SHEPHERDSVILLE, Ky. — A retreat tucked away in the woods of Shepherdsville, Kentucky has become a peaceful place for veterans to escape reality. Active Heroes is a non-profit that offers military families support and resources through different events and activities.
As 3,000 troops prepare to head to the Middle East, the founder, Troy Yocum said he’s ready to lend a hand to the loved ones staying behind.
“We're looking at a lot of families separated this time of year, so early in the year, and unfortunately, we don't know what's going to come of it,” he explained.
Active Heroes offers programs for veterans, as well as their spouses.
Yocum said in this most recent deployment, some have already started reaching out and are considering a stay at the retreat while their loved ones are overseas.
“It's always a difficult transition when you get the call to immediately put down everything you've got going on in your life and 'hey, you're going to go over to this desert country,' and we don't know what's going to happen, so the impact is huge.”
Yocum is also a veteran and toured in Iraq in 2007 and 2008. He knows the cost of combat.
Yocum is behind the move but said, “It's never easy to make a decision to deploy our troops and to separate them from our families and have to go into a hostile environment.”
With so much speculation about a possible war with Iran, it’s why he says it's so important to offer a safe space at home.
“The support systems have to be there to help.”
For more information on Active Heroes, click here.
►Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.