02/27/2025
Mr. Walter E. Piatt
Chief Executive Officer
Wounded Warrior Project
4899 Belfort Road, Suite 300
Jacksonville, FL 32256
Dear Mr. Piatt,
I’m writing to urge the Wounded Warrior Project to take a firm, public stance on an issue that is quietly stripping opportunities from disabled veterans and veteran business owners. Recent federal policy shifts have put diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives under attack—and whether or not policymakers recognize it, veterans’ programs are DEI programs.
Your organization already leads vital efforts to bridge the gaps that leave veterans at a systemic disadvantage. Programs like Warrior Care Network, Independence Program, and Warriors to Work are not charity—they are corrections for the institutional barriers veterans face in employment, healthcare, and entrepreneurship. These programs exist for the same reasons DEI initiatives do: because without intervention, entire groups of people—people who have already given so much—will be left behind.
Veterans’ employment struggles are a textbook example of a systemic disadvantage. Many service members transition out of the military with skills that don’t fit neatly into civilian job descriptions, despite years of leadership, crisis management, and operational expertise. Without structured hiring preferences or transition programs, many veterans find themselves overlooked in favor of civilians who check the conventional boxes. That is exactly what DEI initiatives are meant to correct.
Veteran business owners face the same institutional challenges that other underserved entrepreneurs do. Frequent relocations, reliance on military benefits, and gaps in traditional employment history often mean weaker credit profiles and fewer funding opportunities. Programs like SDVOSB set-asides exist for the same reason as minority and women-owned business initiatives: to level a playing field that has never been level in the first place.
The contradiction here is glaring. Many of the same policymakers who champion veterans’ initiatives are turning their backs on DEI—without realizing they are one and the same. If DEI policies are discarded, veterans’ programs will suffer the fallout. That is why the Wounded Warrior Project needs to be at the table at every lobbying event, at every policy discussion, pushing this reality into the conversation. Every time a politician or corporate leader claims to support veterans while rejecting DEI, they need to be confronted with the truth: You cannot support one and dismantle the other.
The Wounded Warrior Project is one of the most powerful voices for veterans in this country. That voice needs to be loud, direct, and impossible to ignore. This isn’t just about protecting your programs—it’s about making it clear to policymakers and the public that backing away from DEI is backing away from veterans.
I appreciate the work WWP does every day. Now is the time to take it a step further—because if this message isn’t driven home now, the consequences will be felt for years to come.
A member, business owners, and voter,
