Veterans Advocate - Ptsd, Suicide, Trauma

PROGRAMS

REBOOT Combat Recovery

REBOOT Recovery exists to help Veterans, First Responders and their families heal from the moral and spiritual wounds associated with service-related trauma, PTSD and prevention of suicide.

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Off-Road Outreach

Enriching the lives of unhoused veterans and others by providing meals, mobile hot showers, clean clothes and kindness from our Jeep. According to Stacey Buckner, “Basic human kindness and decency - that is something we all deserve.” For Veterans suffering from PTSD as a result from trauma, to know that someone cares can prevent a Veteran from committing suicide.

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Forging Forward

Healing through finding what is STRONG with you. Forging Forward's ultimate goal is the elimination of suicide among our Veterans and First Responders with PTSD as a result from trauma. Also known as The Bobby Henline Foundation.

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The Mighty Oaks Foundation

Guiding our service men and women with PTSD as a result from trauma to find a new life purpose through hope in Christ and to reinforce suicide prevention.

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Pleural Mesothelioma Center

Countless Veterans are currently suffering from life-threatening illnesses that are a result of exposure to asbestos, a material that was commonly used in hundreds of military applications, products and ships because of its resistance to fire. Veterans who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma even qualify for special benefits from the U.S Department of Veteran Affairs. We recently published an educational guide about pleural mesothelioma, the most common type of mesothelioma. For your FREE 2020 Mesothelioma Guide, please click the link below.

Free Canes for Veterans

Three years ago, Oscar Morris started the project, “Free Canes For Veterans,” where he promised to do his part and make a hand-made wooden cane for any veteran in need of one.

Oscar Morris has always had an appreciation for veterans.

A Navy veteran himself, he understands the sacrifices these men and women have had to make and believes our community should be doing everything we can to take care of them.

To date, he has made 731, each signed and marked with a number.

Each cane is custom-made for the specific veteran including their branch, rank and units, and embedded with a penny from the year that they entered the service.

One of the most important parts of the cane is the handle. It’s the feature Morris takes the most time getting just right for the veteran.

For instance, individuals with arthritis need bigger handles because they need to grip with the palm of their hand more than their fingers, and some are designed to help assist them in sitting and standing. He even carves grooves where their fingers should rest to properly grip. Some handles are bullet shaped, made from repurposed water bottles. Others are carved in the shape of something special. But each piece is unique and one of a kind, with the base mostly made from leftover Christmas trees.

“Having a disability can really bring people down, especially veterans,” Morris said. “Some are even young people who have to walk with a cane from being injured. I can’t heal them, but I can help them feel better. It gives them something they can be proud to carry around. I’ve seen it change their entire demeanor. It’s made even the toughest military guys cry.”

Morris has hundreds of stories to tell of the appreciation received from the canes, and keeps every card and letter from the veterans and their families.

And as he continues crafting canes, he is reaching out to others around the country to start their own Free Canes for Veterans to keep the mission going.

“We are all broken,” Morris said. “And just like this dirty piece of wood, it can be polished and useful. A lot of times, when we get disabilities, we feel useless and get worse. But I want the canes to remind them to hold themselves up high.”

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