June 20, 2022
Wounded Warriors Family Support awarded Samuel Shockley of Eatonville, Washington, with a $30,000 vehicle grant to assist him with the purchase of a 2022 Subaru Outback.
Shockley was on a dismounted route clearance mission in Panjwai, Afghanistan, with the 38th Engineering Company on March 17, 2013, when he triggered an improvised explosive device (IED). Shockley recalls looking at where his legs should have been, but they were gone.
As a fellow Army soldier started to apply tourniquets and prepared him for MEDEVAC, Shockley – a naturally vibrant person – cracked jokes to ease the concerns of his comrades.
The blast resulted in the loss of both his legs above the knee, the amputation of part of Shockley’s middle and ring fingers, the loss of part of his arm and a broken wrist. Despite these injuries, Shockley does not see this as a stopping point, but a second chance at life.
“There are tremendous unmet needs and gaps in finances, basic to every family that has a wounded service member,” said Martin Duarte, Wounded Warriors Family Support’s program outreach coordinator. “Wounded Warriors Family Support helps to close that gap and meet those needs.” – Martin Duarte, Wounded Warriors Family Support, Program Outreach Coordinator.
Shockley received a bachelor’s degree in Operations Management from The Ohio State University. Now, he is pursuing a master’s degree in Business Administration at Washington State University. Shockley also hopes to obtain his pilot license.
Wounded Warriors Family Support is an independent nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide support to the families of those who have been wounded, injured, or killed during combat operations. This organization is run by combat veterans for combat veterans. Rated a four-star nonprofit by Charity Navigator, Wounded Warriors Family Support aids veterans and their families in healing the wounds that medicine cannot.