Bar X Project is committed to bringing healing to veterans and helping them lead thriving lives. The nonprofit was founded in 2011 by James Moran and Rob Lowe, who both share a passion for helping veterans returning to civilian life.
Moran, who serves Bar X as executive director, says, “I served eight years and did three deployments as a US Marine Corps Infantry Officer after the events of 9/11. This allowed me to see firsthand the bravery, sacrifice, ethical character, and courageous fighting spirit of young Marines.”
The heroism he witnessed in the military alongside the challenges he saw and personally experienced for veterans returning from war became the foundation for the Bar X Project.
The organization funds all-expenses-paid trips to Montana for veterans where they experience days of reconnecting, guided fly-fishing and programs designed for healing, all set against the backdrop of the backcountry.
“Two aspects make the Bar X Project unique,” says Tim Lynch, Bar X Project’s chief of staff. “First, each iteration involves a specific unit that deployed together, so the veterans already know one another. Second, it integrates the Post-Traumatic Winning program, a proven system for dealing with trauma, with the starting point that nothing is wrong with you. Trauma affects every life, and the PTW system provides practical tools to help individuals overcome it.”
Participants who have reunited with their unit during Bar X trips have shared the impact of gathering with people who understand their experiences: “I haven’t talked or hung out with anyone since I got out of the Marines. I'm sort of distanced from all my friends back home, since they’re on a different path than me. Getting to hang out with guys who were with me through one of the biggest life-changing experiences I’ll ever have was so great.”
Another participant says: “Reuniting wounded Marines and letting them know they are not alone as they navigate life after the Marine Corps has immediate and long-term impacts. The same bonds that were forged on the battlefield exist in life after active duty—this is one of the fundamental tenets of the Bar X Project.”
Each Montana reunion allows veterans to speak openly about their experiences during deployment, struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder and other challenges adjusting to life after war.
Those conversations and the programs established at Bar X Project retreats help veterans recognize that they are not alone. PTSD and other struggles do not mean anything is wrong with them, and there is a purposeful way forward.
Moran says, “War will change a person. After dealing with my own personal struggles in assimilating back into society, I can say that I am in a much better place thanks to staying in contact with guys I served with as well as rebuilding productive mental habits.”
That is why the Bar X Project trips have evolved to include the PTW program, financial literacy training and more.
Readers can support the nonprofit’s mission by visiting its website to donate or purchase merchandise. Each donation and purchase directly supports veterans and the healing efforts of Bar X.
To learn more or donate, visit BarXProject.org.