The Highground facilitated its first military couples retreat October 20-22, 2023. “Operation Re-Connect” invites Veterans and their spouses or partners to get away from their daily routines and enjoy a peaceful yet purposeful weekend at no cost to them. The Highground is grateful to the Marshfield Elks Lodge 665 for their generous sponsorship which helped make Operation Re-Connect a success.
“Military couples face unique challenges whether they were together during active duty and deployments or if they met each other afterward,” said Chris Pettis, Executive Director of The Highground. “We want to help them develop and hone new skills to strengthen their relationships.”
For the Veteran’s partner who experienced active duty and their Veteran’s deployments, they were a part of the process and saw the changes as they happened. For the couple who met after active duty or the deployments, the partner is sometimes oblivious to the process and the effects until the day their Veteran is triggered and their whole world changes in a minute.
The availability of free Veteran couple retreats are on the rise, but still many people shy away from them because they are worried about self-disclosure or embarrassment in a group setting. Operation Re-Connect is structured to provide a calm and supportive environment where the couples feel safe to share their experiences and not feel alone in the challenges they face.
Cathleen Holm, a licensed Psychotherapist experienced with military couples counseling, guided two of the relationship-enhancing exercises. With her incredibly supportive, light-hearted, and yet, no nonsense style, Cathleen validated struggles, provided antidotes to relationship saboteurs, and allowed the couples to tackle serious discussions from a different perspective. “I felt empowered instead of deflated,” said one individual of their experience.
The Highground retreat staff facilitated fun, interactive and insightful activities that helped to strengthen the couple’s connections with each other, providing a “home front” supportive approach. With the overwhelming positive reviews from the participants, The Highground looks forward to the next Operation Re-Connect retreat scheduled for October 18-20, 2024. For more information regarding The Highground’s Veterans Programs, contact Bonnie or Theresa at 715-743-4224 or send an email to events@thehighground.us or museum@thehighground.us
For event dates, news and more, visit our Calendar of Events or follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/TheHighgroundVeteransMemorial.
The Highground is located at W7031 Ridge Rd, Neillsville WI 54456. thehighground.us.