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The data is irrefutable… Breathwork is the fastest, most portable "lever" we have for quickly managing emotional pain. It quickly regulates the sympathetic nervous system and moves you out of a threat-saturated state. Clinical evidence suggests that breathwork produces improvements in stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. It shifts the autonomic physiology and increases parasympathetic “braking”. Additionally, it is the foundation for successfully implementing many other

Some people don’t just organize events... they ignite people. That’s exactly what Christal did in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Over the course of eight weeks, what started as a simple idea turned into an incredible community-wide toy drive built on her energy, enthusiasm, and ability to bring people together around a shared purpose. Christal has a real gift for building local teams, and this drive was a perfect example of that. She rallied veterans, volunteers, and especiall

A Year of Connection, Courage, and Community A Message From Irreverent Warriors 2025 was a transformational year for the Irreverent Warriors of GSF. Against a backdrop of rising military suicide rates and declining national charitable donations, our volunteers, leaders, and veterans showed what community-driven healing can truly accomplish. IW continues to be one of the most efficient and lean veteran nonprofits in the nation, maximizing every donor dollar to create real impa

We are honored to share some exciting news. Irreverent Warriors has been awarded a 98 percent rating and Four Stars, which is the highest possible recognition from Charity Navigator, the nation’s most trusted evaluator of nonprofits. What This Means Charity Navigator evaluates more than 200,000 charities across the United States. Their review covers four categories. Impact and Measurement : proving that our mission makes a real difference. Accountability and Finance : steward

Based on the information from our 2024 Federal Form 990, it’s clear that we run an exceptionally lean operation, ensuring that the vast...

The XRP Ripple Impact Fund has made an unparalleled investment in Irreverent Warriors in 2025.

When you squeeze an orange, what comes out? Orange juice. Always. Why? Because that’s what’s inside. Now take that same idea and apply it to yourself. When you  get squeezed—by stress, by conflict, by life—what comes out? For many of us in the veteran community, we’ve been trained to react quickly, to defend, to strike back. But here’s the hard truth: whatever comes out of you when you’re triggered—anger, insults, blame, silence—is yours. That reaction is not about the other

IW members are featured on the front page of the Wall Street Journal... Wall Street Journal, Page 1, July 31, 2025 9:00 pm ET, By Shalini Ramachandran and Betsy McKay "Hundreds of thousands of veterans with PTSD have been prescribed simultaneous doses of powerful psychiatric drugs. The practice, known as “polypharmacy,” can tranquilize patients to the point of numbness, cause weight gain and increase suicidal thoughts when it involves pharmaceuticals that target the central n

Irreverent Warriors: Radical Transparency, Proven Integrity, and a Commitment to Doing the Most Good With Every Dollar At Irreverent Warriors, we believe that trust is earned, not assumed. Veterans, donors, partners, and volunteers deserve complete clarity about where their dollars go, how decisions are made, and how efficiently we operate. That’s why we don’t just talk about transparency, we back it up with verifiable proof. Between our publicly available Form 990 and our ex

Irreverent Warriors Survey Highlights Life-Saving Impact For many veterans, the transition to civilian life can be isolating, challenging, and emotionally draining. The need for community, support, and purpose is paramount in reducing veteran suicide, which takes 22 lives per day in the US. A new survey analyzing the impact of Irreverent Warriors (IW) events and programs reveals just how life-changing this community has been for thousands of veterans. IW conducts 60+ hikes an

“I thought I had no reason to live. When I asked one veteran why he  held on, he answered simply: ‘I could never do that, because I believe in God.’” This powerful confession comes from a survivor who, despite severe depression and trauma, remained committed to life because of his spiritual faith. It illustrates a truth that IW holds dear: spirituality can be a lifeline. In the fight against veteran suicide, IW promotes spirituality not to push any religion, but to harness th

Award-winning documentary released nationwide PRESS RELEASE: San Antonio, Texas (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Hike Back , a new documentary...

We are honored to share the inspiring story of our oldest Irreverent Warrior, Colonel Dan Danford. Born in 1928, the same year Mickey Mouse made his debut, Danford’s journey from the farmlands of Aledo, Illinois, to the battlefields of Korea and Vietnam, and eventually to the halls of the Pentagon, is a testament to a life dedicated to service and leadership. Early Life and Foundations Raised in the tight-knit farming community of Aledo, young Danford embraced the values of h

For many veterans, some of the deepest friendships in life were forged in places like Iraq or Afghanistan. Or just in-the-middle-of-nowhere Alaska. Long patrols, sleepless nights, shared danger, and the dark humor that got everyone through it created bonds that are hard to explain to anyone who was not there. But something strange happens after service. Years pass. People move. Life fills up with work, families, responsibilities, and civilian routines. Before you know it, a d

Veteran suicide is one of the most complex challenges facing our community. While clinical treatments, therapy, and alternative modalities are essential, decades of research suggest that social connection and belonging are equally critical to preventing suicide. One of the most influential frameworks explaining this is the interpersonal theory of suicide developed by Dr. Thomas Joiner at FSU. Understanding this theory helps illuminate something important. Why tribe matters an

The Overmedication of America’s Veterans Too many of our nation’s veterans are being medicated instead of truly helped. By some estimates, the vast majority of veterans seeking care through the VA end up on psychiatric drugs . For example, a VA analysis found that around 80% of veterans diagnosed with PTSD were prescribed psychiatric medications  (nearly 9 in 10 of those received antidepressants, and about one-third were even given antipsychotics)( veterans.senate.gov ) . And

If you’ve ever seen a group of veterans in tiny, silky shorts hiking through your city, you might have done a double take. It’s not every day that grown men and women march together in short shorts, laughing, carrying flags, and creating a spectacle. It might seem strange, maybe even a little chaotic. But beneath the surface, something much deeper is happening. Irreverent Warriors (IW) exists for one reason: to bring veterans out of isolation and back into a community where t

Code of Conduct This Code of Conduct is taken directly from our IW handbook. When you e-sign our Event Waiver, you agree to follow this Code of Conduct. 8.5.1 Purpose and Scope The Irreverent Warriors Code of Conduct defines our organization's requirements for its leaders and participants. While Irreverent Warriors promotes irreverence through freedom of expression, raw communication, and behavior unique to veterans, we still have a standard to maintain. These expectations ar

Sometimes the smallest moment of connection becomes the turning point of someone’s life. For Iraq War Marine veteran Joshua Kampert, that moment began with one phone call in 2019. The call came from fellow Marine and Iraq veteran Justin Johnson. Both men had served together in 2005 with USMC Charlie Co, Combat Logistics Battalion 8, and both were quietly carrying the weight of life after leaving the military. “We talked about everything we’d been struggling with,” Johnson sai