Veteran's Heart Georgia » Veterans

Veterans

Kaye — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 13:12:56 +0000

You are not who you were before going to war…but
you are not sick, flawed, broken or in need of fixing.
You are expereincing a natural, but painful outcome of having been at war.

This is an invitation to begin the process of changing from “a vet with PTSD”, and move towards being a person who is engaged in healing the wounds of war.

If a veteran makes the difficult inner pilgrimage to discover the sources of the suffering, works hard to give meaning to the wounding, and finds ways to reconcile and forgive, then healing is possible. -Edward Tick

The work of Veteran’s Heart Georgia is to assure that the role and process of warriorhood is understood and honored by citizens, warriors, and their families and loved ones.

For veterans who are women:

We are very aware of your special needs. Please watch this space as we continue developing outreach and programs specifically designed to address your unique experiences.

The Mature Warrior Identity

Kaye — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 13:04:52 +0000

The role of warrior has a high, noble, and honorable status. In traditional societies, such as our Native Americans, when on the hunt, when camp was being moved, and in times of activity or trouble, it was the warriors who were responsible for making sure all the people were safe and cared for.

A veteran does not become a warrior merely for having gone to war. A veteran becomes a warrior when he or she learns to carry his or her war skills and vision in mature ways.

A veteran becomes a warrior when he or she has been set right with life again.

A warrior’s first priority is to protect life rather than destroy it.

The warrior serves the nation in peace as well as in war-making and dissuades the people from suffering the scourges of war unless absolutely necessary.

The warrior uses the fearlessness he or she has developed to help keep sanity, generosity, and order alive in his culture.

A warrior disciplines the violence within. Internally and externally, he or she stares violence in the face and makes it back down.

A warrior serves spiritual and moral principles, which he or she places higher than the self.

Every veteran’s inner warrior desires to be called forth and honored by a tribe, the community of citizens that has been protected and guarded. Although our culture currently does not evoke it, this desire persists and is at the heart of healing from the effects of war.

– from War and the Soul , by Edward Tick

When tears come

Kaye — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 13:00:59 +0000

When tears come, I breathe deeply and rest.
I know I am swimming in a hallowed stream where many have gone before.
I am not crazy, or having a nervous breakdown….
My heart is at work, my soul is at work.

Warrior At Peace

Kaye — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 12:10:03 +0000

Our hope is that Veteran’s Heart Georgia will be able to provide you with means for healing and resolving the invisible wounds of war; and that through this process you will be able to say:

My wound is not me.
I am bigger than just my wound.
My wound is not my identity.
I can grow beyond my wound and let it heal.
I do not want to stay in my wound.
I do not have to stay in my wound.
It is smaller than me.
I can heal and let the scab of my wound
eventually fall away.
There may be a scar
but it is just a mark that records my story.
-Warrior At Peace

^{written by a Veteran’s Heart Warrior, January, 2008}