INTREPID FALLEN HEROES FUND

Miracles happen because the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund (IFHF) has been making world-class treatment available to more soldiers and their families at Intrepid Spirit Centers. To date, seven Intrepid Spirit Centers are open on the following military bases: Fort Belvoir, VA; Camp Lejeune, NC; Fort Campbell, KY; Fort Bragg, NC, Fort Hood, TX; Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Tacoma, WA; Camp Pendleton, Oceanside, CA; Eglin Air Force Base, Florida; and Fort Carson in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The last and tenth Center will be at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas. Ground was broken in December 2022. In 2021, the Centers saw over 200,000 new patient visits. More than 90% of those treated return to active duty.
The Need: Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS) and related health conditions affect the lives of hundreds of thousands of service members. More are injured but do not come forward due to shame or fear of losing respect or their position in the military. The stigma is being reduced, but some soldiers remain in the shadows, risking their lives by their shame and reluctance to admit the need for help. Concurrent with massive deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, hundreds of thousands of soldiers have been diagnosed with TBI and PTS. Far more are affected but do not come forward due to shame or fear of losing respect or their position in the military. These battle scars, invisible to the naked eye, include the concussion, resulting in Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), or shock from witnessing tragedy on the battlefield, resulting in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Symptoms do not always appear immediately and months or years later too often the soldier is transformed in ways that may lead to grave consequences.
In 2021, researchers found that 30,177 active-duty personnel and veterans who served in the military after 9/11 have died by suicide - compared to the 7,057 service members killed in combat in those same 20 years. Military suicide rates are four times higher than deaths that occurred during military operations. Our goal is to make treatment available to every soldier who needs treatment for injuries acquired in service to our nation.
This year, The Defense Intrepid Network for TBI and Brain Health was established to prevent, diagnose, treat, and rehabilitate service members with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and other mental health conditions. Visitors from around the world tour the National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE) each year to see the Defense Intrepid Network’s cutting-edge technology and treatment practices firsthand, and to learn about opportunities to work jointly on research. Assisting partner nations in establishing and strengthening their capacity and capability to successfully care for their wounded service members and overall population, ultimately supports U.S. national security, building interoperability in times of conflict, disaster, and peace.

Primary to our mission is to raise the funds and complete each Center’s construction on schedule and on budget. Funds come from private donors which goes directly to support the project. Once ground is broken, a Center is completed within 12 months. Upon completion‚ the Center is gifted to the Department of Defense for staffing, operations and ongoing management. The intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund (IFHF) remains engaged in tracking the work of the Centers, makes regular site visits, participates in bi-annual all-Center summits that take place at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence in Bethesda, MD, and receives program updates, progress reports, testimonials, research and clinical information to ensure the original intent is maintained. IFHF monitors number of patients treated, recovery rates, and satisfaction surveys, which are consistently at 95%.

Distinguishing factors of this project: To our knowledge, no other nonprofit organizations are raising the funds for and constructing state-of-the-art medical facilities dedicated to the treatment of the various injuries and afflictions incurred during military service. Thus, Intrepid Spirit Centers are filling a role that has been desperately needed and that no other institution before the National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE) Bethesda and the Intrepid Spirit Centers are as capable of delivering, acting in a timely manner and delivering the most advanced treatment available.

As the Centers near completion, the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund will support the needs of the Centers by continue to fundraise to maintain the quality of care, including upgrading technology and equipment to ensure the capability of each Center to provide the most advanced treatment that enable service members to recover and return to the life they want and deserve.

The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund has worked closely with Department of Defense leadership on the development of the Intrepid Spirit Center plan. Locations of the proposed Centers and their construction priority are agreed upon based on actual and projected patient need at each site. The following shows our progress and ability to continue to successfully meet our goals:

Brief History:
• 2000: Provided $20 million in grants to families of U.S. military heroes killed in action.
• 2007: Built the Center for the Intrepid at Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio, Texas, a state-of-the-art, 65,000 square foot, $55 million rehabilitation facility to treat our Armed Forces suffering amputations and severe burns acquired in combat or in performing their regular duties.
• 2010: Built the National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE) in Bethesda, MD, at Walter Reed Military Medical Center, a 72,000 square foot $60 million facility to provide research, diagnosis and treatment for TBI, PTS and related psychological health conditions. Today, NICoE is considered the Armed Forces’ core facility for the treatment of TBI.
• 2012: Launched the Intrepid Spirit Center project to build satellites to NICoE across the country to reach more of our military in need of treatment closer to home. Seven are open, one is under construction and two more are planned.
The buildings, at 25,000 square feet, are designed to work with the treatment. Architects met with actual patients to determine what factors in the environment works best. To reduce anxiety and improve balance and vision distortion caused by TBIs, walls are curved; the soothing quality of natural light improves balance and aids in relaxation. The Central Park feature is a circular glass-walled room that opens to a garden and playground for treatment, family, and relaxation from the rigorous treatment schedule.

Progress:
• 2000: Provided $20 million in grants to families of U.S. military heroes killed in action.
• 2007: Built the Center for the Intrepid at Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio, Texas, a state-of-the-art, 65,000 square foot, $55 million rehabilitation facility to treat our Armed Forces suffering amputations and severe burns acquired in combat or in performing their regular duties.
• 2010: Built the National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE) in Bethesda, MD, at Walter Reed Military Medical Center, a 72,000 square foot $60 million facility to provide research, diagnosis and treatment for TBI, PTS and related psychological health conditions. Today, NICoE is considered the Armed Forces’ core facility for the treatment of TBI.
• 2012: Launched the Intrepid Spirit Center project to build satellites to NICoE across the country to reach more of our military in need of treatment closer to home. Seven are open, one is under construction and two more are planned.

The Board of Directors determined the next steps for the ten planned Intrepid Spirit Centers will be for the IFHF to fundraise in support of advancing the operation and treatment needs of each Center.