Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Available On Air Stations
Watch Live

KPBS Evening Edition

For Some Veterans, 'Road To Recovery' Starts In Coronado

For Some Veterans, 'Road To Recovery' Starts In Coronado
For Some Veterans, 'Road To Recovery' Starts In Coronado
Veterans from across the country got an all-expenses paid trip to San Diego as part of a conference designed to provide hope and healing during the transition to civilian life.

Veterans from across the country got an all-expenses paid trip to San Diego as part of the "Road to Recovery" conference designed to provide hope and healing as they transition to civilian life.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary, it is the first time the conference has been on the West Coast. This year's event took place in Coronado and included seminars, workshops and panel discussions for 56 wounded veterans and 200 family members.

Melody Butler and her daughter Mia are getting feedback from wounded warrior Donny Daughenbaugh about how to help keep her husband going when things get tough.

Advertisement

"There is no time like the present, if that doesn't sound to cliche," says Donny Daughenbaugh a former Marine corporal.

The goal is to bring families together and create meaningful experiences.

"The service member, the veteran, the Marine, the proud solider. They hear their families say things that they've never heard before and a lot of that is a tough reality," Daughenbaugh says.

So far, more than two million U.S. troops have served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

The group's motto is "rebuilding and restoring lives one family at a time."

Advertisement

More information on the "Road to Recovery" conference is available at saluteheroes.org.