​Every time we bring together civilian volunteers and our Purple Heart Veterans, the gap between the two groups is lessened tremendously, however, this gap is often not as huge as many Veterans may think. The gap is a perceived notion that civilians, those that have never served in the Armed Forces, don’t have a clue or ability to understand the mind of a Veteran, much less a Combat Veteran.  It is incredibly difficult for the combat wounded Veteran to see, that civilians do care about their well-being and that the sacrifices made really did matter.

Memorial Day weekend on Lake Sam Rayburn at our 77th Bonfire retreat, a handful of professional fishing guides were paired up with a handful of combat wounded veterans. A powerful interaction for both groups to learn about the other. Throughout the weekend a common mantra emerged, “Stand For Something”. This thought is always in the mind of the Veterans but for these civilians it created a sense of awareness and understanding they wouldn’t have had otherwise. For the Veterans, Memorial Day weekend brings a heavy heart, “we all know the losses it takes to give us the freedoms we have, the freedoms that are paid in blood. These days are much easier to bear when we come across people who live good honest lives.” Aaron Allmon, retired combat photographer

Giving of your time as a civilian to volunteer or donate your resources to Veterans who have to manage daily, the lasting effects of war, be it cognitive dysfunction, mental distress, or major physical permanent injuries, means more than you can imagine. When our Veterans come home and see the lack of respect for our freedoms that allow people to be incredibly selfish, it’s hard for them understand what they were fighting for to begin with. After a weekend of connectivity with volunteers who truly gave of their time and resources, left every one of our visiting Veterans the feeling that the sacrifices and blood shed was worth it. “These are good people, to leave their families on a three day weekend to support us, it helps us to know it was all worth it.” Purple Heart Graham Golden

​We worried that hosting one our events on Memorial Day weekend would be a bit too rough, we were proven wrong as it opened a new conversation that helps close the gap. For Justin Peltier, one of our volunteers for this events said, “to listen to stories that they sat next to their friends that died in combat only for they themselves to make it out alive…, those things you can’t reset or redo, you can’t begin to understand the feeling they have when talking about their fallen comrades.” To Justin and all those that volunteer their time, you don’t have to fully understand to get it. The act of listening, truly hearing them, and not judging them or questioning their actions, means the world to them. Knowing that you care, is life altering and in some cases lifesaving.
Click here to see more photos from this retreat!