Retreat guides veterans in transition to civilian life

The armada of rafts was only a quarter mile downriver before August Debyser reeled in the first fish of the morning.

“It’s a nice one,” he said, showing Dave Williams a distance of about 16 inches between his hands.

Not many trout were biting on the Middle Fork of the Flathead this late summer day, but Williams, who helped organize the fishing trip, gave a hearty cheer in return and encouraged Debyser to float his fly into the deep pool one more time.

Having served in the Army’s 10th Mountain Division from 2001 to 2007, Debyser was one of five combat-wounded veterans invited to Whitefish earlier this month for a weeklong retreat sponsored by the nonprofit Whitefish Veterans Support Team.

Debyser took part in a WVST winter retreat last January, but his trip this summer was a completely different experience.

In an effort to make the retreat more than just a vacation-like escape, WVST partnered with the Bozeman-based Commit Foundation, a program focused on guiding veterans in the transition from military life to the civilian world.

While sunny days were filled with float trips, adventures in Glacier National Park, and boat tours around Whitefish Lake, mornings and evenings were centered on mentoring veterans on how to achieve their career and family goals.

“It’s been such a liberating trip,” Debyser said. “I wish we could get every veteran transitioning to the civilian world up here. It’s been such an important part of my transition.”

Commit co-founder Anne Meree Craig had to make the transition herself after working in federal defense and intelligence agencies for a decade. When she left the government in 2010, she found tens of thousands of veteran’s service organizations ready to assist, but none that were focused on helping high-performing veterans move into their next career.

“They didn’t think they needed help,” she said. “They were SEALs, Rangers or led a platoon — our most high performing and high-value veterans were being overlooked.”

In launching Commit, Craig found that most of these veterans faced three distinct obstacles in making the transition. They didn’t understand how their military skills would translate to the private sector, they lacked confidence and they had a gap in imagination.

“We took it on as our mission to create serendipity for veterans by bringing people, perspective and opportunity into their lives,” Craig said.

The foundation’s approach from day one has been about having a small touch with a high impact. She says too many assistance groups, while well meaning, are overly focused on the total number of veterans they reach.

“We focus on quality over quantity,” Craig said. “These guys are use to being considered a number and you have to consider them as an individual if you want to transition them.”

That means detailed planning for these workshops that can start months in advance. Commit partners with groups like WVST, helps select appropriate veterans and then pairs them with local mentor in their selected career paths.

“If that means an eighth-grade teacher or financial planner, we help facilitate that,” Craig said.

Often, a mentor will spend an entire day with a veteran, allowing for more personal dialogue. And it’s not all about resumes and interviews, Craig said.

“It’s more about asking them ‘how are you a good dad and a good husband in the midst of this corporate gig,’” she said.

Group sessions are a big part of the program, as well.

The morning prior to the fishing trip, the group spent a few hours talking about unexpected paths to success.

“The private sector outside of the military can look pretty daunting,” Craig said. “Nobody has given you the guide on what’s next. So we have this discussion on this notion of path.”

Another workshop centered on failure as local business owners talked about overcoming hiccups in their own careers.

“In the military, failure isn’t acceptable because it often means you’ve lost a guy or one of your guys is wounded,” Craig said. “But in the private sector, failure means that someone is going to invest in you because you’ve cut your teeth and proven yourself.”

These discussions can go to unexpected places as veterans and their spouses become more comfortable in opening up with the group. Many times, martial and family issues left untouched finally get addressed, Craig said.

“Since 9-11, so many of these guys have been so focused on the mission,” she said. “But now it’s about the family.”

“But the cool thing about doing [the workshops] out here in Montana is that we muddy the water, we talk, then they get to go hop on the river or go for a hike and think about what we just did,” Craig added. “They are able to talk about some really deep stuff then go ride around Glacier and reflect.”

Debyser says it’s all part of the healing process.

“What a great way to dive into it and not be emotionally drained,” he said, looking up at the canyon walls lining the Middle Fork.

“Not only is it beautiful scenery and a place to heal, but the people with Commit and the Veterans Support Team care so much. That’s incredible and it’s missing from a lot of veterans.”

The Whitefish Veterans Support Team is hosting its next retreat this winter. To learn more about the nonprofit or to make a tax-deductible donation, contact Dave Williams at 406-212-0128.

To learn about the Commit Foundation visit www.commitfoundation.org.