Our US military members and veterans have a significantly higher divorce rate than other Americans. Civilian marriages in the US run at a 50% divorce rate. For military couples that experience multiple deployments of a spouse to combat areas, that divorce rate rises to an astounding and tragic 90%!
Add the loss of their marriages and families to the list of many sacrifices our US military and its veterans endure in their valiant efforts to secure our safety and freedom.
Patriotic Hearts protects US military husbands, wives and their children. We keep our US veterans’ marriages and families together. The success of our efforts has been amazing! After eight years of hosting these romantic weekends more than 90% of our couples are still together. We have literally turned the US veteran divorce rate on its head.
The North County Times, a newspaper serving the communities surrounding Camp Pendleton Marine Base, wrote that 90% of the Sergeants and below on base were getting divorced. We checked with the base wives and they confirmed it. They said that so many of their friends were getting divorced that everyone referred to it as “the Plague.” We responded to this crisis by creating a marriage retreat, especially for US military veterans.
Our first retreat was held in the Oceanside Harbor. We rented 15 rooms at its 4 star resort, looking over the Pacific Ocean, at the tip of its jetty. Our marriage enhancement retreat began on Friday evening and ran until Sunday afternoon.
Each couple at our retreats has a suite, including full bath, kitchen, bedroom, canopied bed and an awesome view. A gourmet chef cooks their meals. – Before our married guests arrive, volunteers prepare their rooms with flowers, candles, and gifts.
We limit the weekend to 15 couples to keep it an intimate and effective group of married couples working together towards the same goal: Improving or rescuing their marriages and families. Our goal is to make this weekend one of their lives’ most cherished memories.
We meet as a group on Friday evening, three times on Saturday, and after Sunday breakfast. Personal couples counseling, and lots of free time for romance make up the rest of the weekend.
Keeping veterans’ marriages and families together is critical to increasing their recovery from injury and trauma; preventing suicide; improving their employ-ability; and making them more productive and successful.
On the last day of the retreat our couples receive a large framed picture of them below a flowered bower, with the ocean in the background, as a memorial of their special weekend. On the back of the picture is a list of marriage counselors who have volunteered to assist these couples when they need it. – We ask our guests to put this picture up in their homes to be a reminder of their beautiful weekend and how much they love eachother.
The costs for us to host our 3 day US Military Marriage Enrichment Retreat is $15000.
Sponsor a military couple for $350. You will receive a plaque thanking you, with a picture of the couple you sponsored, from Patriotic Hearts. Visit Patriotic Hearts.org or contact us at [email protected].
Mark Baird