Bravo Company Returns for Second Operation Resilience Retreat to Battle Veteran Suicide

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Jun 17, 2024, 09:51 ET

CHARLOTTE, N.C., June 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Five years since their first reunion, Army Veterans of Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, will reunite again with The Independence Fund to strengthen their connection and prevent Veteran suicide.

While deploying to Afghanistan in 2010, B Co 2-508 suffered significant loss and experienced traumatic events, including losing the lives of three service members in action and sending 24 more home as casualties. In the years following, two additional B Co 2-508 service members lost their lives to suicide.

Two members of B Co 2-508 at their first Operation Resilience

To reunite these Veterans, strengthen the bonds of brotherhood, and prevent further loss, The Independence Fund invited the company to attend the inaugural Operation Resilience retreat in 2019. The retreat proved to be a success, reuniting these Veterans and providing them the space to heal the invisible wounds of war. The retreat proved to be a place to strengthen the intangible bond created while serving together. The success of the first Operation Resilience retreat served as the catalyst for The Independence Fund to host several more retreats with other units in the years since. Now, the Veterans of B Co. 2-508 will return for their second Operation Resilience retreat to continue their healing journey together.

"In the years since starting Operation Resilience, we have realized the need to continue bringing these Veterans together," said Sarah Verardo, Chief Executive Officer of The Independence Fund and wife of a catastrophically wounded member of B Co. 2-508, SGT Michael Verardo. "The program encourages the company to reunite and work through their trauma together, rather than isolating, but that work is continuous for the rest of their lives. We are glad to help facilitate this reunion for them."

On June 20, The Independence Fund will host the group again for a weekend filled with expertly planned activities meant to strengthen their bonds and ensure no one fights their battle alone.

Members of B Co. 2-508 and the leadership of The Independence Fund are available to discuss this program's success and impact. To schedule interviews or coverage, please contact Katie Armstrong at [email protected].

ABOUT THE INDEPENDENCE FUND:

Founded in the halls of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, The Independence Fund was born to care for our nation's most catastrophically wounded surviving service members from the Global War on Terror. With an expansion to caring for the warfighter's family and all generations of wounded, ill, and injured heroes. The Independence Fund stands in the gap to help combat Veterans, active military, and wartime Allies with unmet needs. By restoring independence to those who sacrificed their independence so that we can remain a nation of freedom, The Independence Fund deploys tangible programs to restore our Veterans' and families' physical, spiritual, and emotional health. Known for the hallmark all-terrain track wheelchair program, The Independence Fund has provided over 2,600 trackchairs to severely wounded American heroes.

SOURCE The Independence Fund