Wounded Marine gets Wedding Wish Granted By Nonprofit

Oct. 3, 2012 - PRLog -- Wounded Marine gets Wedding Wish Granted By Nonprofit
Hope For The Warriors® supports Wounded Service Member and Fiancé

COLUMBIA, SC, September 25, 2012 – Sometimes happily-ever-after doesn’t happen in just the movies. Cpl. Baldwin S. Casimiro-Moreland and new wife Rebekah Patteson had a Wish granted by Hope For The Warriors® and the A Warrior’s Wish® Program. Casimiro’s Wish was for financial assistance with his wedding so that he could give his fiancé and family an unforgettable experience. Hope For The Warriors® is a national nonprofit organization that assists combat wounded service members, their families, and families of the fallen.

Casimiro, who goes by the name Scott, enlisted in 2007, to be a machine gunner in the U.S. Marine Corps.  He deployed three times within five years. During his last deployment In October 2011, a 40-pound IED hit only five feet away from him, sending shrapnel through his protective eyewear.  He is now blind in his left eye. Casimiro also sustained injuries to his arm and neck.

Casimiro and Patteson had been dating for more than two years when this occurred. Patteson had stood by him through work ups, field operations and when Casimiro was nearly deployed only a week into their relationship. On November 28, 2011, Casimiro got on one knee and proposed to his long-time girlfriend.  For this reason, Hope For The Warriors ® was contacted to grant a Wish through the A Warrior’s Wish® Program.

“I couldn’t describe to anyone what it was like to be alive and to see her for the first time since leaving the U.S. again,” Casimiro said. “If my Wish were to come true, we would be able to host a wedding and share with our guests a day we nearly lost.”

His Wish was for financial assistance to host a memorable wedding. Hope For The Warriors® granted the Wish, providing Casimiro with almost $9,000 to cover expenses/balances. They married on September 15, 2012 in Columbia, SC at the Seibels House & Garden.  

A Warrior’s Wish® supports the long-term goal of hope beyond recovery through financial grants.  These Wishes fulfill a desire for a better quality of life or support a quest for life-gratifying endeavors.  Knowing that Wishes can come true directly affects service members’ spirits in addition to the families and communities that support them.  Whether realizing a dream to sail, ride a bike again, or own a home adapted to specialized needs, Hope For The Warriors® honors the goals and desires of wounded service members and their families.

The mission of Hope For the Warriors® is to enhance the quality of life for post-9/11 service members, their families, and families of the fallen who have sustained physical and psychological wounds in the line of duty.  Hope For The Warriors® is dedicated to restoring a sense of self, restoring the family unit, and restoring hope for our service members and our military families.

Hope For The Warriors® understands the challenges, pride, and joy of being a military family.  For today, tomorrow, and years to come, we will strive to meet the changing needs of service members and their families.

Hope For The Warriors® has earned a Four-Star Rating from Charity Navigator (www.charitynavigator.org), an independent organization that evaluates fiscal responsibility and accountability of nonprofits.