Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. -- After a devastating blowout and a bumpy road to recovery, combat veteran Spc. Derek W. Wittenburg is back on the road again.

As part of a quick reactionary force support team in Afghanistan back in May, 2010, Wittenburg was detoured by physical injuries.

Then came the toll that stress took on his family.

That's when the Army's Warrior Transition Unit reached out to help.

The Army is committed to supporting wounded, ill and injured Warriors achieve success through unit called the "Warrior Transition Unit."

All armed services have similar ready and resilient programs, and each activates common principles of recovery, working to achieve employment and education goals.

The WTU exists for those whose injuries require a recovery and rehabilitation period before transitioning either back to military service, or into a successful civilian career.

If you've never heard of a "WTU," or ever wondered what extent the Army puts its arm around its own to help, stick around.

The month of November is Warrior Care Month, which is an organized effort to inform and educate everyone about the value and successes of the Warrior Transition Command, Warrior Care and Transition Program, and the Army Wounded Warrior Program.

Events and activities throughout the month are scheduled to highlight recovery, rehabilitation, adaptive reconditioning and reintegration.

Warrior Care Month activities on Fort Leonard Wood include events such as seated volleyball, softball, archery, trap shooting, paintball, a bike ride, a career fair, kayaking, and a few other special events and luncheons along the way.

Everyone is invited and encouraged to attend these events and luncheons, and especially to participate side-by-side with our recovering Soldiers.

And stay tuned for Wittenburg's upcoming Warrior Care Month stories about these events and the personal recovery of several fellow Soldiers assigned to the WTU here.

You see, Wittenburg is an Army Human Resources Specialist, a former Marine, and a seasoned professional video photojournalist with over a decade of experience in TV news, and with affiliates of several major television networks back home in Iowa.

Wittenburg will be demonstrating successful adaptive reconditioning, and displaying his resilience, responsibility and reliability throughout the month, in the form of video news and feature story products.

For Wittenburg, his "road to recovery" here has literally become a "road" to recovery.

"When I discovered that Old Route '66 ran by Fort Leonard Wood here in mid Missouri, and I saw how disjointed, neglected and overrun it had become, it seemed like an ironic symbol of broken progress," said Wittenburg.

To Wittenburg, old '66 represents unexpected interruptions, and needed recovery.

"I want to highlight and contrast the stoppages in this old neglected and overrun artery of progress, from a veteran's perspective," said Wittenburg.

So, following Warrior Care month, and his completed recovery process here at the WTU, Wittenburg is slated to hit the ground running, by hitting the road with a trunkload of new video equipment, thanks to a VA loan.

"The WTU even helped me navigate many of the bureaucratic traffic cones to access a business loan," said Wittenburg.

The Army and its WTUs are bound by regulations and committed to supporting wounded, ill and injured Warriors achieve success. But the reason the Army WTU machine has been so successful with Wittenburg is because its honorable intent was properly translated.

"They're more than just people--we're family. We're a team. They care," said Wittenburg.

Derek Wittenburg is a success. He's doing his part to achieve the success of his own recovery. He was meant to succeed--because he cares.

Wittenburg is a fighter, and a friend to others on the same road.

And with a little help from his friends back home, he'll be making tracks from Iowa to California along Old Route '66 next year pursuing "The disappearance of America's backbone. Old Route '66. A Veteran's story," which is coincidently the title of his upcoming documentary.

(Editor's note: John Brooks is the marketing and public affairs officer at the General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital)