FAITH... LOVE... HOPE...

ABOUT US

There are several organizations that benefit disabled veterans from post 9/11 only, but Survivors Of War (S.O.W.) is one of the first of its kind. We are inclusive of veterans & disabled veterans from all conflicts of service and generations. We now also serve disabled police officers, firefighters, and first responders that were injured in the line of duty. We believe that serving all of America's survivors is a responsibility that we have as a nation. Billions are spent to send them to war, but nickels on the dollar are spent on helping them once they return, and even less than that to help the families cope with a person who is not the same as when they left.

As a 100% disabled veteran myself, I've personally gone through my own trials with depression, adjustment disorder, suicidal thoughts, and PTS(d). I searched for programs that would help me but what I found mostly were groups that only helped a certain time of war, mountains of red tape, and huge waiting lists that were just insane and ridiculous. Then, with some of them, the people running the groups never experienced the same feelings or events we’ve gone through so they couldn't really relate or effectively help people in that program. God bless them for at least trying, but it didn't work for me as well as millions of other veterans across the country who found the same things.

I was lost, broken, felt worthless, and without purpose. I went to the docs and I was just given more medication and numbers to call that typically never answered or returned calls. I turned to alcohol, stronger drugs, chasing adrenaline rushes, etc. Like most have done and felt even more helpless through it all. I was just drugging myself into oblivion with it all and hiding my physical and psychological pain with no real end in sight.

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All the while I was driving my wife, my kids, and my family crazy because they worried constantly about me in the process and didn't know what was wrong. I could have won an Oscar or a tony award with the performances I put on for everyone in public but behind closed doors, in the privacy of our home, stand by and buckle up, because I was a ticking time bomb with a disappearing clock. I wouldn't admit to the issues because in my mind it would make me weak. I wouldn't tell my "mental" pain to my wife because "she wouldn't love me anymore" is what I told myself. But eventually, after months and months and months of denial, I knew I had to make a change or I would lose my family again like I did with my first marriage, and in turn most likely take my life.

The long story short is I finally gave up. I gave up doing it my way! I prayed to god to show me what to do and he answered...hard to believe but he did. So, through lots of continued schooling and counseling as well as working a number of years at various other non-profits, God gave my amazing wife and I a mission and a purpose. Helping others like us and families, with God’s love, mercy, and grace saved me and our family so it could definitely help others too. We were doing great things with other non-profits in the local community and helping a lot of vets, but we weren’t able to reach those that were out of state or the other heroes in the community.

I felt our God-given purpose and vision was bigger than just locally and veterans only and we needed to expand to reach more heroes. So, I decided that we would serve veterans and first responders as well as expand to other states. My wife and I prayed more and more for guidance and the answer we received was that God’s plan can not be restricted or stopped. My wife and I decided that God’s calling cannot be ignored. We will help heal America's heroes through F.A.I.T.H. across the USA. God answered our prayers and planted a seed within my wife and I to create such a program…and S.O.W. was born.

The alternative programs we have are to combat the OUTRAGEOUS suicide epidemic and psychological problems that our members experience daily. We offer faith based, God centered activities in order to help in their spiritual growth and healing, as well as our programs that help their physical healing.

Providing these unique methods tailored to each person is vital because we know “one man’s journey is not another mans destination”. With these options, we hope to give them guidance, direction, empathy, purpose, value, and most importantly FAITH.

OUR MISSION

“S.O.W.’s mission is to give second chances to service members who have sacrificed everything for our nation by rebuilding their spirit, mind, and body using alternative rehabilitative therapies. These include golf, scuba diving, hunting-fishing-camping, Jiu-jitsu / self defense, one on one and group counseling, and more in order to combat suicide, PTSd, depression, and adjustment disorder.

We also aim to educate communities on the hidden and unseen illnesses, such as PTS (d), depression, adjustment disorder, anxiety, etc. as well as the obvious physical injuries that are the result of their service, commitment, trauma and sacrifice.

HARD TRUTH

MASTER PLAN

We have a 3-Phase campaign to achieve our Master Plan. We are happy to announce that we have completed Phase 1 and purchased land in preparation of Phase 2. Also, in addition to the land purchase, we have established our first, and smaller version, of the Survivors Of War Rehabilitation & Evolution Center (R.E.C.) located in Mesa, AZ. This is where multiple therapeutic services have already begun being provided for our Survivors and their families. We had a soft opening in February and are now open for business. Our Grand Opening of the R.E.C. will be April 24th, 2021 and we are excited to share it with you, our city officials, the Police Department, Fire Department, and the community!

Maintaining the service delivery at the R.E.C. while birthing Phase 2 is where you come in! Phase 2 involves the building of Restoration Ranch, which is S.O.W.’s residential facility to house homeless Veterans, disabled transitioning Veterans, and at-risk Veteran families while they engage in a 6-9 month residential program. At Restoration Ranch, we will have the main Rehabilitation & Evolution Center that will be over 18,000 sqft. of therapy space. It will include an indoor golf training area, physical therapy / strength and conditioning zone, water therapy & scuba diving pool, a full service daycare, a commercial kitchen that will provide all meals for our residents, as well as a full medical suite for physical and psychological treatment, and much more all under one roof.

Also on the Ranch, we will have a full Equine and animal adaptive therapy program for our Survivors. All of these alternative therapies have long been proven to increase the quality of life for our Survivors, and most importantly SAVE THEIR LIVES! We are here to reduce the national epidemic of veteran suicide and homelessness, but we need your help. Our goal is to complete this project within the next 8 months, but to do so, requires dedicated and committed partners like you, who desire to join us in this God-given vision to restore our Veterans here in Arizona and across our Nation. Click on the DONATE button below to SOW a seed into our plan.

We need your help to bring the R.E.C. and Restoration Ranch to life.

Donate

DID YOU KNOW...

… that more than 65% of our police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical services personnel are military veterans who have continued to serve our country by serving in our communities?

… that PTSD, depression, suicidal thoughts, and adjustment disorder not only affects our military service members but it also affects our brave police officers, firefighters, and first responders, and many others every day?

Yes, the brave men and women who put their life on the line everyday to fight the war in our cities suffer the same as those who fly to foreign lands to fight for our freedom. Those that suffer traumas each day but walk among us, stand next to us, sit beside us, and continue to serve us... But you would never know it because like our military members, they don't complain, they just serve!

Suicide rates for our domestic heroes are growing the same as our veteran suicides. We must stand as a nation to stop these statistics from increasing and provide our veterans and first responders with the same respect, commitment and dedication that they give/gave to us.

Utilizing the rehabilitative experiences at SOW helps improve the psychological and physiological condition of each survivor (mental recovery, balance, coordination, flexibility, muscle memory and stamina to name a few).