SoldierStrong Donates Life-Changing ExoSym® Device to Marine Corps Veteran and Former Police Officer

Patrick HaberSoldierStrong, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to providing revolutionary medical technology to America’s veterans, today announced the donation of an ExoSym® Orthosis to Patrick Haber, a Marine Corps veteran and former police officer whose career-ending ankle injury left him with chronic pain and limited mobility.

The ExoSym, available exclusively through Hanger Clinic in Gig Harbor, Washington, is a custom hybrid prosthetic-orthotic device that uses advanced carbon-fiber energy-storing technology to restore function and independence for individuals with severe lower limb injuries.

Haber served in the United States Marine Corps from 2015 to 2020, achieving the rank of Sergeant. During his service, he deployed with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, working as a helicopter mechanic on the UH-1Y, AH-1W, and AH-1Z aircraft. After his honorable discharge, Haber pursued his lifelong dream of serving his community as a police officer, first in North Carolina and then in Arizona.

Just over a year into his patrol career with the Arizona-based police department, Haber sustained a catastrophic injury while chasing a felony suspect on duty. Landing an unexpected six-to-seven-foot drop from a fence, he shattered his ankle and talus bone. Three surgeries over two years failed to restore full function, and Haber was ultimately medically retired from law enforcement.

“I could barely carry groceries up the stairs,” said Haber. “I couldn’t run with my son, couldn’t hike with my wife. I went from training for a full marathon to struggling to walk without pain every single day.”

Now 34 and living in Missouri with his wife and six-year-old son, Patrick has channeled his resilience into rebuilding his life, losing 75 pounds and launching a small sourdough bread business at local farmers markets. But the daily pain persists, and his son’s words remind him of what’s still at stake. “He tells me, ‘Maybe one day we can run together again,'” Haber shared. “That’s what drives me.”

“Working with Ryan Blanck and his team at Hanger Clinic in Gig Harbor, WA was such a great experience,” Haber continued. “They not only helped me overcome physical barriers, but the psychological barriers that developed after my injury. I have nothing but good things to say about my experience, and am truly grateful for SoldierStrong’s generous donation of this device.”

SoldierStrong’s donation of the ExoSym device may help Haber participate in activities that have become difficult since his injury.

“Patrick exemplifies the selfless dedication we see in so many of our nation’s veterans,” said Dr. Chris Meek, co-founder and chairman of SoldierStrong. “He served his country, then continued serving his community as a police officer. When he needed care, we were proud to step in. This is exactly the mission SoldierStrong was built for.”

Since its founding in 2009, SoldierStrong has provided life-changing medical technologies, including wearable robotic exoskeletons to help paralyzed veterans walk again, and BraveMind virtual reality therapy systems to treat post-traumatic stress; and educational scholarships, to veterans across the country. The organization directs the vast majority of every dollar raised directly to programs serving America’s heroes and has donated more than $7.3 million in revolutionary medical technology to date.

To learn more about SoldierStrong or to support its mission, visit SoldierStrong.org.

About SoldierStrong
Since 2009, SoldierStrong has assisted America’s military veterans in taking their next steps forward in life after service. Our mission is fully realized through the donation of revolutionary medical technology to Veterans Affairs medical facilities and individual veterans across the country. These revolutionary medical technologies include the SoldierSuit, a wearable robotic exoskeleton used to help paralyzed and injured veterans walk again, and the BraveMind virtual reality system used to treat post-9/11 veterans living with the devastating impacts of post-traumatic stress (PTS). To date, SoldierStrong has donated more than $7.3 million in advanced medical technology, including 32 SoldierSuits and 32 BraveMind systems. For more information, visit soldierstrong.org.

About the ExoSym®
The ExoSym Kinetic Orthosis is a custom hybrid prosthetic-orthotic device designed and patented by Ryan Blanck, CPO, of Hanger Clinic in Gig Harbor, Washington. A lighter, stronger evolution of the military-developed IDEO (Intrepid Dynamic Exoskeletal Orthosis), the ExoSym uses energy-storing carbon-fiber technology to restore mobility for individuals with severe lower limb injuries. The ExoSym Care Program is available exclusively at Hanger Clinic’s Gig Harbor facility. Learn more at HangerClinic.com.

Award-Winning Documentary The Heroism and Resiliency of 9/11: From Tragedy to Triumph Sets Hollywood and New York Premiere Dates

Award-winning filmmaker Michael Gier, SoldierStrong, and The 9/11 Legacy Foundation will premiere The Heroism and Resiliency of 9/11: From Tragedy to Triumph to Hollywood at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres on Wednesday, August 26, 2026 and to New York at the AMC Empire 25 in Time Square on September 8th, 2026.

Narrated by Gary Sinise and produced by Gier Productions in collaboration with SoldierStrong, with Dr. Chris Meek serving as executive producer, The Heroism and Resiliency of 9/11: From Tragedy to Triumph examines 9/11 through the stories of first responders, survivors, public servants, national leaders, and everyday Americans whose courage and compassion helped define the aftermath of the attacks.

“I wanted to narrate this film because of the importance of its message,” said Gary Sinise, narrator of the film. “I think it’s very important that we never forget that day, and I think The Heroism and Resiliency of 9/11 is going to have a great impact. It will be a film that lives on and helps future generations understand what happened that day.”

The Hollywood and New York premieres will take place ahead of the 25th commemoration of the September 11 attacks, honoring the courage, resilience, and enduring spirit that emerged in the aftermath of the tragedy.

Both premieres will serve as an evening of remembrance and gratitude, honoring first responders while highlighting the stories of heroism, resiliency and national unity featured throughout the film. Additional details regarding special guests, red carpet arrivals and a post-screening Q&A will be announced at a later date.

“There have been many films about 9/11, but this is the first documentary to focus primarily on the heroism, resilience, and positive legacy that emerged from the tragedy,” said Michael Gier, the film’s director and producer. “Our film is uplifting and inspirational, honoring those who stepped forward in a time of crisis, introducing remarkable stories to new audiences, and reminding us of the strength, unity, and humanity that can emerge when people come together.”

Through firsthand accounts, archival footage, dramatized reenactments, and powerful storytelling, the documentary brings viewers to all three sites of the September 11 attacks — the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and Flight 93 — while honoring the extraordinary courage, sacrifice, and resilience that emerged from that day.

The film features interviews and stories from former White House Chief of Staff Andy Card, Port Authority Police Officer Will Jimeno, former CIA Director Leon Panetta, country music legend Lee Greenwood, former Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Roger Ferguson, the inspiring 9/11 Boatlift, the heroic passengers aboard Flight 93, and the first responders and civilians involved in rescue efforts at the Pentagon.

The film has earned five Best Documentary honors from the Beaufort International Film Festival, CENFLO Film Festival, New York City Independent Film Festival, New York Movie Awards, and the London Movie Awards.

“September 11 changed all of us, but it also revealed the very best of America. This film exists to ensure that the stories of heroism, sacrifice, resilience, and compassion that emerged from that day are never forgotten. At SoldierStrong, we see the lasting impact of 9/11 through the veterans and first responders we serve every year. Bringing this documentary to audiences across the country is our way of honoring their legacy and saying to every first responder, survivor, and veteran: Your story matters, and we will never stop telling it,” said Chris Meek, co-founder of SoldierStrong and executive producer of The Heroism and Resiliency of 9/11.

The film will be available in August on major digital platforms, including Amazon Prime Video, Google TV, Apple TV, and others.

Images, the official poster, trailer and additional press materials are available upon request.

About The Heroism and Resiliency of 9/11
The Heroism and Resiliency of 9/11 is a documentary directed and produced by Michael Gier and narrated by Gary Sinise. Produced in collaboration with SoldierStrong, the film looks beyond the tragedy of September 11 to highlight the bravery, humanity, sacrifice, and unity that emerged in its aftermath. Through firsthand accounts, archival footage, and dramatized reenactments, the documentary honors first responders, survivors, public servants, families, and everyday heroes whose stories continue to shape the legacy of 9/11. Watch the film trailer and more at The911Film.com

About Gier Productions
Gier Productions is an award-winning film and media production company founded by Michael Gier. The company produces feature films, documentaries, commercials, and corporate media that inspire, educate, and drive social impact. Known for powerful storytelling and high production value, Gier Productions’ work frequently highlights themes of resilience, service, and the strength of the human spirit. Its mission is to create content that not only entertains but also makes a meaningful and lasting difference. Learn more at GierProductions.com

About SoldierStrong
Since 2009, SoldierStrong has assisted America’s military veterans in taking their next steps forward in life after service. Our mission is fully realized through the donation of revolutionary medical technology to Veterans Affairs medical facilities and individual veterans across the country. These revolutionary medical technologies include the SoldierSuit, a wearable robotic exoskeleton used to help paralyzed and injured veterans walk again, and the BraveMind virtual reality system used to treat post-9/11 veterans living with the devastating impacts of post-traumatic stress (PTS). To date, SoldierStrong has donated more than $7.3 million in advanced medical technology, including 32 SoldierSuits and 31 BraveMind systems. For more information, visit soldierstrong.org.

About the 9/11 Legacy Foundation
The 9/11 Legacy Foundation is dedicated to ensuring that the memory of September 11, 2001, and its enduring impact on our nation are always remembered. Through education, storytelling, and commemoration, the Foundation preserves stories of heroism, sacrifice, and resilience. By engaging survivors, families, first responders, and future generations, the Foundation works to honor those we lost and inspire a renewed commitment to unity, service, and vigilance. Learn more at www.the911legacy.org.

SoldierStrong Donates Real® i-Series System to VA Boston Healthcare System to Advance Veteran Wellness and Mental Health Care

SoldierStrong announced the donation of the REAL® Immersive Systems to the VA Boston Healthcare System.

The donation will support U.S. military veterans receiving care at VA Boston by providing immersive virtual reality (VR) technology designed to enhance wellness, engagement, and mental health support. The REAL® i-Series delivers interactive VR experiences that promote relaxation, cognitive engagement, and stress management in a clinically guided setting.

“We’re grateful for this generous contribution,” said Matthew Edwards, chief of VA Boston’s Center for Development and Civic Engagement. “VR experiences can complement existing clinical care, offering our Veterans an additional resource for engagement and wellness support.”

The REAL® i-Series is designed as a flexible, user-friendly immersive platform that can be used across a variety of care environments. The system supports seated VR experiences that encourage mindfulness, emotional regulation, and cognitive stimulation through a library of guided immersive content. It is intended to complement existing clinical care by offering patients an additional tool for engagement and wellness support.

Virtual reality continues to expand its role in healthcare, particularly in supporting veterans who benefit from immersive and interactive environments that foster relaxation and participation. By integrating VR-based wellness tools into care pathways, clinicians can help enhance patient engagement and provide additional resources for stress reduction and emotional well-being.

“Veterans deserve access to every available tool that can support their recovery, resilience, and overall well-being,” said Dr. Chris Meek, co-founder and chairman of SoldierStrong. “The REAL® i-Series gives clinicians an innovative way to engage patients through immersive experiences that promote calm, focus, and cognitive wellness. We are proud to support VA Boston in expanding access to these types of forward-thinking resources for the veterans they serve.”

This donation is part of SoldierStrong’s broader mission to provide state-of-the-art medical technologies to veterans and VA medical centers across the country. To date, SoldierStrong has donated more than $7.3 million in revolutionary devices, including wearable robotic exoskeletons known as “SoldierSuits,” which help paralyzed veterans stand and walk, and the BraveMind virtual reality system used to treat veterans living with post-traumatic stress (PTS).

With the addition of the REAL® i-Series systems, VA Boston will further expand its ability to deliver innovative, patient-centered wellness and mental health support to the veterans it serves.

About SoldierStrong
SoldierStrong assists U.S. military veterans in taking their next steps forward in life after service. Through educational scholarships and by harnessing the most innovative technology in advanced rehabilitation, we help returning service men and women move in the only direction they should know – forward. Nearly every dollar SoldierStrong receives goes towards support of veterans so that they can better transition to and thrive in civilian life. Our organization works to remind veterans who have sacrificed so much that we are forever thankful. For more information, visit: https://www.soldierstrong.org/.

About VA Boston Healthcare System
VA Boston HCS provides comprehensive health care and services to more than 65,000 Veterans from the greater Boston area and across New England, including primary care, mental health, vision care, surgery, rehabilitation services, oncology and diagnostic imaging, as well as emergency services, long-term care and a spinal cord injury unit.

Reference herein to any specific commercial products, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government and shall not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes.

Confidential Care to Provide BraveMind Virtual Reality Treatment to Veterans

Confidential Care in Wasilla, Alaska, is the country’s latest medical facility to partner with the national nonprofit SoldierStrong to provide a groundbreaking virtual reality system known as BraveMind to aid in treating veterans experiencing post-traumatic stress (PTS).

SoldierStrong, a Stamford, Conn.-based organization, is dedicated to helping veterans take their next steps forward in life after service by connecting them with revolutionary medical technologies donated to Veterans Affairs and other medical facilities. The organization has donated the BraveMind system to Confidential Care, a private psychiatric and mental health agency where clinicians specialize in working with veterans, in an effort to combat the national average of 17 veteran suicides per day.

Since SoldierStrong’s inception following the tragic events of September 11, 2001, the organization has donated more than $7.3 million in medical devices to help injured veterans. This donation marks the 31st BraveMind system donated to a VA or partner facility since late 2019.

“Confidential Care is deeply honored to partner with SoldierStrong and become the first provider of the BraveMind virtual reality system in Alaska,” said Kristina Kruchowski, owner of Confidential Care. “This generous donation represents a major step forward in our commitment to delivering innovative, evidence-based care to the veterans who have sacrificed so much for our nation.”

Co-founder and chairman Dr. Chris Meek said SoldierStrong’s goal to make medical devices, including the BraveMind system, available in as many states as possible was a significant factor in the donation. This is the first BraveMind virtual reality system in the state, making the treatment accessible to Alaska’s veterans for the first time.

“We know that veterans experiencing PTS often find it both difficult and especially painful to summon specific memories from their time in service. BraveMind is designed to make the process of recalling those memories significantly easier for them,” Meek said. “The BraveMind system delivers prolonged exposure therapy, which is the practice of recalling a traumatic memory while working through that memory with a trained clinician. It’s an effective, evidence-based method for treating PTS.”

He continued, “With virtual reality’s rising popularity in non-medical settings, such as video games, entertainment and even the workplace, there’s convincing evidence that younger veterans will seek PTS treatment using VR techniques who otherwise may not be inclined to participate in traditional therapy practices.”

The virtual reality technology behind BraveMind was developed by Dr. Albert “Skip” Rizzo and his team at the University of Southern California’s Institute for Creative Technologies.

The technology creates 14 “worlds” of combat scenarios, from a desert roadway to a crowded Iraqi marketplace or a slum in an Afghan city. Therapists select a world based on a veteran’s traumatic experience and customize it in the virtual reality headset, thus placing veterans back in the midst of that memory at a pace they can handle.

“Utilizing the virtual reality technology in BraveMind gets veterans to talk about things they’ve never talked to anyone about before,” Rizzo said. “Those memories don’t have the same emotional power that they did before because repeatedly experiencing those troubling memories in a safe environment reduces the brain’s response to them. Patients start to feel empowered, to feel that they got it out and that they can talk about it.”

The program’s efficacy stems from clinicians’ ability to customize and control the content presented in the headset so precisely from sights, sounds, smells, vibrations ‒ even the weight and tactile sensation of holding a weapon ‒ that can create a patient experience mirroring the traumatic memory.

“I’m very pleased that Confidential Care is committed to our nation’s tradition of excellence when it comes to providing our heroes with world-class healthcare. I’m especially grateful that they are leading the way in offering the innovative technology for the very first time to veterans in Alaska,” Meek said. “Not only will BraveMind help to reach more younger patients, but it will provide expanded access and greater choice in PTS treatment to all of Alaska’s veterans.”

About SoldierStrong
Since 2009, SoldierStrong has assisted America’s military veterans in taking their next steps forward in life after service. Our mission is fully realized through the donation of revolutionary medical technology to Veterans Affairs medical facilities and individual veterans across the country. These revolutionary medical technologies include the SoldierSuit, a wearable robotic exoskeleton used to help paralyzed and injured veterans walk again, and the BraveMind virtual reality system used to treat post-9/11 veterans living with the devastating impacts of post-traumatic stress (PTS). To date, SoldierStrong has donated more than $7.3 million in advanced medical technology, including 32 SoldierSuits and 31 BraveMind systems. For more information, visit soldierstrong.org.

About Confidential Care
Confidential Care is a private psychiatric and mental health agency, based in Wasilla, Alaska, dedicated to providing the highest quality therapeutic mental health services to aid individuals, groups and families through their most difficult and challenging times. For more information, visit confidentialcare.org.

SOLDIERSTRONG ANNOUNCES 2025 RECIPENTS OF ANNUAL INDIVIDUAL COMMITMENT TO SERVICE AWARD

Commitment to Service Award 2025SoldierStrong, the national nonprofit committed to delivering revolutionary medical technologies to America’s veterans, is proud to announce the individual co-recipients of the organization’s annual Commitment to Service Award today. 

The organization presents the Commitment to Service Award to individuals and corporations that have demonstrated exemplary and inspirational leadership and provided material support to SoldierStrong’s mission. Recipients leverage their talents and resources to elevate the standard of excellence in health care available to our nation’s veterans.

Mark Gottwald and Shari Yates have been announced as the co-recipients of last year’s award. 

The organization considers a number of factors and attributes in the selection of honorees, including their commitment to championing medical advancements that better the lives of those who have been injured while serving in defense of our freedom. It also considers how their contributions encourage leaders from across the country to keep our veterans and service members top of mind.

Through both Mr. Gottwald’s and Ms. Yates’ selfless support, and that of like-minded individuals, SoldierStrong is able to fulfill its mission to provide revolutionary medical technologies to Veterans Affairs medical facilities and individual veterans across the country. Their contributions to our efforts inspire others to also support organizations that benefit veterans and veterans issues. 

“We remain in awe of patriots like Mark Gottwald and Shari Yates who demonstrate reverence to our nation’s heroes through continued and conscious acts of kindness,” said Dr. Chris Meek, Co-Founder and Chairman of SoldierStrong. “On behalf of the men and women we serve, our board of directors, staff and volunteers, SoldierStrong extends our heartfelt gratitude to Mr. Gottwald and Ms. Yates for their continued commitment to uplift our efforts.”

Both recipients have supported SoldierStrong’s efforts to donate wearable robotic exoskeletons, known as SoldierSuits, which are used to aid paralyzed veterans in walking again, as well as BraveMind virtual reality software and hardware systems used to treat post-traumatic stress in post-9/11 veterans. SoldierStrong has donated more than $7.3 million in revolutionary medical technologies since 2013, including 32 SoldierSuits and 31 BraveMind systems to date.

Glenn Story, CEO of Patriot Mobile, accepted the 2025 Corporate Commitment to Service Award on behalf of the company at an event to benefit SoldierStrong at the American Journey Experience in Irving, Texas, in November. 

Past corporate and individual recipients include WWE Inc., United Rentals Inc., S&P Global, Bobby Rahal Automotive Group, Flags of Valor, Martha MacCallum of FOX News, IndyCar driver Graham Rahal, former Congressman Jon Runyan, and Lieutenant General (Ret.) Patricia D. Horoho, the 43rd Surgeon General of the U.S. Army.