John,

I’ll never forget when I got that dreaded phone call. He said, “Ma’am, there’s been an incident.”

I collapsed to the floor.

My son, Army Sgt. John Barnes, was in southern Baghdad serving his second tour of duty when he was struck in the head by shrapnel from a mortar round. He woke up from a coma two weeks later at Walter Reed Army Medical Center with no feeling in the left side of his body and a severe brain injury.

The thing is, I never thought about my son being devastatingly injured. I thought about him being killed … but nobody prepares you for the injuries.

DAV's help was important for John. They help veterans like him receive the medical support and critically important benefits they earned by selflessly serving our country. But sadly, too many veterans are still waiting for the assistance they desperately need.

Will you honor heroes like John this Veterans Day by making a special donation to DAV?

Your gift to DAV will ensure our nation’s ill and injured veterans can access the life-changing — and lifesaving — services they depend on, including DAV benefits advocates’ free, professional support, employment resources to connect them with meaningful careers and disaster relief for veterans in need.

Your kindness and generosity will mean so much to veterans and their families this Veterans Day.

Valerie Wallace Brown
Mother of Sgt. John Barnes, U.S. Army Veteran