A letter from
Kerri
Back in 2009, I learned that my husband Matt Kennedy (a former UH-60 Blackhawk pilot and 30 year Army Veteran) who was a Program Manager at a defense contracting company called BAE Systems had volunteered to help launch and support a “Warrior Integration Program”. The program was designed to help provide wounded warriors at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego, CA find employment opportunities at BAE Systems.
Their motto being "we protect those who protect us". The goal was to assist those being medically discharged from the military transition back into the working world as civilians.​
​
Many of the warriors from the Warrior Integration Program at BAE Systems had spent months to years recovering at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego, CA. Matt requested I join him on this trip to tour the facility. This is when and where I witnessed the carnage of war unseen by most Americans. The images of service members who had fought for our country were now facing severe burns, broken backs and bones, lost limbs, traumatic brain injuries, and more. Each warrior I met had a story; some chose to share the vivid details of what landed them in the rehabilitation facility. With deepest anguish, some would speak the names of their fallen comrades. These traumatic experiences leave invisible wounds that can or will take a lifetime to heal.
One Naval Special Warfare Warrior, a young Navy SEAL Team 6, is etched in my memory. I met him in the bionics room at the medical center. When I walked into the room, he was seated in a wheelchair making repeated sounds that were untranslatable. I tried not to stare. I couldn't help but look into his blue eyes through the thick prism glasses he was wearing. His face was severely burned. Matt and I were told he had been hit twice by explosives in less than a minute. His head and torso remained. Through the advancement of bionics he was fitted with a set of prosthetic arms and legs. The Director giving us the tour of the facility said to the SEAL, "Show them what you can do!" The SEAL utilized the hook on his arm to flip over his leg, revealing a cup holder. The Director said, "You see that there, that's a cup holder so he can have a beer with his comrades!" The Navy Seal then uttered the sounds "hee hee hee". Yes, it was the sound of his laughter.
​
​
​​
​​
​​
​​
​​
​​
​​
​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
Major Kennedy in Kuwait 2005
Upon our return from the Naval Medical Center, Matt and I would soon become friends with many of the warriors (and their families)who had made the decision to transition into employment at BAE Systems. The physical and mental wounds these warriors sustained also significantly impact their loved ones. The need to support and provide services for struggling veterans along with the families is crucial.
The estimated number of veterans who die by suicide is 22 per day in the United States.
During that same spring of 2009, we learned that the Red Sox Foundation had collaborated with Mass General Hospital in Boston MA to create a program called "Home Base". It is a National Center of Excellence where veterans and their families can find help to heal the wounds of war. The Home Base Program held its first fundraiser at Fenway Park as a 9k Run to Home Base. BAE Systems helped sponsor the run and asked Matt to run alongside many of the warriors and to help raise funds for the event.​
​
While having tea with a couple of close friends, Alison and Sharon, we brainstormed a way to help Matt raise money for the new Home Base Program. Thinking back upon his first deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2005-2006, we remembered that many of the days during his 16 months overseas were spent sitting, chatting, and sipping countless cups of tea around that table while our children would all play. The tea and company had a way of helping aid the anxiety and loneliness while Matt was at war. My dear British friend, Alison, gifted me a large golden yellow teapot that could hold 12 cups of tea! Who knew then that this same golden teapot would serve as the holder of countless donations to support veterans and families. A seed had been planted when the three of us decided to host a “casual tea" party on my front lawn to benefit the “casualties” of war.
​
Tea for the Troops has continued to grow stronger every year as a fundraiser for Home Base since 2009.
​
Warmly,
Kerri
