Army Specialist Jason Tyson was stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, when he met Jodina, a school teacher. The first time Jodina came to visit him on base she brought homemade cookies and “it was love at first bite,” Jason said. “I knew we were meant for each other.” Jodina also knew after that first…
Operation Heal Our Patriots 2023 Special Report
Newsletter March 2024
Embracing Joy Again Together
Marine Sergeant Austin Dickinson and his wife, Cass, an Air Force Senior Airman, stood just out of reach of the thundering waterfall where they had hiked—from the boat to the remote pebbled shore of Alaska’s Lake Clark and up the trail lined with devil’s club to the cove where the water gushed from a high…
The Meeting Place
Daniel Zeidan has served in various roles with Samaritan’s Purse, including as country director in Bolivia, regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean, and as part of several disaster responses around the world. He currently serves as ministry strategist for the organization, where he supports Samaritan’s Purse globally in developing project strategies that maximize…
Thanking God for Lives Transformed in Alaska
All he knew was darkness. The horrors of war had followed him home, and Marine Staff Sergeant Tre Tremillo was suffocating beneath layers of despair and anger. Images of death haunted him. His heart ached for fellow Marines still hospitalized with battle-related injuries. He mourned friends who had committed suicide. “I found myself sitting at…
Military Couples Start Fresh During Alaska Adventure
Mike Woodard’s muscular frame stands six-foot-four. During his time as a soldier in the U.S. Army, there’s no doubt the enemy should and would have feared him in close quarters. He served bravely in a 2011-12 combat tour to Afghanistan, though it came at great cost. He got blown up three times—once each by a…
Operation Heal Our Patriots 2022 Special Report
Strengthening Military Marriages Long After Alaska
Army Sergeant Brian Matters and his wife Rebecca left Alaska last year with hope. The week they spent there through Operation Heal Our Patriots helped lift a dark cloud from their lives. They even recommitted their marriage to God. Despite his years of faith in Jesus Christ, Brian had long struggled with doubt and hopelessness—especially…
A Hurting Marriage Begins to Heal from the Wounds of War
He’d been good with a gun since he started hunting at age 8 and was a hard-driving athlete during high school, so for Nick Hine the rigorous life of a Marine Corps scout sniper seemed like a good fit. He wasn’t interested in college just yet, so when he was 18 years old he joined…














