SoldierStrong, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to providing revolutionary medical technologies to help injured veterans lead full lives, today announced a year-long partnership with Honor and Respect to benefit veterans throughout the country living with post-traumatic stress.
Honor and Respect is a Marion, Iowa, firm launched in 2018 by U.S. Air Force veteran Ron Slagle and his family to raise funds to aid first responders and military personnel, who “devote their lives to helping all of us” and are caught in the midst of the mental health crisis through the sale of one-of-a-kind athletic shoes. Slagle said Honor and Respect will donate a share of its proceeds from every purchase of its shoes to SoldierStrong’s StrongMind initiative, which seeks to reduce the disturbingly high national average of 20 veteran suicides a day. Through the partnership, SoldierStrong will receive $10 of every purchase of Honor and Respect’s shoes.
“I believe it is all of our responsibility to offer help to those who have dedicated their lives to helping all of us, either through service in the military or as first responders,” said Slagle, a Marion police officer. “Those experiencing PTS should not have to live through their symptoms alone and aside from honoring all of those who have served, we must also make sure that the very best in treatment is available to those who may need it. I feel empowered to be partnering with SoldierStrong in an effort to further guarantee that appropriate PTS treatment is widely and readily available.”
The StrongMind initiative donates virtual reality systems to Veterans Administration medical centers across the country to assist in treating veterans experiencing PTS. The StrongMind initiative has donated 14 VR software and hardware systems to the VA since September.
“Honor and Respect is a remarkable demonstration of patriotism and compassion by an outstanding family from America’s heartland. SoldierStrong is proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with Honor and Respect as we work both to ensure that those who have served our nation are provided the resources they need to help them take their next steps forward into life after service,” said Chris Meek, SoldierStrong co-founder and chairman. “The Slagle family’s desire to donate a share of Honor and Respect’s proceeds to SoldierStrong will provide direct care for veterans coping with the effects of post-traumatic stress.”
He continued, “It’s important that all revolutionary technologies to treat PTS are available to any and all veterans who might benefit from these services. That’s why it is SoldierStrong’s mission to get the StrongMind program into as many VA Hospitals as possible, so that the greatest number of veterans can have access and the chance to benefit from the effective technology in an effort to relieve their PTS symptoms.”
