means of raising funds for this worthwhile charity has been auctioning 28mm figures of soldiers painted by some of the foremost artists in the field.

His most recent auction is for a lovely figure of an Australian Special Air Service trooper set during the Vietnam War. Rather than bore you with the details of the figure, read them for yourself on the page for the auction.

As some of you know, I am a veteran of the US adventure in Afghanistan. While there, I was a Security Forces squad leader in Herat province and then later a mentor to an Afghan National Army Kandak (Battalion) in Farah province.

Our correspondent, shortly after "mentoring" near Shewan, in Farah province.

I won't bore you with any war stories here. Those have a cover charge.

It doesn't have to be a Shiner Bock, but it helps.

Anyhow, PTSD is a hot-button topic, often not understood fully by those experiencing it. Even more shocking is that those professionals that are supposed to be diagnosing and treating this condition often don't understand it themselves. The less I say about politicians and their understanding of PTSD, the better.

The fact remains that we have a long way to go and too far short of resources to understand, diagnose properly and treat PTSD. Combat Stress Appeal is doing great work in the UK. I was thinking it would be great to bid on the figure to raise funds for this noble cause. I then realized I can also do something special and be somewhat of a multiplier for Henry's support of the Combat Stress Appeal.

Henry, that handsome devil.

After a talk with the missus, we have decided that whatever the SAS figure auction raises, we will match and donate to the Wounded Warrior Project. There will be some exchange differences, but that's ok. It's something we should have done earlier, but never have.

The Wounded Warrior Project is an analog here in the US to the Combat Stress Appeal. I know some dudes with some troubles and luckily, there are ways for them to get help. The Wounded Warrior Project is multi-faceted in that they help vets overcome physical as well as psychological difficulties as a result of their deployment.

So, why am I telling you this? Simply, the more you bid, the more we give. I would challenge you to give what you bid (whether you win or not) to either Combat Stress Appeal or Wounded Warrior Project or any veteran charity of your choice. I hope the checks we all write are hefty.

Share your stories of giving to veterans' charities in the comments below. If you are a veteran and need help, please contact any one of the veterans' charities out there. You are more than welcome to contact me offline also.