During week thirteen of Operation Heal Our Patriots, God renews hope and brings new life to a military couple.
Evan and Katie connected with each other and with God surrounded by the wilderness of Lake Clark National Park.
“There aren’t too many places that let an 18-year-old kid shoot automatic weapons and play with explosives,” he said.
Evan was deployed to Afghanistan in 2011 where he helped clear roadways of IEDs.
“There was always some sort of conflict we would get into there,” he said. “But I loved it for the most part. I had purpose. I was learning really cool things. I was bonding with people from all different walks of life.”
But chronic pain from a broken foot and PTSD from what he had seen and done in combat began taking their toll. Evan then made a series of bad choices and his ambition to be a career soldier came to an abrupt end. His Army stint ended in 2012.
“I gave my entire soul, body, and mind to the military,” Evan said. “When I found out I was getting out that really hurt a lot. Trying to find purpose after that was extremely difficult.”
In 2014, Evan married Katie, a girl he met in a church youth group back in 2008. But he wasn’t the same easygoing teen she had known back then.
“He was a totally different person after he returned from the Army,” Katie said. “He was like a shell. There was a hopelessness about him. He didn’t have that light anymore like he used to have. He went from this vibrant, outgoing person to somebody who just wanted to hang out in his room and not talk about anything. It was a stark difference.”
During marriage classes the couple learned about each other, about God’s design for marriage, and the tools to communicate with each other.
And that striking difference, which included becoming “substance dependent,” only worsened through the years and started to destroy their marriage and the lives of their three young sons.
Katie was ready to leave Evan. They were more like roommates than spouses.
Hope Arrives Just in Time
It was Evan’s mom, distraught by the crumbling of her son’s young family, who told Evan and Katie about Operation Heal Our Patriots. But Evan didn’t want to apply. He didn’t feel like a real soldier because his career was cut short. Evan was also reluctant about the Biblically based program because he had long ago given up on Christianity and a relationship with God.
But, to appease his mother, he applied. Now, he admits, the week at Samaritan Lodge Alaska arrived just in time to help strengthen their marriage, which was nearing a final breaking point.
“Not Too Big of a Hill to Climb”
In marriage enrichment classes taught by retired military chaplains, Evan and Katie learned better how to communicate and received tools to help them strengthen their relationship. They also drew closer through wilderness adventures—fishing, hiking, bear viewing—and just spending time alone together without any distractions.
Evan Benton and his wife, Katie, experienced new hope for their marriage and family.
“I can now see that it’s not too big of a hill to climb to improve our marriage,” Evan said. “The week has given us hope.”
Evan also invited Jesus Christ into his life to be his Lord and Savior, and was baptized in nearby Lake Clark during a rainstorm. But the rain couldn’t dampen his or Katie’s enthusiasm for all they had experienced while in Alaska and encouraged other veterans to apply to the program.
“Operation Heal Our Patriots is a way to start fresh and make healthy progress to rebuild your marriage,” Evan said. “It’s the safest place where you can let your guard down and be vulnerable.”
Katie agreed. “Come and let go of the control you have and let the experience just happen and not be prideful. Be receptive of what is taught. It will allow you to grow together. It’s all about healing as a couple.”
Through the first 13 weeks of Operation Heal Our Patriots’ 2022 summer season, we welcomed 125 veteran couples to Samaritan Lodge Alaska. Seventy of those attending placed their faith in Jesus Christ, 71 were baptized, and 38 rededicated their lives to the Lord. Also, 68 couples renewed their marriage vows.
Please pray for all of the couples who have attended Operation Heal Our Patriots in 2022 that their marriages will continue to be strengthened and focused on Christ. Pray also for our staff and for the couples who will attend the remaining four weeks of the summer season in Alaska.
