Piece Description

This program visits with five families of veterans wounded by IEDs in Iraq and Afghanistan. The families are coping with the aftermath of traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and post traumatic stress (PTSD). This special breaks new ground by focusing on the parents, especially mothers, who have given up everything -- their jobs, retirement savings, and plans for the future - to step in and care for their sons. This issue has not gotten the attention is deserves. In the coming years, as additional tens of thousands of injured veterans return home, overburdened parents will respond with love and support, but the rest of us need to become aware of this urgent problem and help our government develop comprehensive solutions. The radio special is part of a first ever effort by AARP, drawing together print, video, audio, and the Web, and providing extensive listings of resources that affected families can use, and places where others can offer help. Every part of this project will be accessible through a central URL: aarp.org/iraqvets (live on May 21st) Our radio special was written and produced by AARP's Steve Mencher, with Barry Yeoman, who traveled around the United States and did the reporting for the special and for an investigative piece in AARP The Magazine. You may remember Barry from our very successful Hurricane Katrina special last fall. Music by Terence Blanchard, Nine Inch Nails, Aaron Parks, and Kimo Williams.