https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lLgFtIL560

My name is Cj Ryan Mielcarek, Seabee OIF Veteran with three tours to Iraq. I truly came home to True Identity, Purpose, and Belonging at my Rite of Return in 2017 after years of slowly sinking in the quicksand of anxiety, post-traumatic stress, moral injury, substance abuse, and depression after military service. This is where I began to truly lay down what no longer served and write a new story. My purpose and prayer is for all to find that freedom.

Prior to Veteran Rites, I worked on local and national cross-sector initiatives to end homelessness and increase housing affordability for vulnerable populations and led holistic veteran engagement efforts to combat homelessness, suicide, trauma, and isolation.  I have a Bachelor's Degree from UW and a Master's Degree from Seattle University with a capstone on making HUD-VASH funding available to Native American and Alaskan Native military veterans. 

The cracked sidewalks and corner casinos of Las Vegas were the landscape of my childhood, built on the ancient lands of the The Tudinu (or Desert People), ancestors of the Las Vegas Paiute Tribe. My ancestors are primarily from Western Europe and the the Dál Riata of Northern Ireland and Western Scotland.

Compassion Always. Stay Wild.

email: council@veteranrites.org

My name is Jessica Gorée-Medoff, I was born and raised in Lubbock Texas. I am a US Coast Guard veteran. My rate was Machinery Technician. I spent seven years of active duty before my medical retirement. My oldest daughter was five months old when I went to boot camp. I am an aspiring writer and artist, with three beautiful children. My years in service were from 2002-2009. I served in Seattle, Virginia, and Michigan. Within Veteran Rites, I found a real, unbiased, non-judgemental support system whom I know consider family. I would like to encourage others to join so that they can find a place to let go of the heavy. I have grown with this mission and am now a wilderness guide and board member.

jessgoree@veteranrites.org

Veterans Rite of Return, a fasting program for veterans, was founded in April of 2014. Mark Oravsky, a 14-year Army Infantry veteran, experienced profound healing and change during a vision quest in the Kingston mountains of California. Prior to this experience, Mark struggled to find meaning and purpose after military service. He suffered from a litany of symptoms related to PTS, including suicidal thoughts. His powerful experience in the wilderness paved the way for deep healing, a reconnection to self, renewed purpose, and a solid sense of identity. He is inspired to bring this experience to other veterans and people with similar backgrounds. Mark began this endeavor in Founding and building Victory Farm in Olympia, Washington, a small scale urban agricultural program aimed at reconnecting veterans with nature and community through the growing and sharing of organic produce. He trained with Rites of Passage Vision Quest and The School of Lost Borders as a guide, is certified in Applied Suicide Intervention Training (ASIST), and brings his unique perspective and set of experiences to the Veterans Rite of Return model.

email: moravsky@veteranrites.org

Sher is a 9 year OIF/OEF Navy Nuclear Electronics Technician with 3 deployments. After leaving the Navy, she became the first female power plant control operator on the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) electrical grid. Sher graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Bachelor of Science in Retailing with three minors in Textile Science, Business, and Entrepreneurship. In addition to being a wilderness guide with Veteran Rites, she works with homeless youth and fights against food insecurity in her community. Sher wears many hats: first-generation immigrant, first-generation college graduate, wife, mother, dog mom, and part-time caregiver of her mother. Yet, one's own identity has been elusive for her. Sher’s path towards healing and self-discovery has not been easy due to the trauma she has experienced, but her resolution to seek help and guidance brought her to Veteran Rites. She knows the path towards healing can be difficult and daunting, however, she is ready to help cast a shining light for the lost. At Veteran Rites, she hopes to lead by example and guide others with compassion. When Sher is away from Veteran Rites she spends her time as a visual artist, writer, master gardener, Filipino reconstructionist, and petter of dogs.

Donny Reed (he/him) is a combat Veteran and Certified Recovery Mentor (CRM). As someone who has lived with Moral Injury and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), he has first hand experience processing and integrating the experiences of his past in order to transform them into a values-based life. Over the past five years he has co-facilitated several outpatient mental health groups within the Portland VA and also works with the SNaP Lab as a psychedelic facilitator researching the benefits of different medicines to treat PTSD, Substance Use Disorder (SUD), and other mental health conditions within the veteran community. As a CRM he has honed the ability to create authentic safe spaces for veterans, assisting them with establishing trust and rapport with other veterans, mental health clinicians, and spiritual providers. As Donny has cultivated many meditation techniques and grounding strategies that have supported his own health, he enjoys offering them to others to support them along their journey as well.

Tara Souch is a skilled counseling therapist, program manager and wilderness guide dedicated to supporting individuals through life transitions, grief and trauma. With nearly two decades of experience in outreach, clinical and therapeutic program settings, she combines her expertise in counseling psychology with an understanding of the unique challenges faced by military families. Her work includes affiliations with respected organizations such as Outward Bound, Hospice Society and Lumara Grief and Bereavement Care Society, where she has developed and facilitated programs to support families and communities through grief and loss. Her passion for nature-based healing drives her work, creating space for people to rediscover their resilience and grow through transformative time in nature.

In addition to her therapeutic skills, she brings extensive expertise in program management, wilderness expedition logistics and leadership. She has successfully coordinated and managed impactful outdoor programs, facilitated rites of passage and guided teams through challenging environments. Drawing on her broad experience, she is dedicated to creating opportunities where veterans and their families can heal, connect and thrive.

tsouch@veteranrites.org

John Crary began his career in venture finance and management forty years ago, during that time raising two daughters to adulthood.  Now later in his career, he sees his evolving mission as being one who promotes self-empowerment so that people may prosper and thrive.  Today John devotes his energy to working with non-profit organizations that align with this mission and promote personal and social healing, skill development and self-empowerment.  He currently serves as Board Chair of Veteran Rites, which initiates Veterans into true identity, purpose and belonging after military service, and is profiled in the documentary film “Veterans Journey Home: Leaving It On the Land”.  In addition, John serves on the boards of Warrior Films, a non-profit that produces documentary films about rites of passage and journeys of the soul, and the Escala Initiative which provides basic business education to small-scale entrepreneurs and artisans living in poor communities in the developing world.
email: jcrary@veteranrites.org

Sara Harris has the good fortune to be retired from her careers at this time and freer to pursue more quiet, more time in nature and opening to latent creativity after 44 years as a teacher, counselor, mentor, and guide. She began a Rites of Passage program, EarthWays LLC, where she is currently on sabbatical after 19 years, and has been very involved in the School of Lost Borders as a Board member for many years, and also did her guide training with the school. She has been guiding Rites of Passage for about 20 years in one form or another.

When first invited by Veteran Rites to sit in the guide seat alongside Larry and Ryan in 2020, the depth of participation, risk, heart, and courage of the participants was profoundly moving to her. As a civilian, humbly bearing witness, it changed her forever. This community has the power to create true healing, soulful friendship and support as veterans bring their gifts to their families and communities. She is honored to be a Friend of Veteran Rites!

Brandon is an Army Veteran (OIF) and has been an instrumental presence of Veteran Rites since claiming his Rite of Return in 2018. He is an initiated peer supporter, veterans circle facilitor, published storyteller, and deeply engaged in better the lives of veterans and all of humanity.

I was 17 when September 11 happened. Two years later, I was in Mosul, Iraq, serving as an infantryman with the 101st. We were making it up as we went along. After my discharge, I wandered—lost and out of place—for 14 years. That’s when I realized some of the things I’d experienced in Iraq were still stuck in me. Time doesn’t heal all wounds.

It was another four years before I went on my Rite of Return with Veterans Rites. I’d found helpful things along the way, but this was the missing piece that tied everything together. That experience planted both my feet back on the path to who I really am, reuniting my heart with my warrior nature. It reconnected me to my place of belonging on the Earth and with the veteran community, bringing me fully home to my wife, Katherine.

Now, I’m getting the chance to serve again—honorably this time. After receiving so much help over the years, it’s gratifying to be there for other veterans on their journey back home. I work alongside people who embody the leadership I always knew was possible. I’m learning from them, with nature as our common guide, how to grow a life that’s connected, strong, sustainable, and, most of all, joyful.

Jim was born and raised in the near west suburbs of Chicago. He attended Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where he earned a degree in political science. Upon graduation, he joined the United States Army. Over a 20 year career, he deployed to Central and South America, Africa, the

Middle East and the former Soviet Republics. Upon transition from the U.S. Army, Jim served as senior policy advisor to Governor Jay Inslee, focusing on the policy areas of affordable housing, food security, emergency management, veterans and military affairs. Currently, Jim is the intergovernmental affairs and policy director for the Washington Military Department.

Jim is married to his college sweetheart and they live in Lewis County, Washington. In his free time, Jim enjoys growing vegetables in his garden and volunteering with veterans and community non-profits.

Silvia Talavera (she/her) 

Inspired by the wild places without borders Silvia guides from a full life experience that is filled with the sacred, profane and the wild graced with humor and curiosity.

A wilderness guide since 1993 and a seasoned hospice nurse and a Reiki practitioner. Silvia continues to hold the similarities of the symbolic death and the physical death and how one mirrors the other and how both of these have informed her life.

She is a supporter of deep immersion into the natural landscape where exploration of the mythic, the archetype and the imaginal dimensions is the gateway to the hero/heroine’s journey.

Silvia is an elder, great grandmother, mentor and embraces her elderhood with great joy, deep humility and daily gratitude.

Her work in all its expressions is devoted to the reawakening of our true selves and remembering our natural instinct to love and healing for the benefit of all beings and remains committed to service of the greater good.

The loving sister of a Marine Vietnam Veteran, Silvia has brought her magic and spirit to Veteran Rites since 2020.

Email: silvia@lostborders.org

My name is Mitchell Ross Brookman, I am committed to my practices that bring me closer to awareness, transformation, understanding and peace. As an Army infantry combat veteran, my reality of war post-deployment found me crawling through the mire. A time characterized by loss of meaning, purpose, and identity. Culminating with post-traumatic stress and suicidal depression. Physically, I suffered from multiple broken vertebrae, seizures, cardiac arrests leading to stroke and partial paralysis leaving me with an inability to care for myself. I made a miraculous physical recovery, however my soul was dead. After years of searching every self-destructive avenue I could find I knew my time was up. If my behavior didn’t kill me, then I would die by my own hand, unless I made a radical change. My radical change came in the form of deep and devoted meditation, contemplation and connection to spirit. After two years of practicing, I found my way to Veterans Rites, Rite of Return. This ceremony represented everything I had been surrendering to, praying for and working towards. My guides introduced me to ceremony and a way of being with Nature that I had never experienced before. On the land I found forgiveness, peace, meaning and purpose through re-establishing my connection to my own Nature. I returned home leaving behind my crippling anxiety and confusion. I embraced a relaxed alertness along with a new found ability to be fully present with my loved ones, including my infant daughter at the time. Today, I am an engaged and loving father of two young daughters committed to showing up as best I can in this new blended family. After being granted such a gift through Veterans Rites, I have dedicated myself to passing it forward and I am blessed to now get to guide other veterans through their threshold ceremony. 

Veterans are the light at the tip of the candle, illuminating the way for the whole nation. If veterans can achieve awareness, transformation, understanding, and peace, they can share with the rest of society the realities of war. And they can teach us how to make peace with ourselves and each other, so we never have to use violence to resolve conflicts again.

— Thich Nhat Hanh

Susan Hobbs has been in recovery for 27 years.  She completed the 4-H Rite of Passage training in 2020.  Susan has served as witness and deep support in several Veteran Rites programs and in a month-long training at the School of Lost Borders.  As a result of experiencing a couple of her own Fasts alone in the wilderness Susan has found a deep calling as a guide to assist and guide others in this life changing experience. In 2023 Susan claimed her Elder Rite of Return Guide seat with Veteran Rites.

Danny Medoff, Son of Peggy and Larry (Vietnam Vet), Brother of Josh and Noah. Born and raised in Columbia, MD. After a few years of partying out of college and various jobs, enlisted in the Army as a "Health Care Specialist" aka Combat/Hospital Medic in 2005. Served from 2005-2013 in the following locations: Ft Leonard Wood, Ft Sam Houston, Ft Bragg, Ibn Sina Hospital Baghdad, Iraq (2006-07), Landstuhl Regional Medical Center Germany, Joint Base Lewis Mcchord, and Afghanistan (2012). Earned general discharge under honorable conditions in 2013 (since changed to honorable), lived fast trying to die young from 2013-2015, earned B.A. in Philosophy from University of Northern Colorado in 2018, earned Massage Therapy license in 2020, introduced to Veteran Rites in 2020, accepted my PTSD in 2020, stopped practicing Massage to learn to live with my PTSD and not bleed it on others, connected with intimate love partner in 2020 before, during, and after my Rite of Return, wanted to continue working with Veteran Rites in any capacity I could be of service, and here we are now :).

Sarah L. Blum is a retired Nurse Psychotherapist with over thirty years experience healing PTSD. She was an Army nurse captain who served as an operating room nurse at the 12th Evacuation Hospital, Cu Chi, Vietnam and received the Army Commendation medal then went on to serve as the head nurse of the orthopedic ward at Madigan Army Hospital and later returned as evening and night nursing supervisor. Sarah is the author of the book, Women Under Fire: Abuse in the Military and is a consistent, wise, joyful presence in Veteran Rites Circles of Return and Path with Art Programming. Sarah is an 80 year old initiate of the 2020 rite of return ceremony and loves loves you just the way you are.

Trebbe Johnson is the author of Fierce Consciousness: Surviving the Sorrows of Earth and Self, Radical Joy for Hard Times: Finding Meaning and Making Beauty in Earth’s Broken Places, and other books, as well as many articles and essays that explore the human bond with nature. She is also the founder and director of the global community Radical Joy for Hard Times, devoted to finding and making beauty in wounded places. Trebbe has camped alone in the Arctic wilderness; studied classical Indian dance; and worked as an artist’s model, a street sweeper in an English village, and an award-winning multimedia producer. She has led contemplative journeys in a clear-cut forest, Ground Zero in New York, the Sahara Desert, and with military veterans. She lives in Ithaca, New York.

Dr. Debbee Maraglio-Lynn is a U.S. Navy Veteran and a Ph.D. in organizational leadership from Northwest University, writing her dissertation on nature-based mindfulness practiced by educational leaders identifying as women. She has over 20 years of experience teaching and leading youth and adults formally and informally, inside and outdoors. She is also a certified 500-hour yoga instructor and mindfulness meditation teacher. Dr. D holds various certifications and training, including compassion integrity training, compassionate listening, nature connection, wilderness first responder, yoga therapy, Veteran Yoga Project Resilience for Trauma, mindful coaching, mindful self-compassion, and mindful eating.

She emphasizes wellness and insights through movement, mind, body, and nature practices to inspire ways of being that can increase an individual’s awareness, knowledge, intentions, and connection to themselves and their community. She believes compassionate speaking and listening inspire and empower people; nature and practice are medicine. Life, with all its challenges and joys, is truly an adventure inside and out. Dr. D currently resides in the Boreal forests of Alaska with her partner and enjoys time at the beach, in the mountains, and in the forest, practicing stillness, adventure, movement, and meditation. 

Jamo (Jamie) Gaines (he/him) was born and raised in Cincinnati, OH and is a veteran of the United States Navy.  He enlisted in 2002 as a Cryptologic Technician Interpretive, and served as a Chinese (Mandarin) linguist until he was selected for the highly-competitive Seaman to Admiral (STA-21) commissioning program.  Upon completion of his Bachelor’s degree (double majoring in Diplomacy & Foreign Affairs, and East Asian Languages & Cultures) he earned his his Commission, and became a Surface Warfare Officer.  

After being medically discharged from the Navy in 2013, Jamo was lost, isolated, and stuck in a cycle of self-destructive habits.  As a response, he began researching, visiting, and developing intentional communities with the goal of creating a land-based community focused on Earth-centric living.  However, major depressive disorder, anxiety, and substance abuse made reaching his goals a near impossibility. His disconnection with himself and those around him cost him his 15-year marriage.  

In August 2023, Jamo found his way home after attending the Circle of Return ceremony with Veteran Rites.  Not only did he re-discover his identity, purpose and belonging, he found the supportive, intentional community he had been striving to create.  Since then, Jamo has endeavored to help in bringing this much-needed work to as many veteran as possible.

In addition to being a Veteran Coordinator, Jamo is also a Guide-in-Training with the organization.  He is a proud parent of four, and fills his spare time reading, developing his ukulele skills, and playing disc golf.

Bri Foster is a Marine veteran, Peer Support Specialist, and Outreach Coordinator who is dedicated to supporting fellow veterans on their healing journeys. She is trained as a Wilderness Guide with Veteran Rites (2024) and continues to learn and grow through her work in peer-led support, trauma recovery, and personal development. Drawing from her own experiences, she walks alongside others as they navigate their own paths to healing with honesty and compassion. Since her Rite of Return in 2023, Bri has co-facilitated mindfulness groups, served within the recovery community, and integrated wellness tools into her work. She enjoys blending spiritual practices, mindfulness, and embodiment techniques to co-create spaces where wisdom is shared, purpose is explored, and individuals feel supported in their journey toward wholeness.

My name is Maria De Jesus Gomez. I am AUTHENTIC, KIND, LOVING, STRONG COURAGES, CURIOUS, MOTHER, EMPATHETIC, REBELIOUS, WILD AND UNIQUE, I am …  

I am 35 years of age Army veteran. I am a mother to a 15-year-old boy that is currently in high school. I am currently finishing my BASHS degree in Human Services. I am Chicana/Latina Woman with Mexican Roots. I believe on leading by example, with this being said, I have put myself through Compassionate Warrior Training Reintegration (CWTR), Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR), Veteran Rites, and so many other trainings to awaken my trauma and be able to look at it in the face and walk through it for a better future. I enjoy being out in nature as that is my medicine, I like to incorporate meditation to breathe and make better decisions as it helps me slowdown in this fast-paced world. I enjoy the gym, books, and lots of water when I have time to myself. I can’t wait to meet all your beautiful souls and dance to a new rhythm of life and walk among you as we find our way home. Thank you for reading.

My name is Aaron Hughes. I am a proud dreamer soaring over the lost bear. What does that even mean? For Aaron, it means another interesting mystery to a life of complexity and wholeness. It is another piece of the ceremony that lacks the rigid definition his rational mind and ego desire. It is only in those moments of fleeting presence that the meaning becomes unnecessary and the embrace of the not knowing opens up the doors to who Aaron is, if Aaron IS at all…

However, to satisfy the mundane and put our rational minds at ease, Aaron is a USAF veteran. He has worn many hats and somewhere inside his being is a little box full of titles and positions that he has held during his 38 rotations around sun. He does enjoy getting them out from time to time to have a chuckle but these days he is more concerned with his wholeness and helping others to see their wholeness. He honors the way they informed who he is today and enjoys fumbling through all sorts of odd self-designed ceremonies to properly digest their gifts. He aims to embolden and support others doing the same.

May your time on the land be just as it should

May gentle breezes, rain drops, and sun rays find you with their subtle lessons

May your inner demons guide you straight to the source of your suffering that marks the trailhead towards your journey to wholeness

May you be lost and found countless times along the way

May you be uncomfortable and agitated until the simple sound of silence whispers some profound insight only meant for you

May things be imperfect, asymmetrical, noisy, and late as they arrive just on time, quietly, in a straight line, in the perfect order your soul requires

May you find your whole self just as it is

               I look forward to welcoming all of you home, especially the stubborn ones like me, that like to take the scenic route along the way.

Chris Wolf was initiated during the first Veterans' Vision Fast in 2017. She is a civilian ally and has spent most of her career working with veterans, including co-founding the nonprofit, Growing Veterans. Chris currently uses her gifts to write grants and bring financial resources to Veteran Rites and a few other nonprofits who are doing amazing work in the world."

Steve Fronckowiak was a US Navy Surface Warfare Officer who deployed with three different commands from 1998 to 2005. After trading his uniform for the corporate suit of corporate America he spent the next 12 years searching for the comradery and esprit d’ corps that was left behind the day he crossed the threshold from military service to civilian life. In life outside he was never able to speak his truth, display the wildness in his heart, or fill in the blanks of who he really was. He was led to the Veteran Rites of Return by his ex-wife and friend. On the Land he was able to sever from a life that wasn’t serving him any longer and claim a life of Truth, a life of Voice.  He found Home.

“I am a Grounded man with a Voice that can Speak my Truth without fear.” -Steve Fronckowiak

After 22 years of military service, John Rogers, facing an inevitable second deployment, instead chose retirement. His purpose – caring for his chronically ill wife – was clear, but his identity had been lost somewhere in those 22 years. Post-deployment depression, suicidal ideation, and isolation took up residence in the identity void, but driven by purpose he was able to navigate through the next 15 years until multiple chronic illnesses claimed the life of his wife of 33 years.

Identity long gone and purpose suddenly evaporated, John was facing winter alone; the season when traditionally his demons raged hard and relentless. He reached out to Veteran Rites and secured a seat in the fall Rite of Return where he was able to purge and leave his demons on the land in the Channeled Scablands of eastern Washington, freeing him to discover a new sense of self, identity, purpose, and belonging. As a direct result, John emerged from that first winter having experienced only a handful of mild and brief depressive episodes, and not a single episode of suicidal ideation. 

John served as an Army combat engineer in Germany and at Fort Bragg. He continued his service in the active duty component (AGR) of the Washington Army National Guard where he was deployed in support of OIF. Feeling called to assist in bringing transformational wilderness rites of passage to more military veterans, he is currently engaging that mission through Veteran Rites.

Gigi Coyle – has sat in circle, walked on pilgrimage, offered the practice of council, served as a facilitator for many kinds of passages, events, and gatherings in over 20 countries since she was in 5 th grade. She now is 74. Best known as a community activist, carrier of council, rite of passage guide, mentor and guardian for individuals, communities, networks, organizations as well as ceteceans. Caretaker-steward of land and water; visionary for an alliance, https://livebeyondboundaries.net ) devoted to the emergence of local and global sanctuaries - “watering holes” - she is focused on healing ways through ceremony, inter-generational, cross- cultural projects of prayer, action and service. Co-founder of Walking Water (Walking-Water.org), Co-author of The Way of Council; The Box, Remembering the Gift; Kaleidoscope: Finding My Way Home and A Practice of Council, http://waysofcouncil.net., along with other pamphlets, articles and interviews available.

Rick is an initiated whole adult and a passionate advocate for veterans, committed to using his life experiences to support those who have served. As a survivor of military trauma, he spent 25 years in silence, using his actions to protect others as a barrier to grieving his own wounds. After receiving an honorable discharge in 1987, he began a career as a peace officer, but ultimately leaving more broken than when he started. For decades, he struggled with sleeplessness, relying on alcohol and sleeping pills to cope. Although he sought help for his addictions and experienced periods of sobriety, something significant was still missing from his life.

Rick eventually sought help from the Veterans Administration (VA) for depression and suicidal thoughts. While he didn’t want to die, he felt lost and unsure of how to truly live. As he engaged with VA services, he returned to school and earned his Associate's Degree, which paved the way for his career as a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor.

In 2023, Rick completed the Compassionate Warrior Council and Reintegration (CWCR) group, which profoundly deepened his understanding of the essential role that grieving, compassion and community support plays in the healing process. He also completed the ACT for Moral Injury program, further enriching his journey. Shortly thereafter, he earned his certification as a Peer Support Specialist (PSS), equipping him to provide valuable support to others on their paths to recovery.

In 2024, Rick participated in the Veteran Rite of Passage Ceremony, an experience that brought him profound solace and deepened his commitment to uncovering his true identity, purpose, and sense of belonging. This journey enhanced both his inner healing and his connection to the wholeness of life through nature. He discovered that he is inherently connected and enough just as he is. By working from the inside out while embracing nature’s teachings from the outside in, he found a harmonious balance that nurtured his growth. Rick’s vision is to support the expansion of access to the Veteran Rites of Return program, helping veterans who seek to reconnect with their heart of home.