#193: Progressive Traumatic Brain Injury - Silver Star Spouse Bianca Baldwin and Silver Star Mother Fran Wesseling

Service is an honor and a burden carried by more than just those who don the Green Beret. Service is borne by the family that stands in the shadows every step of the way. Through training, deployments, uncertainty, the highest highs and the lowest lows, it’s the family that waits for their Green Beret to return. 

From the 2nd Annual Stars and Stripes Classic, Fran Racioppi sat down with Bianca Baldwin and Fran Wesseling, the spouse and mother of Major Darren Baldwin; a Green Beret who came home from combat, but was never the same. 

Darren’s journey began at the United States Military Academy, where he played lacrosse and built the foundation of discipline, teamwork, and commitment that would carry him into Special Forces. 

During a deployment, Darren was forced to return home early due to what initially seemed like minor health issues. Further evaluation revealed lesions on his brain, marking the beginning of a long and uncertain fight. Diagnosed with Progressive Traumatic Brain Injury, Bianca and Fran answered a family’s hardest call to service. 

They shared with me the critical role a family plays in the success of a Green Beret, why strength is important, and how caregiving gives hope to the wounded and their loved ones. 

Darren passed away from his combat-related illness, and to honor his life, Bianca and Fran carry forward his legacy through the MAJ(R) Darren Baldwin Silver Star Families Support Fund and through the support of the Green Beret Foundation, ensuring that other families will never fight alone.

This episode is about the service of a family during, and after that of their Green Beret. 

HIGHLIGHTS

• 0:00 Introduction
• 1:51 Welcome to the Stars & Stripes Classic
• 3:38 Who was MAJ Darren Baldwin
• 10:14 Silver Star Families Fund
• 15:02 Progressive Traumatic Brain Injury
• 22:20 Resources Available

QUOTES

• “Both of my boys slept with a lacrosse stick.”
• “He had a dedication and grit that goes beyond most.”
• “Ultimately deeply grateful that his legacy and memory lives on.”
• “It was like trying to make a right of a wrong.”
• “That’s kind of how our story started and my story as a caregiver.”
• “I was always his wife but became his 24/7 caregiver.”
• “The vast majority of people, including the military, don’t even know what Silver Star families are.”
• “The fund provides all kinds of medical equipment and new technologies.”
• “It’s difficult and thankless work to be a caregiver.”

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