Veterans Expeditions

Mission: Creating military veteran teams that challenge veterans to work together to push their individual physical and mental limits. Explanation: Success in the outdoors is never guaranteed, but if one never gets to the base of the mountain and begins the climb, one never knows what might be possible. By undertaking significant outdoor challenges, Veterans Expeditions will prove to those participating and those observing, that military veterans are capable of contributing to a team’s greater strength and accomplishing a difficult mission, regardless of any existing or perceived mental or physical disability. These expeditions show the strength of veterans and hope to significantly address and perhaps reverse the disappointing trends in the veteran population of higher rates of homelessness, unemployment, drug use, incarceration, and suicide compared to the non-veteran population. Additionally, these expeditions allow participants to bear powerful witness to society and one another about their own military experiences, regardless of gender, race, religion, or time of service. Projected outcomes: 1. Military veterans will reconnect with others who have been through similar experiences; 2. Military veterans will expand their own personal understanding of what is or is not physically and mentally possible in a supported team setting; 3. Military veterans will learn new and hone existing skills necessary to be safe and excel in a variety of outdoor activities and settings; 4. Skills learned in the outdoors, both physical and mental, will be transfered to the veterans civilian experience, including other veterans, family, and the broader community; 5. Non-military veterans will better understand the military experience and issues, problems, and solutions facing veterans related to a veteran’s military experience.