About Virtual Veterans Memorial
Virtual Veterans Memorial honors and remembers all veterans for their service and is a project of Hearts of Patriots.
Hearts of Patriots is a non-profit whose mission is to support the spouses and families of combat veterans suffering from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury). These mental health conditions are often referred to as invisible wounds of war.
Current studies show that each day an average of 20 veterans commit suicide. There are several factors that play a role in suicide rates, among them combat-related mental health conditions including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury. When a combat veteran with PTSD or TBI loses their life due to the consequence of invisible wounds of war, they are very much a victim of war and should remain honored for their service, it just took longer for them to lose their life. This Memorial remembers and honors these lost souls for their service along with all veterans who have served to protect and preserve our freedoms.
Donations for Veteran Tributes generated by this site support combat veterans and their families still fighting the unseen consequences of war.
Of the 9 million veterans deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan – between 209,000 and 380,000 will develop PTSD
660,000 of the 5.5 million Veterans of the Gulf War have developed PTSD
1970’s study of Vietnam War veterans showed 15% developed PTSD. However, as time has gone on, that number has doubled to a staggering 30% of Vietnam veterans with PTSD, or 810,000 of the 2.7 million service members, suggesting that lifetime risk of PTSD may be higher than the numbers suggested for recent conflicts