SOLDIERS HEART INC

We believe that there is an important and necessary relationship between military service veterans and all of society. We believe both veterans and civilian society benefit when the burdens of, knowledge about and enduring and far-reaching impacts of military service and war are shared and woven into the fabric of society. Our mission is to transform the aftermath of military service and war into learning, relationships, opportunities and shared tending, healing and growth for all.

Through diverse activities including education, retreats, research, humanitarian projects and community building, Soldier’s Heart seeks to ensure that the responsibility for the aftermath of military service and war is shared by society. We offer education to both community and professional groups. We lead retreats for troops, veterans, families, and communities. We communicate our research findings through articles and books, notably, WARRIOR'S RETURN by founder Ed Tick, Ph.D. We have humanitarian projects in Vietnam promote reconciliation between former enemies. We support community efforts through programs such as our Faith Community Partnership program, which helps faith communities of all denominations to support the spiritual needs of troops, veterans, and military families in their communities.

We have three program staff and seven program leaders who deliver our training, facilitate our retreats, perform research, speak and publish on war healing, organize our humanitarian work, and work with communities to help them welcome their returning warriors home in a way that tends their emotional and spiritual wounds. We reach about 50 veterans and 50 family / community members per year through direct services. We reach hundreds of professionals -- psychologists, clergy, hospice workers, etc. -- through our training. And we reach thousands through our publications and public speaking.

Our research and practical emphasis on tending the soul wounds of war have influenced the conversation on war healing within and outside the military. Our staff are invited to train military chaplains and others faced with tending the moral injury of troops, veterans, and families. Our research is often quoted by people working in the trauma field. We have many testimonials from individual veterans on the transformative effect of work with Soldier's Heart.