INDUSTRY FOCUS
A Voice for Veterans
- By Ralph C. Jensen
- Apr 01, 2019
Every interview I get for the
magazine is enjoyable, and
even entertaining. Every conversation
is a story but once
in a while I have a lead that I
know will stick with me for quite a long time.
Sometimes the story swings from the security
industry to something more impactful and
meaningful than securing a door, locking a
window or surveilling a courtyard.
Donna Chapman has impacted my life,
and when you read her story, it should impact
your life as well. Donna works for
ASSA ABLOY and is the director of Security
Consultant Relations. More to the point,
Donna is the president of a non-profit WILL
Power for Veterans Fund Inc. and the mother
of Sgt. William Davidson, a veteran of the
Afghanistan War, who lost his willpower to
go on due to emotional wounds from this
horrendous conflict.
The fact is, somewhere between 22 and 30
veterans commit suicide every day. Consider
that there are more than 18 million veterans
in the United States. Donna is making
a stand for her son. Her goal is to design and
build a retreat where veterans can spend time
with each other to heal from their physical
and emotional wounds endured from serving
our country and communities.
“When war is necessary, we need to make
sure that those serving have the best training
and preparation available,” Chapman told me.
“Most importantly, we must do a much better
job to support them through serving, injury
and transition. We’re not doing that today.”
Soldiers are young, many naïve as to the
narratives of war, and are not trained properly
for what they will see and experience.
After several months on the battlefield, a
return home is not the experience they expected.
A veteran is carrying untold and lifechanging
baggage.
Certain that each of us have been impacted
in one way or another because of this
current conflict overseas, helping a veteran
survive the return from the Middle East is
imperative; it is a socially conscious thing to
do. Our veterans that have been diagnosed
with PTSD often become labeled with a
disorder within the military and society, as
if they are damaged goods. Supporting this
non-profit is an opportunity to rally together,
to implement needed changes to better care
for our men and women serving our country.
Because losing 22 a day, is not okay.
“My son’s death cannot be for nothing.
We need to learn from this and do better,”
Donna said. “We need to make sure that our
men and women serving our country know
that they are not alone and that all of America
cares and wants to support them.”
This article originally appeared in the April 2019 issue of Security Today.
About the Author
Ralph C. Jensen is editor-in-chief of Security Today magazine.