U.S. Navy photos by Doug Davant Former Marine Cpl. Isaiah Schaffer enters American Legion Post 55 in Fredericksburg with his service dog, Megan. The Chesapeake retriever is trained to recognize the symptoms of post traumatic shock and alert Schaffer. In the background of the photo is Rep. Rob Wittman (3rd from left), Virginia's 1st Congressional District representative.

He also now knows about being welcomed home by a hometown proud to call the former Marine their own and last week he was honored by the members, friends and family of American Legion Post 55 of Fredericksburg, Va.

‘‘This is great, truly amazing!” Schaffer said of the surprise welcome home.

The warfighter suffers from post traumatic stress disorder due to injuries suffered in Hadifa and later in the Ramadi area. He was first wounded in April of 2004, which required a medical evacuation.

After his recovery he was determined to be reunited with his Marine buddies and deployed again in 2005. In June of that year a roadside bomb struck his vehicle and Schaffer was again evacuated—this time with what was diagnosed as a traumatic brain injury.

The Marine corporal grew up in Spotsylvania and graduated from Chancellor High School in 2002. Determined to be a leatherneck, he enlisted on his 17th birthday as part of a birthday present from his parents, John and Debbie Schaffer, who agreed to co-sign for him so that he could enlist in the Marine Corps earlier than his age of majority.

Schaffer was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps in 2006 but one thing he missed was being welcomed home after getting out of the hospital. That all changed last Friday night.

‘‘This is a transition every one should have that is coming out,” he said. ‘‘I know you’re here for me,” he told the crowd of well-wishers at the Legion hall. ‘‘But I also want to recognize the Soldiers, Marines and Sailors who didn’t come home. They didn’t get a welcome home.”

Helping the former Marine in part of his rehabilitation from the stress of combat has been Cathy Wilson and Camilla Schwoebel of the Virginia Wounded Warrior Program of which Chaplain Richard Malmstrom of Naval Support Activity South Potomac has been associated with.

‘‘I met (Schaffer) through the Wounded Warrior Program,” Malmstrom said. ‘‘He’s been here for a while but he never got a big homecoming when came back from Iraq.”

Schaffer alluded to that fact when he spoke of his return. ‘‘Coming home from the hospital is like there was no transition, no ‘thanks for a job well done, Marine’. I think it is nice that I can finally lower my weapon and remove my clip.”

Malmstrom said the Wounded Warrior Program is ‘‘doing an excellent job” in helping combat veterans know that they are appreciated.

‘‘They do a lot of support and outstanding events,” he said of the group. ‘‘There are workshops for people interested as well as other ways to help veterans for those who are interested.”

The Commonwealth of Virginia established the Virginia Wounded Warrior Program (VWWP) in 2008. It is operated by the Virginia Department of Veterans Services in cooperation with the Department of Behavioral Health and Development Services, formerly the Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services, and the Department of Rehabilitative Services.

The VWWP supports the following persons on their road to recovery from the effects of stress-related injuries (such as post traumatic stress disorder) or traumatic brain injuries: