Dear America
“The war after the war”, symbolically it’s called “The 22”. It represents those veterans who have served in war continuously for the last sixteen years and who have taken their own life, here, in their own homeland. Twenty-two a day, and it could be three times that. We are going to make that number zero. Never mistake enthusiasm for capability. We are the 1% of our nation, literally the 1%, who have served our nation and its citizenry in war. We volunteered a half dozen times in order to go face first into danger; to fight while 99% of our nation slept well at night because of those freedom fighters.
We believe those 22 are most destructively influenced by three conditions. Alcohol, drugs (whether prescribed or other) and …….. being alone. Those 1% share a bond forged in combat and in danger, in hardship and in loss….that creates the brotherhood. That brotherhood is literally priceless. Most definitely it is the most honorable institution in our nation. When a member of that brotherhood loses his brothers in the chaos of the war after war he will be vulnerable to self destruction. The amazing fact is if you just get a brother to him he can know help, heal, and share.
One of the warriors noted, “I’ve shared more and healed more on this site in the last six days than four years of VA appointments.” Another said, “I’ve healed more here than in eight years of VA appointments”. Those two quotes were experienced by connect the dots of them to their brothers. On a Facebook personal page 640 brothers assembled within six days. After having not been together for thirteen years. In the first week by the individuals admissions those brothers reconnected averted five 22’s. The VA has an annual budget of 186 Billion dollars, that’s $8000 per vet, yet we can accomplish far greater for ourselves.
There are false narratives and missed narratives about Veterans. Post traumatic stress disorder is continuously associated with veterans. No kidding, that phenom got earned. You go see and hear and do what thumpers do in combat and you would earn it to. What we strive to highlight loudly is post traumatic growth. Post traumatic growth puts you on the top of the mountain of life with a full heart and clear eyes with your brothers.
Johnny Jones is a veteran. He was a bomb disposal technician in combat. He lost both his legs. He was asked, “How can you be so happy without your legs?”. He asked, “How can you be so sad with yours?” That’s growth right there. Our brothers have gone on to serve in the Secret Service, the FBI, and law enforcement throughout the land. They own their own businesses. They have become Doctors. Many own their own farms and ranches. They are stories of success.
We submit there are two types of Americans who will win the war after the war. When your taking 22 casualties a day, you’re in a war, doesn’t matter where you are, it’s war.
1. The quiet ones. The veterans. The ones worthy of emulation who have achieved growth. They will win this war. They will need the support, the funding, the assistance of the great ones.
2. The great ones are those Americans who are not veterans but they love their country and its servants.
These two kinds of Americans will win this war!
One of our brothers during Hurricane Harvey was stuck on an oil rig. He sent out a Facebook message that said my mom is being flooded please get to her. We knew his name and that’s all we had to go on. Two hours later, in a hurricane, in a flood, two brothers were on her doorstep.TWO HOURS! One of those brothers had evacuated his family from his flooded home in a canoe the morning before. Some people are lost in their fires, others are forged by them. Our organization is going to connect our brothers to each other, serve them as they served those 99% and get them to forged through growth.
HELP HEAL SHARE
