From Service to Survival: The Fight for Veteran Healing

The fastest way to lose your footing after the military is to lose your people and then pretend you’re fine. Host Larry Zilliox sits down with Navy Veteran Jordyn Jureczki, CEO of Frontline Healing Foundation, to talk about what happens when transition feels isolating, anger lingers, and the path to care is blocked by money, red tape, or geography. 

Jordyn shares how her own post-service road led her into law enforcement, a personal struggle with alcohol, and an unexpected turning point through jiu jitsu that introduced her to Warrior’s Heart. From there, we unpack how the nonprofit (formerly the Warrior’s Heart Foundation) helps veterans and first responders access real treatment by funding inpatient care through hardship applications. We get specific about how the foundation evaluates need, why it pays facilities directly, and how it works with vetted programs like Warrior’s Heart for substance use and dual diagnosis treatment and Deer Hollow in Utah for intensive trauma-focused PTS care. 

We also dig into the tough realities around VA community care, including why referrals for substance use treatment can be so hard to obtain, and why rural veterans can face a brutal mix of distance, isolation, and higher suicide risk. The big takeaway is clear: recovery is not only clinical, it’s also communal, and getting someone into the right setting quickly can change everything for them and their family. If you’ve ever wondered how Veterans' mental health support works when insurance fails, or what practical options exist for PTS, TBI, depression, and addiction recovery, this conversation delivers. 

If this resonates, subscribe, share the episode with a battle buddy, and leave a review so more people can find these resources.

Transcript

Larry Zilliox 0:14

Good morning. I'm your host, Larry Zilliox, Director of Culinary Services here at the Warrior Retreat at Bull Run. And this week our guest is Jordan Jeresky. Did I say that right? Juresky. Juresky. She is the CEO of Frontline Healing Foundation, which is a nonprofit supporting veterans' mental health. And uh they have a lot of great programs. This is a relatively new name for them. They rebranded in 2023. Uh they uh might many of our listeners may know them as uh Warrior's Heart, which has a couple of treatment centers um that do amazing work. Uh one right here in Virginia, which is exciting, I want to talk about. Jordan, welcome to the podcast. Thanks, Larry. Yeah, I'm excited to be here. Thank you so much for having me. Uh so your prior service Navy, and one of the questions that I always like to start with is if you could you could have joined the Air Force, why did you join the Navy?

Jordyn Jureczki 1:17

Uh well, I probably because my line scores on math.

Leaving Service Without VA Claims

Larry Zilliox 1:23

Okay. Well, I don't know. Mine mine weren't that great either, but they took me for some reason. Um, so tell us a little bit about your your service. Um Navy, I I noticed you you were stationed in Japan for a good while, which is not a bad assignment. Um what when did you enlist? Uh so I joined in 2013. Okay. How long were you in? Uh just four years. So I got out in 2017. Okay. All right. And did you make a VA claim as soon as you got out? Uh no, I did not. I put in a VA. So have you made a VA claim at all? I have not, nope. You think you should? Or are you playing on it?

Jordyn Jureczki 2:04

Uh, you know, I have uh pretty strong feelings when it comes to the VA. And uh no, I got out and uh pretty immediately went into law enforcement, which offers me health care. So I I felt as though I was covered. And um, yeah, that's just kind of my perspective on the whole thing.

A Rough Transition And Isolation

Larry Zilliox 2:20

Mm-hmm. Okay. Um, well, you know, as you get older, things uh you did when you were in the service start to catch up with you, your hearing and uh all sorts of things. So you know, consider it. We don't want to see any of our veterans leave any benefits on the table. Um, especially our our women veterans who tend not to uh seek out the benefits that they're entitled to, not only the care, but the financial aspect of it as well. But uh so you get out and how does your transition go?

Jordyn Jureczki 3:01

You know, it was uh it was a lot tougher than I think I thought it would be. Um I originally went into the to the Navy with uh a special warfare contract by Navy because I uh enlisted to be a Navy diver and uh didn't make it through the school. So uh when you don't make it through the special warfare, you go what's called undesignated. Um, so I was sent to a ship with no job and ship grinded over a year before I did get assigned a rate. Um, so needless to say, 18-year-old me was pretty angry um at myself, and it was mostly directed at the Navy when it should have been directed inward. And uh so I got out and I was I was that I didn't get to do the things that I wanted to do. I was I was angry at the world and uh and I thought I didn't like the Navy and uh I don't was the case. I just uh I didn't like my circumstances. So getting out was tough because uh I I came to realize after it was all said and done that I love that community. Um, so it that was a difficult transition.

Larry Zilliox 4:04

Do you think was there a better way that your transition could have took place that would have helped you through it, or was it was it uh was it just, you know, hey, your time's up, we'll see you. Here's a plane took it home.

Jordyn Jureczki 4:17

Yeah, I mean, uh, you know, be I was stationed overseas, I was in Japan, uh, and uh because there's nowhere to in Japan, I was sent to Norfolk, Virginia, you know, to do my my transfer out, but I was never Norfolk was never home, so I didn't really I didn't know my way into Norfolk prior to that. And um my only interaction on base in Norfolk was just my taps class and uh you know getting my DD214. So um I I don't know that I interacted with anybody from the command at any point. Um it was I was simply there to process out, and uh that was that was pretty isolating. So I I'm not sure indifferently, but uh that that was definitely a tough spot for me.

Larry Zilliox 5:04

So how did you come to know Frontline Healing Foundation?

Jordyn Jureczki 5:09

So uh well when I was introduced to it, it was actually called the Warriors Heart Foundation. Um, so Warrior's Heart and Warriors Heart Foundation, they were always two separate entities. So Warriors Heart's still very much so a thing. It's um uh treatment facilities, like you mentioned, uh one out there in Milford, Virginia, and one in Bandera, Texas. Well, I happened to live 30 minutes away from Bandera in a town called Kerrville, Texas. Uh, you may know it from the uh the floods that we experienced here. Um at the time I was working uh at the Kerrville Police Department. I later transitioned over to the to the sheriff's office. But uh I I was going through a lot of a lot of personal struggles, particularly with alcohol. Um friends of mine from the department, they uh they started training jujitsu and being the good uh motivated young cop that I was, I started training jujitsu as well and went to a competition in San Antonio, and that's where I met the uh the owner of Warriors Heart, Josh Lannon. And uh he invited me out to come to the property at that time. They were training once a week on Sundays, um, so the clients that were impatient at the time could come to jujitsu and he invited me out, and uh yeah, I just uh I fell in love with the place and uh I I don't really know that I've left since.

Larry Zilliox 6:32

Well, you're the CEO, so I don't think so. Wow. Well, okay. This is this is a great story because I uh I really love it when people, you know, they just stumble into an organization and things just click and it had happened to be sort of what you were looking for, maybe not even looking for, but what you needed at the time. And then all of a sudden it was just placed there in front of you and and things, you know, start to happen and you you get to see the amazing work that they do. And so, and then you there's gotta be a point where you come on staff and you say, This is what I really want to do.

Jordyn Jureczki 7:19

Yeah, it was uh it was it was interesting because I was I was always sort of trying to find where I fit. You know, I was working full-time in law enforcement, so my my time was limited as far as what I could dedicate, but I knew that my heart uh was out there in the work that was being done. So uh, and that that just goes again back to the owners to uh Josh and Lisa Lennon and and Tom Spooner. They started inviting me. They're very big on personal development with the staff, and so that the staff will do regular personal development trainings with a a coach called Blair Singer. He's one of the rich dad, poor dad guys with Robert Kiyosaki, and they would host all these personal development trainings. And um, even though I wasn't a staff member, I was invited to every one of them, and I think uh I think that door really opened for me because I always said yes, and I was always willing to learn and be a part of those trainings. That that went on for a while. The jujitsu program expanded significantly. Um, we now have jujitsu three times a week. Uh, we have a huge gym on campus. I I became a big part of that as far as training with the clients while they're in, and then we also have a competition team that goes around the country and competes. So my my presence out at the property just kind of started growing more and more. And then in 2023, as you mentioned, the Warriors Foundation needed to change its name because uh folks, folks thought that the foundation and Warriors Part itself were the same entity, and and like I said, they never have been. Um, Warriors Part is a private business, and then there was the nonprofit side. So to alleviate some of that confusion, they went for the rebrand, and that was their opportunity to bring on one full-time employee. And uh when it was offered to me, I I just jumped in head first.

Larry Zilliox 9:09

And so Frontline Healing Foundation, do you fund directly fund by giving a grant to a veteran medical treatment, or do you fund facilities where veterans can go to get subsidized treatment?

Jordyn Jureczki 9:24

Yeah, great question. So we do we call them hardship applications. So um if a veteran or first responder is, and typically all of our applicants already know where they're going. So say, uh, say Larry, you reach out to Warriors Part and you say, I need help, I need to get into treatment. I don't have insurance, the VA won't cover me, whatever the case may be, they'll direct you to us. And uh all that we require is some sort of a proof of a financial hardship. Um, so we we asked for 90 days of bank statements. Um, and we we can see, and it's usually pretty easy to tell that nobody can afford inpatient substance use treatment uh out of pocket. Um, that's that's when we will we will pay the facility directly, um, but it is specifically for that warrior.

Larry Zilliox 10:13

And is it any particular facility or do you guys have vetted locations and companies, organizations that you would direct them to for treatment?

Jordyn Jureczki 10:23

Yeah. So uh like I said, most of the time when they apply, um, they already know where they're going. However, uh, if they do apply and they don't, um, for inpatient treatment, our vetted facilities are Warriors Part and uh a facility called Deer Hollow out of Utah. Um, what's nice about that is Warriors Part is a substance use primary. So you have to have that dual diagnosis, the substance use, PTS, TBI. Um, and Deer Hollow is PTS primary. They don't do the substance use thing, so it works hand in hand. And then as far as sober living goes or continuation of care, we have a couple other facilities that we work with kind of on a case-by-case basis for that. But uh the fact of the matter is that we we reach our limit with um hardship requests every year just for the two facilities that we work with. So we just don't have the ability to grow beyond that at this point.

Larry Zilliox 11:18

What something you said kind of caught my attention is that the the Utah facility works with PTS, but not substance abuse. Is that right? Correct, correct, yes. So uh how how many, I mean, I kind of believe that a lot of veterans that are dealing with PTS, TBI, also have substance abuse issues because they're self-medicating. So how did how how often do you see somebody who's eligible to go to the Utah facility because they have PTS, but they don't have substance abuse issues?

Jordyn Jureczki 11:52

Yeah, I mean, we see we see it a lot, you know. Um definitely we do have the guys that'll that'll call and say uh that they are self-medicating. Um, and that's absolutely when they'd be a great fit for for Warrior's Heart. Um, but equally we'll we'll receive phone calls where uh guys are at the end of their rope and uh there I swear I've never touched a bottle and um I've never even thought about it. I'm just struggling um with my PTS and and that's when they fit into Deer Hall. It's a very, it's not for everybody, it's a very intensive trauma, trauma inpatient. So and Deer Hall will say that themselves. We're not for everybody. It's uh it's intense, it's hard work.

Larry Zilliox 12:31

How many veterans do you all assist in a in a fiscal year, do you think?

Jordyn Jureczki 12:36

Uh so typically we land at about the 100 to 150 mark that we can support. Um that being said, we do receive probably 200 to 250 applications a year.

How Hardship Funding Works

Larry Zilliox 12:51

And your facility in Texas, is that for treatment or is that just for the nonprofit?

Jordyn Jureczki 12:56

Uh so the facility in Texas is Warrior's Heart. Um, and again, they're separate. Um that is the substance use primary facility.

Larry Zilliox 13:05

Okay. So some of the areas too, which I I thought were very interesting, you have the PTS treatment, substance abuse, TBI, uh, depression and suicide prevention, and long-term recovery and reintegration. What do you see the most need? Where is the most need landing for if you if you were to sort of survey your uh clients, the the veterans that you're helping, what's the number one, number two issue that they're coming to you with?

Jordyn Jureczki 13:36

As far as uh diagnosis? Yeah, treatment needs. Uh treatment needs, uh definitely inpatient substance use. Uh absolutely.

Larry Zilliox 13:45

Yeah.

Jordyn Jureczki 13:45

Um so the the VA has a policy that if you um Warriors Heart is Warriors Heart and Deer Hollow are both within the community care network for the VA. Um, however, when it comes to substance use, the VA has a policy that you have to fail the VA's substance use treatment three times before they will refer you to community care. And most guys don't make it long enough to to fail three times.

Vetting Facilities And Dual Diagnosis

Larry Zilliox 14:10

Yeah. Is there any kind of uh uh ability to get treatment in the community if there's not a VA facility within a certain distance?

Jordyn Jureczki 14:18

You know what's interesting is if you don't have a VA within a certain distance, you actually have a better shot at getting the community care referral. Yeah, um, because that's one of the deciding factors. So if you are more rural, you are more likely to receive that community care referral.

Larry Zilliox 14:33

Right. And you're when you're a rural, you're in more need of services because you're a rural too. I mean, we see a higher suicide rate with rural veterans than we do those within uh certain proximity of VA facilities, but absolutely.

Jordyn Jureczki 14:50

I mean, community is community is a huge part of recovery, not just substance use recovery, but uh again, like I said, when uh when I was getting out, it was that isolation that really took the biggest toll on me. Um and I've seen that a lot. You know, we kind of joke as veterans that uh we're all gonna move to Montana and and raise cows and live alone and hunt and live off the land because we think that's what we want and we don't want to be around society. And I uh have quickly come to learn that that that that never works out quite the same. And we need our community, we need our people. Um, that's where we thrive.

PTSD Care Without Substance Use

Larry Zilliox 15:27

Yeah, that's one of the top things that veterans miss the most is their tribe and being with that special group of people that would do anything for you. Um you know, and and so it is really so important. And there's a great number of, you know, irreverent warriors, red, white, and blue. Uh there's a great number of organizations out there that are working to try and bring that veteran out of isolation in situations where they're they're uh alone um and to be with other veterans. And it and it's it's just it's just great. Listeners, I want you to go to the webpage and check out the the organization. It's frontlinehealing foundation.org. Uh go there. You'll you can see all the different programs that they have, the work that they're doing. There's a donate button right in the middle. Bang on it, give what you can. Um, you can see their 990s and you can take a look and see how they spend their money. You'll uh be able to see that uh Jordan is grossly underpaid for the work that she does. Um but uh uh please check out the web page and um think about is this something that you need help with? Have you not gotten uh treatment or help for PTS, TBI, substance abuse because you don't have insurance? Because you you're not getting help from the VA. There's no reason not to get help. There's fifty-five thousand veteran service organizations in this country, and a lot of them are doing all the same thing, which is a big point of contention sometime, but there's organizations out there to help you, and the Frontline Healing Foundation is one of them. And Jordan is there to make sure that if you know, if if they can help you, they will help you. They will pay for your treatment. Now, on the other hand, the Compact Act allows you to get emergency mental health care at any facility anywhere in the country uh for uh treatment and the VA will pay for it. That's that's the law. Now for prolonged treatment, uh you're gonna need to find a facility and uh they can help you do that and they can help pay for your treatment. So please take a look at the web page, check it out, donate if you can. If you're thinking of somebody that's a battle buddy or someone that uh you know who's a veteran that you think might benefit from this for you know, please share that that uh link with them and post it out on your social media, send it to your Facebook group of buddies and uh let everybody know about this organization. I did notice, Jordan, that you guys have a gala coming up in May. Is that right?

Jordyn Jureczki 18:30

That is right. Yep, we have uh our annual gala this May 30th here in San Antonio.

Larry Zilliox 18:36

That is at that's at a ranch in San Antonio.

Jordyn Jureczki 18:41

It is, it's called it's called Padratti's Ranch. It's not quite as uh maybe maybe not quite what you're picturing, but there is a rodeo arena there, so maybe it is what you're picturing.

Larry Zilliox 18:50

Oh, uh I was picturing, yeah, a lot of cows wandering around and stuff like that. I mean, that's what I think of when I hear a ranch. Um, well and it that's a yearly thing, right? Yes, sir. Yep. And do you have any other fundraising events?

Demand For Inpatient Treatment

Jordyn Jureczki 19:06

We do. Uh we actually have one a little bit closer to you that you might be interested. So uh we do a fundraiser in the fall. This year it'll be October 17th, right outside of Camp Lejeune in Sneeds Ferry, North Carolina. Uh, we do a block party. It's a uh retired Marshock uh out of Lejeune that uh that puts on this block party. He owns a tattoo shop and a gun store there in Sneats Ferry, and we we shut shut the block down, we play music, we play uh elementary school field day games, and uh you wouldn't believe me if I told you, but last year we had over 200 Marines out there, and there was not a drop of booze and not a single fight. Geez, it was just uh just a really good time and really good people.

Larry Zilliox 20:01

Wow, yeah. We I just recorded an episode with the CEO of the Marine Raider Foundation, and uh that'll be coming up, listeners, uh, here in a couple weeks. But um, that's great. And why there? How did that come about? I mean, that's totally opposite side of the country of you guys.

VA Barriers And Rural Community Care

Jordyn Jureczki 20:20

It is, but uh, we do have a lot of connections out in North Carolina. You know, uh Tom Spooner, the founder of Warriors Heart, he uh retired from from the unit out of out of Delta Force, and so a lot of our friends are are still in that Fayetteville area. And then uh Coy, who's actually the owner of the uh the tattoo shop, the Marsaw guy, he he found a lot of his healing when he got out of the Marine Corps in tattooing and doing art. So um he actually came up to Warriors Heart there in Virginia and taught uh a tattooing class. So he brought up all the fake skin and and taught the guys how to tattoo. And that's that's a big passion of his is artwork and and tattooing. So he's a he's a huge supporter of the foundation and uh has been a really great friend to us.

Larry Zilliox 21:04

Wow. Well that's that's awesome. So listeners, look for that. If you're in the um in that area down by Camp Lejeune in the fall, check out the webpage. I'm sure you're gonna put something up on the webpage. And and then of course, if you're you're in the um the tech, what what's the closest city you're you're close to down there?

Jordyn Jureczki 21:27

Like, uh oh, in Texas? Yeah, uh San Antonio.

Why Community Matters In Recovery

Larry Zilliox 21:29

Okay, so if you're in the San Antonio area, you want to check out the Gala, which is coming up in May. It's a great way to get out there and support an amazing organization. It's doing incredible work. And what what I really like about uh the Frontline Healing Foundation is that they're doing something that 12 or 15 other nonprofits aren't doing. So there's so much duplication in this veteran service organization space, it's just ridiculous. And to to have an organization like this that has found a a point in this space that's not being addressed and moving into that uh that area and taking care of veterans that need it that we're Otherwise being overlooked and we're going without treatment. And we all know what that means. When that veteran goes without treatment, it affects their family. It raises the rate of justice involvement. It raises the rate of suicide. Raises the rate of homelessness. And anything that we can do to get fellow veterans the treatment that they're entitled to and that they need, uh, we need to do and we need to direct them towards Frontline Healing Foundation. Jordan, where would you like to see the organization say in three to five years?

Jordyn Jureczki 22:52

Oh goodness, that's always a tough one because uh I'm sure you I'm sure you know because uh because you talk to a lot of folks in this space, but sometimes fun fundraising feels like you're running on a treadmill, you know? Yeah. Um I one thing, and I you kind of said this, but I think one thing that really sets Frontline Healing Foundation apart is that we we are serving those those underserved populations. So whether that be conventional military, uh pre-9-11 first responders in any capacity, you know, we're we're passing a very wide net. And I think that's starting to be recognized. We have a lot of affiliations with some uh big soft specific nonprofits. You know, we're a part of the SOCOM Warrior Care Coalition, um, and which is a fantastic resource because anytime I get a member of the soft community that reaches out, I could name 10 organizations right off the bat that I know will support them. Um, but if I get a conventional military member, somebody who served two years during the invasion, or someone who served pre-9-11 or a first responder, um, that resource list is one or none. So uh I think we're doing something that uh that nobody else is doing, like you said. And uh what I what I'd like to see in the next three to five years is I I think that gets recognized. Um, and I would like to be able to meet the the demand. Um, that's that's all I really care about is is never telling anybody no. So uh in order to do that, based off of our current application rate, we need to be about a two and a half million dollar nonprofit. And uh that's that's where my sights are set right now.

Donate And Share The Foundation

Larry Zilliox 24:40

Well, we we wish you all the luck, listeners. Again, uh frontlinehealingfoundation.org. Go ahead and hit that donate button, give what you can. You know, five, ten dollars of everything helps. A million, two million, it all helps. Um, but uh please uh uh take a look at the webpage, share the webpage, and uh give what you can. Um, Jordan, thank you so much for joining us. Thank you. Thank you for having me, Larry. I appreciate it. Well, listeners, we'll have another episode next Monday morning at 0500. You have any questions or suggestions, you can reach us at podcast at willingwarriors.org. You can find us on all the major podcast platforms. We're on YouTube and Wreaths Across America Radio. So until then, thanks for listening.