About Us

We Are a Group of
Gold Star Parents, Veterans and Dedicated
Citizens...

The Patrick Ryan McCaffrey

Village-Retreat for Veterans, a Reality

A place of peace, a place to heal, a place to renew…
…. A place built by gratitude

The U.S. Department of Veteran's Affairs estimates there are 275,000 homeless veterans,
about a quarter of the nation's homeless population.
19 percent of troops returning from Iraq suffer from such mental health issues as major
depression, generalized anxiety, or post-traumatic stress disorder. These conditions
frequently lead to substance abuse.   This population is the most susceptible to
homelessness and suicide.
As of July, 2006 18,490 U.S. Servicemen and women have returned with severe injuries
suffered in Iraq.
Almost half of America's 2.7 million disabled veterans receive $337 or less a month in
benefits.

Patrick’s Story

As a boy, Patrick overcame his teenage anorexia, weighing less than 80 pounds at 15, by becoming a
bodybuilder and leader. By 30 he had two children, a wife, comfortable home, and his admiring
employer, Akins Collision Repair, planned their expansion around Patrick being general manager of
his own shop. Then September 11th happened, and he said: “I have to serve, I have to do something.”
Neither his father, a veteran, nor his mother, a career humanitarian and hospice worker, could change
their son’s course.

Assured that his desire “…to serve at home” would be honored, he joined the 579th National Guard
Engineers Alpha Company out of Petaluma. Instead of guarding a stateside nuclear power plant, by
2004 his company of 90 was living in tents in 125 degree heat in Northern Iraq.

Patrick was as admired as a soldier as he was as employee and father. Iraqi kids, without electricity,
drinkable water, and enough food, would rush Patrick’s recognizable Humvee for the food and water
they knew he would bring them from Camp Anaconda.

When his comrades were tired, bodybuilder Patrick picked up their heavy load, including the older
seventy-five pound radio equipment often assigned to Guards units. If someone were wounded,
Patrick was the CLS (combat life saver) at their side. When his guardsman complained about
overwork, crap details, and lack of sleep, Patrick carried the message to higher-ups. When a soldier
was in a dark mood, Patrick would pay for his stateside phone call.

Patrick started Iraq with high hopes. He wanted to help the country and their “beautiful” children. But
from his daily communiqués, his mother noted increased disillusionment. From patrols, to
interactions with citizens, to training Iraqis to “replace them,” Patrick’s optimism had evaporated.

This administration has now (June 22 2006), released the official report of what happened to Patrick 2
years ago, on June 22, 2004. Patrick was murdered by the Iraqi soldiers that he was training! From
various first hand sources, here’s what happened. Patrick, representing his fellow Guardsman,
complained to commanders about his unit being stretched thin, lack of sleep, and too many
dangerous forays. Officers told him to just do his job.

Patrolling in treacherous, canal-veined high grass with Lieutenant Andre Tyson, Bruce Hemelright,
five Iraqis soldiers and a translator, that they had trained, they came under sniper fire. Hemelright
noticed some of their backup was missing. Then the remaining Iraqi backups turned their machine
gun onto the Lieutenant. Patrick, strapped with radio gear, came to his friend's defense. Bullets ripped
through Patrick’s Kevlar, legs and arms.

Because a commercial airliner brought Patrick’s flagged-draped coffin to Sacramento and hundreds of
waiting friends, media captured one of those rare administration censored visuals of fallen heroes.
Since that day, an apolitical mother has publicly questioned the war and searched for a “totally new,
better way to involve ourselves in the world.”

Today, fearless, French-born Nadia lives with and helps heal the wounds of her daughter-in-law,
Sylvia, and her two grandchildren, Janessa-Marie, and Patrick Jr. She is actively working in creating a
Center for the veterans back from Iraq and Afghanistan, The Center will be home to them for a while,
different palliative and alternative treatments for PTSD will be offered. A professional staff of mostly
veterans will be caring for them.

For our long-term national security, we need a peaceful, productive, nation building corps of
volunteers that serves and safest country and world. We need service that enlightens us and the world,
and reduces the expenditure of our blood and dollars. The citizen-initiated World Service Corps
proposed congressional legislation does that.

Dwayne Hunn

A soldier’s tribute to Patrick:

“Even though Sergeant McCaffrey was relatively new to the Army he had
progressed quickly to a position of leadership and respect. He was a natural
leader with his care for his fellow soldiers and the way others would look up to
him for advice and follow his lead. He was a team leader, a position he was
more than capable of handling.
Sergeant McCaffrey’s contribution to the company as a combat life saver was
incredible. He constantly was ensuring that all the other combat life savers in
the company had all the supplies in their aid bags and where ready.
He provided care for the other soldiers constantly and was always providing
tips to ISG about how the other soldiers could improve their health and well
being When a combat life saver was called he was always one of the first, if not
the first to respond.
He looked after everyone in the company, always asking how everyone was
doing and helping them with their problems. Sgt McCaffrey was a hard charger
and very proactive.
His leadership has nothing but great things to say about him, and all the
soldiers considered him a friend. Many of the soldiers considered him a close
friend and will miss him greatly.
Even though we are all stricken by his loss, it is really hitting us hard. He was
more than just a friend to many of the soldiers, he was a brother”.

From a close friend, a brother and a fellow soldier:

Chris Murphy

Read what one courageous mother of a soldier killed in Iraq and one small
organization intend to do about this.
Please join the ranks of the grateful and help us make a mother’s vision a reality

© 2006-2007-2008, Nadia McCaffrey, the Patrick McCaffrey Foundation & the Veteran's Village, all rights reserved ©
Formed in 2006, the organization is a peace based organization for
members of the military who have served in the war, we are focusing on the Iraq & Afghanistan conflicts, however, this foundation is to help all war veterans . We
believe the best way to support our troops is to bring them home now and take good care of them when they get here.

The foundation is a peaceful non-political, non-religiousgroup of citizen
who are very concern about the welfare of our children returning Home
from the Middle East. We are in the process of creating a second Home
for them to Heal and connect back with our society.

"Never doubt that a small group of
thoughtful, committed citizens can
change the world. Indeed, it's the only
thing that ever has"
Margaret Mead

PLEASE JOIN US IN THE MAKING

We cannot continue to allow these brave soldiers,
who were willing to suffer and die for us, to be discarded and treated like this.
We can no longer wait for the government to do the right thing by these veterans.
We, ourselves, the grateful, must finally take action.

Sgt Patrick R. McCaffrey
California Memorial Medal