<P> Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) is a charity and veterans service organization that offers a variety of programs, services and events for wounded veterans of the military actions following September 11, 2001 . It operates as a nonprofit 501 (c) (3) organization . </P> <P> As of June 1, 2015, WWP served 71,866 registered alumni and 11,494 registered members . The organization has partnered with several other charities, including the American Red Cross, Resounding Joy, a music therapy group in California, and Operation Homefront . WWP has also provided a year - long Track program, which helps veterans transition to college and the workplace . </P> <P> Wounded Warrior Project was founded in 2003 in Roanoke, Virginia, by John Melia . Melia had been severely wounded in a helicopter crash while serving in Somalia in 1992 . </P> <P> Melia assembled backpacks distributed to injured veterans at the former Bethesda Naval Hospital (Walter Reed National Military Medical Center) and Walter Reed Army Medical Center . The WWP Backpacks program continues to remain a central activity of WWP, evidenced by the 16,992 backpacks they had distributed as of August 1, 2013 . </P>

Who is the founder of the wounded warrior project