The Daily - Day 2 - June 19, 2019 - 37

JA M E S E DWA R D M I L L S ( X 2 )

scarred with PTSD and officially
documented as 50 percent mentally disabled," he says.
After returning home, he found
peace and solace in communion
with the natural world. With a
specially trained service dog, an
affable chocolate Labrador named
Ax, Brown successfully manages
his illness with time spent angling
on trout streams. What the ravages
of war didn't take away is Brown's
sense of duty and purpose. He has
figured out how to blend his love
for the outdoors with community
engagement. By pairing disadvantaged young people who have limited access to nature with veterans
like himself, Brown has regained a
passion for life through a nonprofit
organization he calls Soul River Inc.
Supported by a growing list of
public and private donors, Soul
River Inc. leads youth and veterans on backcountry adventures
around the state of Oregon, as
well as remote locations like the
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in
Alaska. "The mission of the veteran is to act as a mentor and instill
leadership awareness and self
confidence in the youth," he says.
"We want to build up that self-confidence, to raise that young person
into a youth leader of conservation
for tomorrow."
Through these trips into the outdoors-Brown calls them "deployments"-the organization provides
real-life experiences in nature
for personal growth and healing.
By learning the complex skill of
fly-fishing in a pristine wilderness
area, participants can find relief
from the painful emotions of past
traumas. The young people and veterans support one another along the
journey, not only building a community of trust and camaraderie but
nurturing a spirit of environmental
conservation to protect public lands
for future generations.
"I think for many of us who
spend time out here [in nature],
you come away a stronger person,"
says Soul River volunteer Barry
Whitehill, who is retired from the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
"Hopefully the value of having a
place like this will be passed on."

SOUL RIVER INC. WAS CREATED

to pay forward lessons Brown
learned as a child in Austin, Texas.
His parents were separated, and
his father lived in another city.
Knowing Brown needed a strong
male role model, his mom signed
him up for the local Big Brothers Big Sisters program. "My big
brother was a guy named Captain
Maxwell. He was the captain of the
Austin Police Department," says
Brown. "I'll never forget him."
Brown cherishes the moments
spent with Maxwell, who was
committed to nurturing Brown's
development into a responsible adult by setting boundaries
and expectations for behavior at

Soul River participants head to
Washington, D.C., to meet with
Oregon Senator Ron Wyden.

"WE'RE INSPIRING
WARRIORS,
AN ARMY OF
WARRIORS WHO
CAN COME
TOGETHER WITH
A POWERFUL
VOICE AND MOVE
MOUNTAINS."

Chad and Ax
at Milo McIver
State Park.

-CHAD BROWN

home-and in the wild. Maxwell
guided and mentored Brown with
words of kindness, compassion,
encouragement, and love. He also
took the young man fishing.
"I remember we'd put worms on
the hook and cast over the bridge
right there in the city of Austin.
We'd catch perch all day, having
great conversations," Brown says.
"Captain Maxwell was a really
strong person in my life. Other
than my mom and my father, he's
probably the one who molded me
the most into what I am today."
From those early experiences,
Brown drew the inspiration for Soul
River Inc. Understanding the needs
of both returning veterans and

young people in search of guidance,
he created a nonprofit that offers a
shared purpose to not only recreate
in the wilderness through fly-fishing
but also in the fight to defend the
places they come to love.
"The soul of Soul River becomes
a community, almost like a tribe,"
Brown says. "When you introduce
love and a sense of belonging, the
healing begins. For the youth and
the veteran, where there's love
and healing, it's almost like sacred
ground. They'll want to protect
those places."
Brown encourages youth and
veterans alike to share that love
for the outdoors after each deployment. In recent months, Soul River

has organized visits to Capitol Hill
in Washington D.C. to meet with
members of Congress. Through the
strength of spirit and confidence
they built while in the wild, participants come home to lobby their
elected representatives to support
legislation that promotes the preservation of public land.
"We try to open doors where
youth and veterans can share
and engage with congressional
folks about their experiences on
our public lands and our fresh
water," Brown says. "At Soul River, we're inspiring warriors-an
army of warriors who can come
together with a powerful voice
and move mountains."

SUMMER MARKET 2019

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The Daily - Day 2 - June 19, 2019

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