Healing Ground

HEALING GROUND IS A CAMPAIGN FOR CHANGE
Our mission is to raise awareness around veterans' mental health issues and illuminate the healing journey.

Over half a million Vietnam veterans are alive today. Even a half-century after the war, for many, the pain remains fresh, and the trauma is still real. One of the project’s Executive Producers, Ken Falke, notes that some veterans eventually "struggle well," while others just continue to struggle. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Vietnam veterans remain the most likely of all veterans to die by suicide.

Now, a new generation of veterans faces similar struggles. More than two million men and women served in Afghanistan or Iraq, with many completing several tours. While about 7,000 died in combat, emotional wounds have claimed the lives of four times as many. The VA estimates that more than 30,000 Afghanistan and Iraq veterans have died by suicide, with the number continuing to increase. The number struggling daily with posttraumatic stress is incalculable.

But there is hope – posttraumatic stress can be channeled into posttraumatic growth with the right support. By telling a story about healing through community, we can help break the cycle of stigma and isolation. While each veteran's story is unique, reconnection is the most common and effective approach to recovery.