The Challenge
Thank you for your interest in the Bar X Project. Never in the history of this great nation has there been 20+ years of sustained combat operations supported and fought by an all-volunteer military force. The men and women who serve our nation today know what it’s like to put others above self. This type of character is rare in our society today and all but extinct in the materialistic world we live in.
With the drawdown of forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, many veterans have returned home and struggle to smoothly transition into civilian life. The Wounded Warrior Project recently completed a study of returning veterans and found that 400,000 to 600,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are struggling to return to normal life.
The 2023 VA report on veteran suicide showed some alarming statistics. Currently, 17.5 veterans a day are feeling so hopeless that they are choosing to take their own life rather than face normal life in America. The report also showed that veterans were 57% more likely to take their own lives than their civilian counterparts. In 2021 there were 6,146 veteran suicides, nearly matching the total number of servicemen and women killed in action during the entire 20-year war in Iraq and Afghanistan. The VA is currently spending $10B a year on mental health and the suicide statistics are barely changing.
It is a national tragedy when any veteran returns home from war and chooses to end it all because they can’t deal with the transition or fail to matriculate back into society. The lost potential of these veterans can never be measured. These staggering figures confirm that we are amid a national crisis. It is our belief that these suicides occur since we as a nation are in uncharted waters with so many returning veterans finding so little in common with the 99% of the American population that have never served.
It is our belief at The Bar X Project that re-establishing the special bond forged in combat overseas is an untapped avenue to combatting PTSD and helping combat veterans return to normal life. Reestablishing this bond serves to remind veterans of their worth to their brothers-in-arms and help them realize their unlimited value and potential as they transition into civilian life. We invite you to join us in our mission through giving, hosting a trip, or helping us spread the word.
James Moran, Major, USMCR, Founder and Executive Director
Our Mission
To reunite Post 9/11 combat Veterans with their former units in order to reestablish the special bond forged in combat and equip them for personal and professional success.
What is a Bar X Project Trip?
All expense paid trip to Montana. Four nights and five days on some of the most picturesque ranches and lodges.
Day 1 – Travel to Montana Airport. Check in to the ranch
Day 2 – Full day of guided fly-fishing on the river (Stillwater, Yellowstone, Bighorn or Missouri river)
Day 3 – Post Traumatic Winning Course (PTW) or Survive Recover Live Course in the morning, guided fly-fishing in the afternoon.
Day 4 – Building Wealth class, free time (Custers battlefield, pontoon boat the canyon, hike, etc)
Day 5 – Travel home
These trips began in 2011 and have continued annually ever since. The combat veterans selected to participate in these trips have come from the Marine Corps Wounded Warrior Regiment for the first two iterations. After the first two trips, combat veterans have been sought out from units in which the board of directors served or through a reference of a wounded veteran in need.
As we know all too well, there is no shortage of combat veterans from the past 20+ years of war. Our organization also brings out combat veterans who have been wounded or struggled with PTSD and overcame it.
The feedback received from the veterans who have attended these trips has been overwhelming and provides the motivation to continue these trips indefinitely.
Thank you for taking the time to understand the need for a project like this. We encourage you to watch our videos and learn more about the impact these trips have on our American warfighters.
God bless America
