News Archives - Operation Healing Forces

Supporting Military Families: JR Ovens’ Journey from Combat to Civilian Life

Happy couple on a boat, enjoying a day out, showcasing support for military families and veterans.

JR Ovens’ Military Service and Family Challenges JR Ovens dedicated 20 years to the Army, joining in 1998 and eventually serving with the elite 5th Special Forces Group before closing out his career with the United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC). With eight deployments—seven of them in combat—he carried away both visible and invisible […]

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Operation Healing Forces and HatchPath Partnership

Date: January 22, 2024 Operation Healing Forces (OHF) announces its new partnership with HatchPath, an innovative personal wellness platform providing transformative experiences aimed at helping individuals unlock their full potential and achieve a balanced and fulfilling life. OHF is committed to serving the needs of the Special Operations Forces (SOF) community and providing meaningful, effective, […]

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Gone Surfin’ – Andrew & Jessica Hoppe

Over the course of Andrew and Jessica Hoppe’s 13-year marriage, the couple has endured a demanding, fast-paced Special Operations Forces’ lifestyle that’s included numerous transfers and frequent separations due to Andrew’s many deployments and trainings. So, when all of the stars seemed to align for an escape to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, for an Operation […]

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Hanging Loose – Alex & Jenny Holt

Alex Holt of Washington wasn’t thinking about himself when he heard about the Operation Healing Forces Couples Retreats. As a Battalion Command Sergeant Major in the Army’s Special Forces, he wondered how he could make the program accessible to his frequently deployed soldiers and their partners. When an opening came up for Alex and his […]

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Alex Valdes – Donor Spotlight

OHF Donor

Sharing her time and expertise to help Special Operations Forces couples plan for retirement isone way Alex Valdes gives back to the military community. “Everybody has their different specialities. I speak the financial language, so that’s what I can share. They’re keeping our nation safe, and I’m helping them plan for their retirement,” says Valdes, […]

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Home Front – The Vanderpool Family

For Josh Vanderpool, a critical skills operator with the United States Marine Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC), 2021 has been full of surprises. In March, he returned from a six month deployment in the Philippians, just in time to prepare for another adventure. In April, Josh and his wife Brianna attended a restorative OHF retreat […]

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