OSC’s work with recovering service members starts as the wounded, injured, or ill warriors transition out of intensive care units (ICUs). We make initial contact with families in the hospital and inform them of the assistance we provide. More importantly, at OSC we believe in building lifelong 1 on 1 relationships with each individual Soldier, Sailor, Airman, and Marine receiving our support. Having a personal relationship is what makes every program OSC offers so successful.

As you can imagine, inpatient troops get bored in the evenings after most people have left for the day, and that is why OSC has spent so much time in military hospitals during the evening. We often bring recovering service members game systems like PSPs, DVD players, movies, games, and other special requests to help them pass the time. Likewise, hospital food often lacks variety when you are recovering for an extended duration and can occasionally leave a lot to be desired. OSC brings in favorite foods from local restaurants for the wounded warriors when the service member is unable to get out of the hospital—it is amazing how the little things seem to have the biggest impact.

OSC’s former Vice President, Adam, is a recovered wounded warrior himself. He visits with fellow warriors and shows them that despite his injuries he is still able to have a normal and productive life. As a wounded warrior from the current era, Adam connects readily with other wounded warriors and shares his story. He shows how he has been able to succeed physically, emotionally, and professionally thereby building faith and hope in both the warriors and their families going through a difficult recovery process. OSC has many warriors that constantly assist in accomplishing our mission and ensure that we leave no one behind.

For the OSC President, Cindy, and former Vice President, Adam, visiting with the troops and watching them progress through the recovery process is likely the greatest and most rewarding part of their job. However, in some ways, this is also bittersweet. Cindy often says that she builds awesome relationships with “her Soldiers and Marines” over the course of 1 to 2 years, and then upon completing their rehabilitation they go back to their hometowns or units. It’s tough to have such close relationships with these warriors and their families to then say goodbye. It’s bittersweet to see them complete their recovery to know that they are moving away from the area, but also so wonderful to see our heroes back on their feet. In the end, we will always be there for our heroes and their families regardless of where they live because ultimately they are the most important part of our OSC family.