Summer Heroic Military Program

“I can honestly say that those seven days on the river changed my life. I have been angry at just about everyone for what happened to me and my fellow soldiers in Vietnam and I realized during this trip that people really do care about me and other veterans, people who are willing to help us heal. I came home a different person. I finally realized that life is too short to continue to dwell on all the bad things that happened to me in Vietnam. What is important now, is how I choose to live the rest of my life. I thank the staff at the BOEC for all the help and support you gave me and the other veterans.”

“We all here here for each other. There are a lot of people who have the same injuries as me, so we can support each other. We keep our hopes up. We tell each other never to give up . . . There’s a lot of support out there, but it’s most important to not give up on yourself.”

“All of us have been really impressed with how we’ve been welcomed, and that’s what’s important for the country: the actions we do to take care of each other.”

“I hadn’t hiked with my (prosthetic) leg, but now I know I can do way more than I have ever imagined…It has been a magical trip.”

“This river trip was life inspiring. What I mean by that is, it showed me that as a retired soldier with severe PTSD and a TBI along with multiple internal injuries, I am not that different than my peers. It showed me I can actually do the things I did before I was injured. It showed me that there are others out there with a similar story that I can relate to, and that their way of recovering from certain events that I can relate to might work for me too. So thank you again…. if all your trips are like this one please sign me up…”