Navy Veterans Find Healing Through Boot Campaign Wellness Programs

In Pensacola, Florida, a military town with deep service traditions, Freddie Hicks followed his family's legacy into the United States Navy in 1994. Thirty years later, retiring as a master chief in 2024, he faced a challenge common among veterans: redefining what strength meant outside of uniform.

During his service, Hicks viewed strength as the ability to compartmentalize difficult moments, putting them away in a box. Retirement demanded a different approach. Strength became having the emotional intelligence to recognize his physical and mental needs, and the resolve to pursue the help required.

Mark Aslin, who served in Navy EOD for three decades from 1986 to 2016, encountered his own post-service struggles. After suffering two heart attacks, he reconnected with a fellow veteran during cardiac rehabilitation who told him about Boot Campaign. Despite years of mentoring young sailors and advising them to prioritize self-care, Aslin realized he needed to follow his own guidance.

Boot Campaign's individualized treatment approach provided both veterans with comprehensive year-long programs. Aslin's care included cardiac rehabilitation specialists, a strength coach, and a nutritionist. Though he had been following his cardiologist's recommendations and losing weight, chronic pain and anger persisted. The holistic program addressed these underlying issues that medical treatment alone had not resolved.

Hicks compared the treatment process to a marriage, requiring consistent investment of time and energy to achieve results. The Boot Campaign team walked alongside him throughout the journey, holding him accountable while providing support.

Kubota, which employs many veterans including Marine Corps veteran Tom Turner and Army National Guard veteran Bill Holton, partners with Boot Campaign to support individualized veteran care. The company aims to hire at least one veteran per month and collaborates with organizations including the Farmer Veteran Coalition. During Military Appreciation Month in May, Kubota matches all Boot Campaign donations and merchandise purchases up to $50,000.