The NFL and its clubs have a close relationship with the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), an apolitical organization which supports veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with significant injuries.
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| Team Hard Target gathers for a group photo at Machame Gate as it enters Kilimanjaro National Park. (National Football League) |
In May 2011, former New England Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi, former Tennessee Titans head coach Jeff Fisher, and former Philadelphia Eagles & St. Louis Rams tight end Chad Lewis teamed with four wounded warriors through the Wounded Warrior Project to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa. The eight day climb to Uhuru Peak was intended to raise awareness and enlist the public's aid for the Wounded Warrior Project, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to honor and empower wounded warriors.
Affectionately known as Team Hard Target, NFL players, coaches and staff teamed with wounded warriors Bryan Wagner from Exeter, CA and Ben Lunak from Grand Forks, N.D., each of whom lost a leg in service to his country, Mike Wilson from Annapolis, Md. who struggles daily with the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury (TBI), and Nancy Schiliro from Hartsdale, NY who lost an eye in service to her country.
As a show of its appreciation, each year, the NFL honors service members and wounded warriors throughout the NFL Draft, Super Bowl, and Pro Bowl where they are recognized by the league and its fans for their bravery and selfless sacrifice.
For more information on Wounded Warrior Project please visit www.woundedwarriorproject.org.
