From the Founder
Why I created the Zero Dark Thirty Foundation
When most people think of the sacrifice made by our American Veterans and first responders, they think of those who lost their lives in the line of duty. While that is the ultimate sacrifice, it is not the most common. The most common sacrifice is living with PTSD and most of the time, the warrior is unaware of, or in denial about, their condition. This is why so many veterans and former first responders are alcoholics, drug addicts, serial cheaters in relationships, degenerate gamblers…etc. We all find different ways to numb the pain until we reach the point where nothing numbs it anymore. This is when we hit bottom and a lot of us turn to a more permanent solution, suicide. The suicide epidemic for our demographic is insane and it is time we do something about it.
There are so many different programs out there for warriors to get help with PTSD. Some of them work for a while, some of them work forever, and there are some that do not work at all. Who can tell you which ones are which? Who pays for the program when the warrior has no money? Who walks through the process with you? Who explains everything you are going through to your family, so they understand it and can support you through it? These are the questions I had when I hit bottom and I had no idea where to turn to answer any of them.
This is why I created the Zero Dark Thirty Foundation. When people ask what we do, I usually ask them to pull up a chair and I get them a cup of coffee because explaining everything we do takes some time. Basically, we are committed to removing the barrier personal finances put up when we are finally ready to get help and make some changes. In whatever form that takes.
The primary reason for creating the foundation was to help pay for warriors to get to the best programs in the country for PTSD. The primary program we recommend for most is Save a Warrior in Ohio. This is the premier program in the country, with a 99.9% success rate in preventing suicide and giving warriors some hope again. The program is free if you are a veteran, but not if you are a first responder. So, if you are a veteran, then you only have to pay for the airfare to get there and a hotel stay for a night before and maybe a night after the program. This, on average, is $1000 and most of us do not have that kind of money in the bank when we hit bottom.
If you are a first responder and not a veteran, then you have to pay for your spot in the program on top of travel. This could be in excess of $6000, so most of us see that and immediately shut off the will to get help. The ZDT Foundation has covered these costs for Idaho warriors for the last 4 years and we continue to do so.
On top of treatment, the ZDT Foundation also has helped warriors get PTSD service dogs. Service dogs are incredible resources for warriors with PTSD. The dogs can recognize an episode before it hits critical mass and can take steps to mitigate the damage or pull warriors out of the danger zone completely. To date, we have helped two warriors get fully trained and verified service dogs, at zero cost to them. PTSD service dogs range in price from $10,000 to $75,000 depending on the dog and location. These are amazing and lifesaving animals, but not many of us can afford one without help.
In short, ZDT Foundation grabs onto those suffering from service related PTSD and we show them the path we walked out of the darkness. We walk with them and their families as they learn a new way of being and finally heal old wounds from their time in service. If there is a financial hardship we can help with along the way, we will. Nobody should walk this path alone, so we ensure nobody in Idaho ever has to again.