Details - Sentinels of Freedom

8
Chad
Watson
Chad Watson – Full Scholarship
On November 29, 2006 my life changed forever. While leading my team of Marines on a
mission, my vehicle was hit by an IED after conducting a raid on a suspected insurgent
house. During this blast I traumatically lost my right leg above the knee, shattered my
left ankle and foot, and took shrapnel to my right eye and face. I spent the next 17 months
recovering and going through rehabilitation and multiple surgeries at Bethesda Naval
Hospital and Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Still motivated to stay in the fight I applied
for and received an internship as part of the Operation Warfighter Program where I worked
for multiple government intelligence agencies. While I was motivated to still serve my
country in any way possible, I still had questions and doubt regarding where I would go
after I was discharged from the hospital and the Marine Corps. Where would I live, would
there be adequate resources, and who would now be my new network of people that would
help integrate me back into the community? These questions began to be answered after
a very brief discussion with Mike Conklin with the Sentinels of Freedom Foundation, just
prior to leaving Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
After telling Mike I was moving back to Illinois to start working for Northrop Grumman
in the Chicago region he put me in touch with Sentinels volunteer Tim Raynor and Pete
Walsh who quickly proved themselves as a great network. At the time Tim was a LtCol in
the United States Marine Corps and helped in my quest to find Marine Corps swords for
my wedding detail. This does not seem like a big deal, but it was so important to have the
Marines I served with play such a big role on a day my wife and I will cherish forever.
It was after the wedding when Pete Walsh and Tim
Raynor really began to integrate me back into civilian
life. Tim helped me settle down into a community and
introduced me to fellow Sentinel and wounded veteran
Mark Robbins and the Barrington area Community
Foundation. It is this type of support that you cannot
put a price tag on. I then had a fellow warrior I could
share my experiences with and ask questions about the
VA. The introduction to the Barrington area community
foundation provided a network of people and friendships
that my wife and I can count on and a community who
appreciated my service. This past fall Tim invited
me to help coach his sons Max’s football team. This
was a great experience and it was great to be involved
with competition again, something I had missed since
wrestling at Indiana University.
Tim Raynor and Pete Walsh have gone out of their way to help me and my family. I know I
can turn to either one of them for help or advice as life events come up. To date, these two
men have put me in touch with Steve Ploder of Credit Suisse who came to our house and
dedicated 4 hours on a Friday evening to discuss short and long term financial goals with
my wife and I. To this day Steve and I talk on a regular basis to make sure I am staying on
track. When I called Tim to ask about refinancing, because I wanted to speak with someone
he trusts; he put me in touch with Mike Bischof of Biltmore Financial and he walked me
through refinance process while getting an amazing interest rate. They have also found
a lawyer who is willing to help my wife and I set up a will for our two children, Shae 2 and
Cael 4 months. Pete is constantly there for me as a mentor as I ask questions regarding my
resume, school, or employment.
Moving into my second year as a Sentinel with the Sentinels of Freedom Scholarship
Foundation I realize what they have provided is so much more than mortgage assistance
check that comes every month. They have provided me with lifelong friendships and
successfully transitioned me into a community where I no longer have to ask myself the