When retired Lt. Col. Brian Birdwell helped present a First Command donation to the Warrior and Family Support Center (WFSC) at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio last November, his speech to a group of wounded warriors was delivered with an intimate knowledge of the struggles and triumphs that face each of them as they heal.
Birdwell was in his office at the Pentagon when Flight 77 crashed just yards away on Sept. 11, 2001. He was engulfed in flames and suffered burns to 60 percent of his body. Nearly half were third degree in severity. After more than 30 operations, numerous skin grafts and months of hospitalization, Birdwell has made a miraculous recovery.
Birdwell now travels to speaking engagements across America as a member of First Command’s Speakers Bureau to tell his story of recovery and the importance of being prepared for unexpected events that can make a life-changing impact on oneself and one’s family.
He visited the WFSC at Fort Sam Houston with First Command’s Mike Wheeler, executive vice president and national director for advisor operations, and Dennis Holland, vice president and chief marketing officer, to present a donation of $29,218 – the capstone in a months-long campaign Journey readers helped make possible.
Last summer, in an effort to reduce paper consumption, we asked you to provide a valid e-mail address via Command Center or to your Financial Advisor. For each new or updated e-mail address First Command received, the company pledged to donate one dollar to support wounded warriors programs at the WFSC.
Thanks to your response, the WFSC is now even better able to serve the men and women who have sacrificed so much.
For more information on the Warrior and Family Support Center at Fort Sam Houston or to donate, visit www.returningheroeshome.org. To learn more about Brian Birdwell, please visit www.firstcommand.com/speakers.
First Command Financial Planning, Inc. (Member SIPC, FINRA)