Warriors & Quiet Waters – Matching Year-End Grant

‍Warriors & Quiet Waters - Bozeman, Montana
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Warriors & Quiet Waters (WQW) was founded by retired Marine Colonel Eric Hastings. During Vietnam flight missions "high above the absolute death and destruction on the ground," Hastings traced meandering ribbons that cut through the jungle and reminded him of the trout streams of home. When he returned to Montana in 1969 to a nation, decades away from diagnosing PTS, he went straight to the water. He tied a fly to a line and cast. The river, he claims, healed him. In 2007, Hastings and a dedicated group of volunteers founded WQW to share the healing he found through fly fishing with a new generation of combat veterans. After years of paying service to our country, post-9/11 combat veterans have a new critical mission: finding their purpose in civilian life. WQW programs focus mainly on providing Warriors a place of safety, respite, connection, and support, where they are guided to commit to personal growth, find a new purpose in life after service, and develop resiliency in the face of] uncertainty. Through outdoor experiences, veterans find space to ponder the big questions about their life after service: What do I want to do with my life? What do I value? What brings me joy? Through this reflection, veterans can find their new mission. In the process, WQW fosters the kind of community that becomes a family. Warriors make lifelong connections with people they walk alongside as they work toward their newfound purpose. Through this newfound family, Warriors find a sense of love, connection and belonging. Together, they guide post-9/11 combat veterans and their loved ones to thrive and live a purposeful, resilient life. When WQW was seeking funds to use as a matching grant for their annual year-end appeal fundraiser, JTMF was pleased to step in with a $50,000 donation. The JTMF Foundation is proud to support our veterans and the wonderful work being done by WQW.

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