From tragedy to triumph: Healing America’s senior Veterans

There is a saying to “Take your mess and make it your message.” This adage resonates deeply with my experience growing up as the daughter of one of America’s Veterans, a World War II father who suffered from PTSD.

My father, Leland Oliger, enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard in 1943 at 17. He thought fighting in a war had to be easier than working on the farm. However, the combat he endured had a lasting impact on him and, after the war, he became an alcoholic. As a result, our family suffered along with him.

Despite his challenges, my father’s love for our country had a profound influence on my life. As a tribute to him, I started Forever Young Veterans in 2006 to bring honor and healing to World War II, Korea, and Vietnam Veterans. Although my father passed away in 1982, his legacy lives on through this work.

Initially, our mission at Forever Young Veterans was to fulfill wishes for older Veterans, such as reuniting them with comrades or helping them obtain medals they never received. But as we began this journey, we discovered our Veterans were still silently suffering, similar to what my father experienced. We realized then that more needed to be done for them.

That’s when we began doing Trips of Honor. These trips are not a vacation but a return to the places where they fought, immersing them in honor and gratitude and caring for the ways in which they still suffer. It’s on these trips where we see their hearts begin to soften and where they learn that their sacrifices mattered, no matter how small. Memories of death and destruction were replaced with images of a beautiful, free land and the gratitude of many nations. They feel they no longer need to face their burdens alone as they share their experiences with others who understand and care.

W.T. Hardwick, a D-Day Veteran, had nightmares for years leading up to his Trip of Honor to Normandy for the 70th Anniversary of D-Day. After the trip, he told us that he still had dreams. But instead of painful nightmares, they were dreams of coming home from war.

A Vietnam Veteran’s PTSD-stricken heart opened up after our trip to Washington, D.C. last year. His wife said, “My husband has had a lock on his heart since coming home from Vietnam, but this trip was the key that unlocked his heart, and love came pouring in. He’s a different man now.”

Forever Young Veterans has honored over 2,700 senior Veterans, granting their wishes and returning them to former battlegrounds like Normandy, Pearl Harbor and Italy. The impact has truly been immeasurable. They all say they feel lighter, like a burden has been lifted.

What seemed like a tragedy early on brought goodness and healing to many lives, including mine. My father is no longer remembered for his struggles with alcohol, but for bringing honor, healing and hope to America’s heroes.

Forever Young Veterans is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. It’s actively planning Trips of Honor for WWII, Korea and Vietnam Veterans. That includes returning WWII Veterans who are well enough to travel to Normandy, France in 2024 for the 80th anniversary commemoration of the D-Day invasion. For more information, visit foreveryoungvets.org.