Lone Survivor Foundation's Veterans Day Fundraiser

Founded in 2010 by retired Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell, Lone Survivor Foundation provides no-cost programs that help veterans and their families recover from the invisible wounds of war.

Marcus Luttrell’s #1 New York Times bestseller, Lone Survivor, tells the story of his teammate’s strength and their dedication to each other and to their country during Operation Red Wings, a mission to gather intelligence on Taliban leadership in Afghanistan. Marcus was the only survivor of this 2005 mission. Though he was badly injured in the ambush that claimed the lives of his team, he survived until American forces rescued him six days later.

“My experience getting healed up ultimately helped give me the vision to launch a foundation dedicated to caring for those who sacrificed part of themselves in service to America,” says Marcus. “We’ve got to make sure that the hell the veterans return from is not the hell they come home to. That’s what was promised, and that’s what’s deserved. Period. And even when the system doesn’t take care of our veterans, the citizens step up and start foundations and programs to help the wounded and the families of the fallen.”

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, Chronic Pain, and Traumatic Brain Injury are all “invisible” on the surface. However, these are very real conditions that are plaguing our veterans and, if not properly treated, can reduce quality of life at best and become debilitating at worst. Trauma causes physiological changes to the brain and nervous system, and symptoms can include anxiety, depression, flashbacks, sleep disturbances, and more.

Due to the complexity of these wounds, their emotional implications, and the unique needs of combat veterans, not all individuals respond to the standard government treatment plan of talk therapy and medication. The power of the Lone Survivor Foundation program comes from taking highly effective therapeutic tools out of the clinical setting and combining them with veteran comradery, education, and a relaxing environment.

Lone Survivor Foundation’s original program includes a progression of five-day Post-traumatic Growth sessions that are held in-person at their facilities. Fueled by increased demand and the COVID pandemic, LSF recently added a host of Virtual Programs as well. They are on track to serve 250% more veterans this year than they did in 2019. Lone Survivor Foundation is a Federal 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization. For more information on supporting them, please visit www.lonesurvivorfoundation.org. If you are interested in attending one of Lone Survivor Foundation’s no-cost programs, please visit www.lsfprograms.org.