Kane appointed Ambassador for PA Wounded Warriors

Colonel (Ret) Martin J. Kane has been appointed as an Ambassador for Pennsylvania Wounded Warriors, Inc. (PAWW).

Colonel Kane retired in 2016 as the Deputy Commander of the 3,775-Soldier 55th Armor Brigade Combat Team following 37 years of military service. He resides near Montrose with his wife, Connie. His daughter Jessica is a graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and son James is an Army Ordnance Officer. 

Founded in 2006, PAWW is a statewide, independent, all-volunteer 501-C (tax exempt, nonprofit) corporation, whose volunteers all work out of their own homes. That allows 95 cents of every dollar to directly help Pennsylvania servicemen and women with everyday living expenses. The remaining five cents is spent on paper and postage.

Not affiliated with Wounded Warrior Project, Pennsylvania Wounded Warriors Inc. helps veterans stay housed and safe by paying bills that otherwise would not get paid.

“Two-thirds of the veterans we help are unemployed,” said retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Gordon Weith, vice president of the Pennsylvania Wounded Warriors board. “We don’t do fundraiser events, but people do events on our behalf, and money is our biggest need.”

It’s a need that continues to grow along with the number of families helped each year by Pennsylvania Wounded Warriors. Over the past three years PAWW has been able to assist over 1,000 veterans and their families with over $1,000,000 in assistance each year, said Weith, who has been on the Board since 2013.

Help is offered as quickly as possible, often within 24 hours in emergency situations, but veterans must first apply for aid through a federally recognized agency, such as a Veterans Affairs office, local YMCA or YWCA facilities, which in turn forwards applicable cases to Pennsylvania Wounded Warriors.

“We are check writers,” Weith said. “We’re not social workers, and we don’t pretend to be.”

Pennsylvania Wounded Warriors does not provide funding to veterans in every circumstance of financial distress. “We don’t pay credit card bills or signature loans,” Weith said. “And we don’t pay taxes, legal fees or fines.”

If you are a veteran in need, or you or your organization would like to donate to Pennsylvania Wounded Warriors, call Colonel Marty Kane at 607-760-3899.