Awards
Soldier’s Heart received a 2015 GOBY Award from the Stakeholders, Inc., an organization dedicated to inspiring and equipping people to make positive change in their communities. The GOBY Awards honor outstanding individuals and organizations that embody true community service. Soldier’s Heart was nominated in honor of its work with military families.
Soldier’s Heart won the 2014 We Serve Award for Excellence in Mentoring. The We Serve awards are the culmination of a completely independent online nationwide nomination and voting process making it possible for veterans and military family members themselves to nominate and cast winning votes for those veteran service providers who they believed offered the most tangible, holistic and compassionate services to the military community.
Cultural Achievement Awards, Artists and Humanists’ Projects, New York City, 2011
Award of Distinction, Communicators Awards, for “War, Earth and the Soul,” Bioneers Radio Show, 2007
Testimonials
“I can’t say enough about how inspiring this retreat was. Roger and Paul led us on a journey to understand the wounds we carry from military service. I returned home with self respect and a new identity. Thank You.”
—Jim Cahill, Vietnam Veteran, Naval Aviation. Founder, AmVets Chapter 222, Sparta NJ
“This organization is a one of a kind, all heart & soul. They are there in a vet’s darkest hours and turn it around. I love them!”
—Estephania LeBaron, Owner, LeBaron Productions
“Soldier’s Heart is a singular, well founded, group, the likes of which I have not seen in my work as a Chaplain in the Army. All of us want to ‘do’ something. Ed, you and Soldier’s Heart are willing to empty the spiritual, psychological and sometimes real ‘bedpans’ of individual broken lives and assist in the necessary work of healing.”
—CH(COL) Mike Lembke, Army Chaplain
“Soldier’s Heart is so important to the veteran’s community, their healing, and to their journey toward healing and finally being able to “come home” in mind, heart and soul. As a veteran who had my own struggles for years, and now as a Social Worker helping my Brothers and Sisters- I’ve seen and experienced what they do first hand.”
—Don McCasland, Co-founder, Soldiers & Families Embraced; SFC, US Army (Ret) Desert Shield/Desert Storm & 3-Tour OIF Veteran; Certified Clinical Trauma Professional
“As the hours and days went on, as the group shared more in depth of our personal stories, and together chanted, drummed, meditated, stretched our weary bones though gentle morning yoga my heart began to soften, my mind began to feel soothed. I felt embraced by a loving community who knew the agony of loss, the horrors of war, who received each other’s different experiences as precious gems of truth and courage. We melded together in mutual respect and compassion for one another.”
—Susan G. Turley and Cliff Moore, parents of Pfc. Keith Jesse Moore
“My weekend [at the retreat] was one of the turning points in my healing journey. It was one of the most memorable weekend’s I had in a very long time. I had the opportunity to finally understand what happened to me in the military, something I had suppressed for many years because it was just too painful to bring up, so much guilt, shame, and rage against myself for the actions I had done, and the lives I had changed because of the choices, actions, and decisions I made to cope with the “soul wounding” I received from the work I was doing. I finally understood what happened to me. And, I understood what happened to my family as a consequence of generations of service during war. Hearing the stories of so many veterans, family members of veterans, their providers, I realized they were telling my story and my family’s story. The emotions, feelings, and love expressed in the council convened by Dr. Tick and his wife Kate was so extraordinary, I finally allowed myself to grieve for the young officer I was who had no idea the enormous, epic, destructive forces that were devouring him on the inside, and felt much compassion for him for he was doing his best to deal with the pain he felt.
—1Lt. Charles Pacello (RET)
