This is how we give back.
We live in a free country but it isn’t free by accident — and it doesn’t stay that way without hard work. Because of brave men and women fighting overseas and working diligently within our homeland, we have the ability to enjoy a peaceful life with our families that many of them have given up. While we enjoy the rhythms of “normal,” civilian life, they are separated from their loved ones for months on end, fighting our battles and engaging in brutal combat unlike what we may ever see.
According to statistics, within the past 20 years of terror in Iraq, 2 million veterans fought separated from their families, and the majority of them returned to a life that would never be the same. Over half of those 2 million struggle with physical and mental health issues stemming from their service. 80% divorced after combat. In 2020, VA suicide reached an all time high, with more than 20 veteran suicides each day.
We got in touch with some incredible people earlier this year who are making a difference.
The Mighty Oaks Foundation is on the frontline, combatting suicide among soldiers and helping them find their way back to the freedoms we all enjoy. They are a faith-based program, offering retreats for soldiers to help them get a grasp on their faith, learn how to heal their minds, and begin leading their families as godly men and women. At their ranch house retreats across America, they work providing mental and physical therapy for soldiers recovering from disabilities and PTS (post trauma stress). They also offer resources for deployed soldiers and their families in the every day battles from separation. The battle is ongoing but that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways we can help!