{"id":39144,"date":"2019-03-07T17:21:23","date_gmt":"2019-03-07T17:21:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/03\/07\/new-free-transition-program-helps-vets-find-their-new-mission-after-service\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T07:32:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T07:32:14","slug":"new-free-transition-program-helps-vets-find-their-new-mission-after-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2019\/03\/07\/new-free-transition-program-helps-vets-find-their-new-mission-after-service\/","title":{"rendered":"New, free transition program helps vets find their mission after service"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When a friend asked Jeff McDonald to visit a new camp aimed at helping veterans <a href=\"https:\/\/rebootcamp.militarytimes.com\/\" target=_blank>transition to civilian life<\/a>, the call could not have come at a better time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Though McDonald left the Marine Corps after a dozen years of service, including Desert Storm, in 1995, the Corps <a href=\"https:\/\/rebootcamp.militarytimes.com\/transition-tips\/employment\/2019\/02\/05\/whats-the-no-1-thing-recruiters-look-for-on-a-resume\/\" target=\"_blank\">stayed with him <\/a>afterward and again took center stage when his son Chris joined and shipped off to combat in Iraq.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He had nothing but pride in his son\u2019s service and subsequent rise up the ranks to meritorious sergeant in the Marine Reserve \u201cMike\u201d Battery, where he also spent most of his career in Chattanooga, Tennessee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But when Chris came home, something had changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The violence of the tour lingered. That, along with an untreated injury for which military doctors prescribed pain pills, set his son on a dark path that ultimately led to his suicide in 2012.<\/p>\n\n\n<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link smg-interstitial-link--fallback wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.campsouthernground.org\/military-commitment\/programs\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__fallback-link\">Warrior Week at Camp Southern Ground helps veterans identify strengths and focus on a purpose for life after the military<\/a><\/aside>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the years since, McDonald has talked openly about the incident, trying to <a href=\"https:\/\/rebootcamp.militarytimes.com\/veterans\/2019\/02\/19\/here-are-some-surprising-ways-troops-and-vets-can-cut-their-student-loan-debt\/\" target=\"_blank\">help other veterans<\/a> who might face similar challenges. But his own feelings of guilt and remorse bubbled beneath the surface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While working at an outdoor store, a second job he\u2019d taken on after retiring as a school teacher, his pain erupted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt all just hit me, all at once,\u201d McDonald said. \u201cI totally snapped.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"5472\" height=\"3648\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/CHAP7061.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-75072\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/CHAP7061.jpg.jpg 5472w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/CHAP7061.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/CHAP7061.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/CHAP7061.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/CHAP7061.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/CHAP7061.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 5472px) 100vw, 5472px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Warrior Week at Camp Southern Ground is a new, free program that offers veterans a chance to assess their strengths, connect with a mentor and plan their own mission for post-military life. (Camp Southern Ground)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So when Chris\u2019 high school friend, retired Marine Staff Sgt. Joey Jones, called to ask if McDonald would come mentor transitioning veterans at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.campsouthernground.org\/military-commitment\/programs\" target=_blank>Camp Southern Ground<\/a>, McDonald agreed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But first, Jones told him, he\u2019d have to go through the program himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In its early stages, the transition program \u201cWarrior Week\u201d is trying to set itself apart, offering a free, immersive, week-long bonding experience in the woods south of Atlanta, Georgia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 500-acre property is home to a summer camp for kids in the warmer months and has been funded largely through a $20 million donation by Zac Brown of the Zac Brown Band. In addition, the band has devoted $2 of each ticket sale to continued funding of the site and its programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But there is also a total $50 million investment over the first three years of their buildup and a phase II investment that totals $100 million, Jones said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That funds upkeep of the facilities and staffing, as well as transportation and fees for the Warrior Week and other activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The program combines practical advice with digging into a veteran\u2019s larger goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jones explained that while groups do bond and connect over shared experiences, the program is \u201cforward-looking\u201d and focused on vets \u201cfinding your mission.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To accomplish that, they take a mixed approach that uses strength assessments to help vets discover their abilities. Then they work to define their purpose and finally develop a life plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019re about finding a healthy and happy life after service, being productive in whatever that means to you,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And Jones has had plenty of experience in charting his path. Jones lost both of his legs above the knee to a bomb blast while working as an Explosives Ordnance Disposal technician during a 2010 Afghanistan deployment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since then he\u2019s interned with Congress, worked for the Boot Campaign \u2014 a nonprofit veterans support organization \u2014 and now serves as spokesman and military advisor for Camp Southern Ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A holistic approach to the Warrior Week might be an understated description.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Attendees have long days that closely resemble military life, minus the shouting drill instructors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"4915\" height=\"3277\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/CHAP6494.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-75076\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/CHAP6494.jpg.jpg 4915w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/CHAP6494.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/CHAP6494.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/CHAP6494.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/CHAP6494.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/CHAP6494.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 4915px) 100vw, 4915px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Warrior Week at Camp Southern Ground is a new, free program that offers veterans a chance to assess their strengths, connect with a mentor and plan their own mission for post-military life. (Camp Southern Ground)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They\u2019re going from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily and work in \u201ctribes\u201d of four, much like fire teams, with a tribe leader \u2014 typically a mentor who\u2019s been through the program previously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are classes of course, but also ropes course team building, instructions in nutrition and share sessions where team members tell their stories and learn from each other about transition difficulties and successes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are core values talks, archery, axe throwing, even a yoga program created by semi-retired professional wrestler Diamond Dallas Page. And toward the end is a field trip to a business such as the Atlanta Braves baseball organization, the Georgia Film Academy or Glock firearms manufacturer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those are aimed at showing veterans alternative businesses that they might work for. A recent class went through a daylong firearms repair certification at Glock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">McDonald\u2019s perspective deepened as he went through the week-long course last year. Fellow veterans had been shot multiple times, lost limbs and taken a year or more to regain the ability to walk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey got me kind of going back in the right direction,\u201d he said. \u201cWe bonded like cement.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Brent Taylor, a veteran Marine, transitioned the best he knew how at nearly 23 years old. He\u2019d worked in radio repair, did tours in Iraq and left the service in 2010.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He got out, headed back to school and took some \u201cnowhere jobs\u201d before working at civilian armory. He would later rise through the ranks of the gun world to do sales for a company that made suppressors for special operations forces units.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But he didn\u2019t feel a sense of purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI didn\u2019t know how to define success,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He also learned about the program from Jones after having done work on various veteran nonprofits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"5472\" height=\"3648\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/CHAP5325.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-75080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/CHAP5325.jpg.jpg 5472w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/CHAP5325.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/CHAP5325.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/CHAP5325.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/CHAP5325.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/CHAP5325.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 5472px) 100vw, 5472px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Warrior Week at Camp Southern Ground is a new, free program that offers veterans a chance to assess their strengths, connect with a mentor and plan their own mission for post-military life. (Camp Southern Ground)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Taylor said that Jones told him to just come down, be a tribe leader and help people get to places on time. But, truthfully, Jones wanted Taylor to try the program himself, see if it could help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The assessments he did during the week alone helped him identify for the first time some of the strengths he had that he wasn\u2019t using in his sales jobs and were definitely not a part of what the Marines had trained him to do \u2013 working to help others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Driving home from the program, Taylor knew he had to make a change. After a talk with his wife, he decided he would join the camp staff. He now serves as the military program coordinator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Though McDonald, a 60-year-old Marine veteran, is old enough to be the father of many of his tribe members, he said that despite the generational difference the military bond has made the experience more level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou miss the brotherhood. You\u2019ll never find that anywhere else other than the service,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">McDonald said he can\u2019t help but think that something like this could have helped his son find direction after his time in the Marines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And he sees his future involvement as a way to use both his experiences \u2014 both the best and the worst \u2014 to help others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf I can keep someone from going through what I went through, what my family went through, buddy I\u2019m in,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The program offers skills assessment, life planning and work advice for free.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":75066,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":70,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[100,7,12,25,70],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3366],"class_list":["post-39144","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-education-transition","category-news","category-newsletters","category-your-army"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"E3U4NHNOWVGUXPFUZXDG7HIEHY","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-military\/2019\/03\/07\/new-free-transition-program-helps-vets-find-their-new-mission-after-service\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>New, free transition program helps vets find their mission after service - Army Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The program offers skills assessment, life planning and work advice for free.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"New, free transition program helps vets find their mission after service\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The program offers skills assessment, life planning and work advice for free.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" 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