The Raven Drum Foundation

Testimonials – Couple Odyssey Malibu 2012 - Hosted by Raven Drum and Wounded Warrior Project

• At first I was kind of hesitant in attending the WWP couples retreat but I am so blessed and privileged to have been chosen to be one of the couples to attend.  The staff is awesome.  I felt an instant connection with all of them.  I know I can honestly go to them if I ever need anything.  Meeting with other spouses made me realize and see that I am not alone, that other women are going through the same experience I am.  May God bless you all and thank you so much for this experience.  I feel so connected and in love with my husband.  I have an entire new perspective of our relationship.  I will never leave him behind.  I will fight this battle hand in hand with my hubby.  Once again thanks.
• My experience with the couple’s odyssey was beyond amazing. Our relationship was at a crossroads. We have been separated over 3 months, for the first time in twelve years and our relationship has been rocky for the past year. This Odyssey was a begging step at working things out. We haven’t’ been able to really have time alone without some sort of conflict. I really appreciate WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT and RavenDrum foundation for sponsoring this event which has been insightful for both me and my wife. This Odyssey helped guide our relationship and point use in the right direction.  Words cannot begin to express my gratitude for everything that happened at this Odyssey. Thank you to Rick & Lauren and the whole WWP staff and alumni.
• The Odyssey was awesome.  I learned a lot this week from all the vets and the staff.  I wish I could do more of ths to help me out.  I hope to be more involved with WWP.  Thank you all for a wonderful time and experience.
• Project Odyssey can’t be summed up in one word or statement.  It has been a positive, eye-opening, and amazing experience. It has given me a sense of pride and accomplishment in my relationship, where lately I have felt unsure, frustrated, and sad because of it.  It has given me a chance to open up and connect with other caregivers.  Having them support you is a great feeling because trying to explain the struggles you face as a caregiver can be difficult when talking to family or friend and they just don’t get it.  It is amazing that most of use came here as strangers and after a few days we truly feel like family.  Although, I knew about all these ways to improve communication and relationships, I never felt like any of those ideas stuck with me and made sense until the odyssey. This trip isn’t going to fix all of your problems overnight, but it is a huge, helpful step in the right direction.
• Project Odyssey has been a up lifting event that has got me to my first step of recovery and learning about myself.  I enjoyed my time being with other warriors and the bond that has been created.  Have a future and will aim for it.
• Project Odyssey couples retreat is one of the most life changing weeks I have ever experienced.  As a spouse of a wounded warrior, although I knew this was a couples retreat, I arrived thinking this was all to heal my husband.   I am so used to everything being about his recovery this healing that I never once thought about anything for ME! I was so pleased at the time we had to become closer to each other, learn to communicate with each other, be a team again. The best part was falling in love all over again.
• When I began to plan my trip here I had no sense of what to expect. What I may be doing, who I would be meeting, and where I may be heading. Honestly, I was just glad to finally have some time off from work… My brain was screaming for a brain break.  And I was thinking simple this would be nice for me and my partner. To understand each other on a deeper level, have a good time, not think about work, blah, blah, blah,… and all this did happen.  But on a massive level.  This odyssey entire experience has been extremely amazing for me individually. As a woman, mother, sister, daughter, and partner “all in one” I am truly blessed to have an awesome partner to share this moment with… As our journey will now being today. Thank you for giving me the “tools” to my “tool box” to be able supports all men and women warriors that may cross my path. I now have a purpose and a sense of where I need to serve and give back.
• I feel that this couple’s odyssey really helped me face my fear, and understand that I don’t have to be so hard on myself. This odyssey also helped me see that my partner is the most important person in my life, and not my enemy.
• This whole experience has been so much more than I expected. Coming into this just thinking it was going to e a vacation and then having all of the team building exercises and just having the opportunities to talk to and listen to the other warriors and connect with everyone to make me feel like a member of a family that finally understands my pain.  I wouldn’t trade this experience for the world and I thank you WWP for that.  Thank you.
• I came into this week not knowing what to expect but just hoping that it would help my partner. If by nothing else then at least by getting him away from everyday stresses for a few days.  Then our first day when we split up into men’s and women’s groups and we focused on use and the marriage unit and not just the soldier I was surprised!  The classes, lessons, groups, whatever you want to call them have been great and easy to take away what I needed from them.  I feel so blessed to have been able to come on this trip and have such a special growing experience with my husband. Thank you.
• My spouse and I have been on our “Odyssey” for over seven years now.  We have faced many creatures, which have vigorously attempted to thwart our journey home. From physical injuries to mental and emotional anguish. The road has been treacherous and long. The “couples” odyssey has been an island oasis along a pathway to recovery. Like the Swiss Family Robinson’s the island odyssey hasn’t been paradise. There have been “pirates and tigers” but we, as a couple, have learned to face and confront some of these inconveniences that odyssey has offered us.
• WWP Odyssey has shown us that we are stranger than we think.  We are stronger than we think. We love one another; we love enough about each other to continue navigating the pitfalls of life on our way back home.
• While the pathway may be uncertain, the creatures very real, we can find direction & we can overcome – together… Thank you RavenDrum, Big Heart Ranch, & WWP for showing us the way!
• I’ve always thought that being a veteran played no role in my “real world” life. I couldn’t have been more wrong.  Being a veteran, a combat veteran, impacts every interaction.  It changes how I view others. More importantly, it impacts how I view myself. Sometimes it’s a good perspective to have. Other times, being a combat veteran has created obstacles that would not have existed otherwise.
• Coming to the couples odyssey has helped me to understand that combat is not a thing of the past. I had forgotten about the bond that formed between myself and other soldiers during war.  The couples Odyssey reminded me that there are others that have my back. The Odyssey reminded me that my husband and I are on the same team, but connection with others didn’t end there.  I was given the opportunity to form relationships with others that truly understand my world.
• It was awesome to work (and I do mean work) with staff that encouraged me to actually feel emotion.  They didn’t judge my tears. They challenged me to participate as a way of working towards healing (rather than going through the motions out of sense of obligation to the team).  They truly cared about me as a person. 
  The activities were physically, mentally, and emotionally challenging.  Working as a team helped me to acknowledge my strengths and needs. It also helped me to realize my role in my relationships. Recognizing our strengths and limitations in marriage encourages us to pull together through team work.  The couples odyssey provided activities that let me strengthen myself and my marriage.Thank you for all the hard work that allowed us to work towards healing. This was a truly unique experience.
• My initial idea of the couples odyssey was that it was a “vacation” type of setting with some group interactions as in the evening.  It was actually interested in the “counseling” portion as I need help with my mental health and marriage.  Upon arrival, I met Mike Green, and his happy spirit was reflected throughout the entire staff and staff volunteers.  The concern was genuine.  When in group or activities the emotional support and connections were met beyond any experience I have had at the VA. Not only did the project help me connect to some of my own concerns, it also was arranged in a manner that gave me great insight and support for my spouse. This was not a typical, scripted time oriented “treatment”. It was shared trust, shared experiences, and a way to help reconcile with the past, look at ways to improve the present, and offer tools to create a better life with my spouse.
• We are so grateful for project odyssey because it gave us hope and courage to face the unknown.  We finally understand our purpose because of the program.  Thank you staff of Project Odyssey.