Jarrad Turner
MVP has helped me get back with the camaraderie and brotherhood I appreciated in the military. Even though I wake up every morning with something hurting, I know on my worst day I won’t run away from it, and with my MVP brothers and sisters, we’ll push through. In Iraq, I couldn’t run away, and even though as a civilian, I’ve often felt alienated, at MVP, we are one
John Janata
“I tell vets they have to deal with their PTSD; repressing it thinking it will go away can affect their life and heath."
David Garcia
“It feels like I’ve ‘lost my honor.’ At MVP, they get what that expression means and understand how it makes me feel.”
Teak Safiya Wilson
“I made new friends at MVP who helped me get through the rest of my week. I’m usually a loner in big crowds, but I was able to talk a little bit more in smaller groups.”
Tayyiba Haneef-Park
“The chats afterward help you to know that you are not alone as you navigate through the transitions in your life. I’ve met people who are going through the same experiences.”
Roy Flores
“MVP has been monumental and instrumental to my transition. The morals, values, ethics, and optics that we have from our service and in MVP are of a different caliber than most people would not relate to or understand, but in a positive and powerful way.”
Alicia Wadington
“I suffer from PTSD. At MVP meetings we’re sharing and I know I’m not the only person dealing with these things. I’m lucky to have a safe place to talk, and I’m grateful for that.”
Isaac Saldivar
“MVP has helped me find my genuine self again, a new purpose and MVP will help guide me to the next stage in life—I am not alone. No more hesitating.”
Noel Huerta
“ Knowing that I had the same transition issues when leaving the service, I wanted to see if the program would help me too.”
Denver Morris
“I now know that transitioning vets and former professional athletes have lost their identity and sense of family. Now my confidence is much stronger, and if I’m having an emotional moment, there’s someone at MVP to help me get back on track.”
Elliot Ruiz
“By 2015 the VA had done everything possible for me. I needed more help than physical—I missed the camaraderie I had in the Marines. I asked myself: ‘What’s the next thing or goal to drive me?’”
Bobby Wise
“A lot of people don’t like to talk about their military service for a variety of reasons—possibly because of survivor guilt, showing signs of weakness or feeling guilty for never firing their gun. Emotional trauma doesn’t go away until you process it and you can’t process it until you talk about it, and if you don’t talk about it, it’ll just fester.”
Oren O'Neal
“As a former professional athlete, people tend to see you in a certain way and don’t really respect your daily struggles, but MVP is different.”
Dustin Beluscak
“Because of everything I've been doing, I was able to get off all the medications and for the first time in years, I feel like myself. MVP gave me a family and I’m smiling again.”
Jonathan Neves
“With the MVP peer support he has already received, I want to help any new members seeking additional advice and guidance at MVP.”
Andy Saldivar
"It's okay to cry, to reach out for help and support from your battle buddies, the VA, and other family and friends. Remember you're not alone and you're not broken."
Bruno Moya
“As a veteran who finally started working through his transition, he found MVP a place where he could let out his frustration on the bags and mats, have positive conversations in the fireside chats while simultaneously encouraging those who were just starting their transition.”