Healthy Veteran Highlights • September 2026

One of the best ways to understand our approach is to think about an iceberg. The small portion above the water represents what we can easily see. It may be a veteran struggling with anxiety, depression, isolation, substance use, or a lack of direction. These are real problems, and there are times when a weekend retreat, counseling, time away from the pressures of everyday life, or an opportunity to reconnect with family, faith, and purpose can make a tremendous difference. Those interventions have value, but they may not address everything that is happening beneath the surface. 

The majority of an iceberg is hidden underwater, and we believe the same can be true for a veteran who is struggling. At NCHV, we intentionally seek to serve veterans we describe as being “under the water.” These are men who often arrive carrying significant and complicated challenges. They may be dealing with PTSD, traumatic brain injury, depression, anxiety, substance use disorder, homelessness, broken relationships, unemployment, or a loss of purpose. In many cases, they are dealing with several of these issues at the same time. 

At the National Center for Healthy Veterans, we use a simple Red, Amber, Green (RAG) coding system to help us understand where each Patriot is in their journey toward becoming a healthy, productive veteran. Red represents those who are at the highest level of risk and need significant support. These may be veterans struggling with issues such as mental health challenges, PTSD, traumatic brain injury, substance abuse, homelessness, unemployment, or a lack of healthy support systems. Amber represents veterans who may be functioning better but are still facing significant challenges that can prevent them from moving forward and living a healthy, stable life. Green represents a veteran who has developed the tools, stability, relationships, purpose, and confidence needed to successfully move forward in life. The veterans who enter our program are in the Red or Amber zone. Our goal is not simply to manage their challenges, but to walk alongside them through a structured program of accountability, counseling, education, fellowship, work, faith, and personal responsibility. We work with each Patriot to identify the issues keeping them in the Red or Amber and provide the support and opportunities necessary to address those challenges.  

Our current data shows that 81% of Patriots enter the program in the Red Zone, while 59% of graduating Patriots have made a measurable conversion to the Green Zone. Those numbers are important, but they mean much more to us than statistics on a page. They represent fathers going home to their children, husbands returning to their wives, men going back to work, veterans reconnecting with their communities, and men who once believed they had little left to offer discovering that they still have a great deal to give. 

Chris is one example. Chris came to NCHV after spending 22 years in prison. Today, he serves as the Community Center Director at NCHV Village 1. Five days a week, he cooks for Patriots and staff and helps operate the community center that serves as a gathering place for the village. His greatest contribution, however, may be what he demonstrates simply by the way he lives. Chris is a living example of what it looks like to learn, work the process, accept responsibility, and build a successful life after graduation. His story reminds the men around him that their past does not have to determine their future. 

Howie is another example of what can happen when a man commits himself to the process. He came to NCHV searching for purpose and change and was willing to put in the time, effort, and sweat equity necessary to develop new behaviors and create lasting change. After graduation, Howie returned to his home state of Kentucky to be with his wife and children. Today, he is working in ministry in his local community. The man who came to NCHV looking for purpose is now helping others find theirs. 

Austin, one of our more recent graduates, arrived unsure of his identity and searching for purpose. Like the others, he chose to work the process. He invested in himself and in the program and learned that change does not happen simply because life becomes easier. Real change happens when we develop the tools and character to respond differently when the storms of life come. Today, Austin is serving on staff at Valor Farm, working alongside the equine team, while also facilitating a trauma recovery class for second-trimester Patriots. The man who once came looking for purpose is now helping other veterans believe that change is possible. 

Today, 11 Patriots are actively participating in programming and living in Village 1. Four Patriots graduated on August 20, 2026, and are now preparing to transition off the property into housing and employment opportunities. Some are working locally in the community, while others are continuing their work at Valor Farm and NCHV. We are also preparing for another group of new arrivals and graduates in November. Each group represents another opportunity to change the trajectory of a veteran’s life, one Patriot at a time.