Wounded Warrior Chief Removed "Due to a Loss of Confidence"

Marines fire Wounded Warrior chief amid investigation 
Marine Corps Times
By Hope Hodge Seck, Staff writer
February 13, 2015

Col. Shane Tomko, commanding officer of the Wounded Warrior Regiment addresses the Marine Corps Team following their victory over Army in wheelchair basketball at the 2014 Warrior Games in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on Wednesday, October 1, 2014. (Photo: Mike Morones/Staff)

The commanding officer of the Marine Corps' Wounded Warrior Regiment has been removed from his post, Marine officials confirmed Friday. Col. T. Shane "Rhino" Tomko, 52, was relieved Feb. 12 by Marine and Family Programs Director Brig. Gen. Russell Sanborn "due to a loss of confidence in his leadership," Maj. Rob Dolan, a spokesman for Marine Corps Manpower and Reserve Affairs, said in a statement.

Dolan said additional details could not be provided due to an ongoing Marine Corps investigation. Attempts to contact Tomko were not immediately successful. Following his relief, Tomko was temporarily assigned to M and RA staff at Quantico, Dolan said. The Wounded Warrior Regiment's executive office, Lt. Col. Eric O'Harra, was appointed to serve as interim commander.
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Rock Hill hotel honored for taking in wounded Iraq veteran after house fire

Rock Hill hotel honored for taking in wounded Iraq veteran after house fire
By Andrew Dys
Herald columnist

ROCK HILL — The Marines pride themselves on taking care of their own.

Usually the awards go to tough guys in uniforms with battle scars. On Monday, they added to their list of heroes assisting “Wounded Warriors” the staff of a Rock Hill hotel owned by Indian immigrants.

The Marine Corps Wounded Warrior Regiment, a unit assigned specifically to helping wounded Marines find help in civilian life after battle injuries, awarded the Rock Hill Holiday Inn staff a special citation for helping retired Cpl. Brian Dunn.

The hotel, with a special discounted rate and services ranging from free meals to room service, put up Dunn, his wife and their four kids for more than six weeks after their home in Rock Hill burned in April.

“The people of this hotel show the real meaning of patriotism,” said Maj. Charlie Hall, a York native and Iraq combat veteran who runs the Marines Corps Wounded Warrior Regiment in South Carolina and North Carolina. “We are proud in the Marine Corps to honor you, who honored us and our great country. You went above and beyond.”
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Mixed Reviews For Camp Pendleton Wounded Warrior Regiment

Report: Mixed Reviews For Local Wounded Warrior Regiment
Camp Pendleton-Based Unit Closely Examined In 168-Page Audit By Department of Defense
KGTV San Diego
September 4, 2012

SAN DIEGO -- A newly-released report obtained by 10News points to mixed reviews for a wounded warrior unit based at Camp Pendleton.

For wounded warriors, the path ahead is a challenging one. However, the challenge is sometimes made more difficult by a program designed to help.

"They're backed up because there are so many wounded warriors," said Todd Vance, an Army veteran and CEO of Pugilistic Offensive Warrior Tactics, a nonprofit that helps many troops afflicted by injury and post-traumatic stress disorder.
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Wounded Marines heal through archery

Wounded Marines heal through archery
August 21, 2012
Jacksonville Daily News
AMANDA WILCOX
DAILY NEWS STAFF

Don Bryan/The Daily News Sgt. Nick Chinn, left, takes aim during the Wounded Warrior Archery Camp held at McIntyre-Parks Recreational Shooting Complex aboard Camp Lejeune, Tuesday.

Archery, Sgt. Stephen Keyes said, helps him put his mind at ease and forget about the injuries that put him in the Wounded Warrior Battalion East in the first place.

“(Archery) makes you quiet your mind — you have that one target, you have that one thing that you’re focused on — it really puts you in the zone,” he said.

Keyes was among the Marines from the Wounded Warrior Regiment who had the opportunity to practice archery at the new range on Camp Lejeune Tuesday, thanks to an archery camp hosted by the Wounded Warrior Regiment.

Amputees and disabled Marines, as well as those with less visible injuries, were gathered at the new range off Holcomb Blvd. Tuesday, where they were greeted by Wounded Warrior Battalion East Lt. Col. Nicholas E. Davis for the start of their week-long archery camp.

“It’s a great opportunity for them to do something different,” said Kerri Rogers, the officer in charge for the camp. “This builds camaraderie for them and it gets them outside of their (daily routines).”

More than 30 Marines from Wounded Warrior Battalion East, headquartered at Camp Lejeune, and Wounded Warrior Battalion West, headquartered at Camp Pendleton, were given coaches and instructed based on their archery level.
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Twice-injured sergeant among those honored by Wounded Warrior Regiment

Twice-injured sergeant among those honored by Wounded Warrior Regiment

By JENNIFER HLAD
Stars and Stripes
Published: April 4, 2012

QUANTICO, Va. — Sgt. Than Naing’s Afghanistan deployment in 2010 ended much like the Iraq deployment that preceded it, with the Marine medevaced out of the country and nursing battle wounds.

Machine gun fire from an ambush at a vehicle checkpoint in Marjah left him with serious internal injuries. He faced a long recovery back in the States and another assignment to Wounded Warrior Battalion East.

His response to the adversity has not gone unnoticed.

Naing was among those honored Tuesday during an awards ceremony that marked the Marine Corps’ Wounded Warrior Regiment’s fifth birthday. Naing received the Wounded Warrior Regiment’s Wounded, Ill or Injured Service Member Award for his “perseverance and drive.”

“We have Marines out there who still have that spirit, still have that fire in their eye” that they had when they stood on the yellow footprints at boot camp, said Lt. Col. Michael Corrado, the unit’s executive officer. But in some cases, they must learn to take that spark and use it in a different way. read more here

Marine unit honors three VA workers

Marine unit honors three VA workers
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Three Western Pennsylvania men who serve veterans have been honored by Col. Timothy Frank, the Marine Corps Wounded Warrior Regiment liaison to the Department of Veteran Affairs.

Presented with certificates of appreciation Sept. 1 at the VA Butler Healthcare were Terrence Conner, William Smathers and Richard Bryan. The colonel described the employees' service as "inspiring."

Mr. Conner, 42, of Grove City, works for VA Butler Healthcare.

Mr. Smathers, 51, of Punxsutawney, and Mr. Bryan, 40, of North Huntingdon, work for VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System and also help other VA facilities within their service area, including Butler.

Mr. Conner is the outreach coordinator for Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
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http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09260/998473-54.stm