Friends Don't Let Friends Meditate Alone!

One of the first things I ever said to Jake Clark was I would help him anyway I can, that was August of 2002.  We bonded over our common past of being recovering pretty-boy jocks and having many of the same challenges. In our ten year friendship we had helped each other through life’s little tragedies (women, money), usually driven by our own bad decisions. I am still attempting to make progress in those areas, with limited results.

Jake was just out of a job in 2012 and was struggling, strange I thought because Jake is probably the most capable and certainly the highest trained and intense person I know.  Jake’s commitment to service throughout his life is second to none, US Army, Secret Service, LAPD, FBI, US Army National Guard (officer); these are not the commitments of a selfish person. I have faith that Jake can do anything.

The only advantage I had over Jake was that I was in recovery longer and that I meditated; I have been practicing Transcendental Meditation since 1994 and it has saved my life, without a doubt. 

I had suggested to Jake many times that he learn Transcendental Meditation, (about a year).  What I didn’t know at the time was that he was having suicidal ideations after his return to the world from active duty in Kosovo.  If I’d have known that he was seriously harboring these thoughts I would have kidnapped him (I know people) and dropped him off at the TM Center rolled in a carpet with a note to Denny Goodman (Director of the Beverly Hills TM Center) pinned to the outside. 

Jake finally acquiesced and got the TM training, it was after a couple of weeks of practicing the meditation that he admitted to his suicidal thoughts and the fact that they had lifted.  We discussed the tragedy of Veteran Suicides and how nobody really seemed to be doing anything about it.  Many organizations would be happy to give the vets an “Atta-boy”, a handshake and a pat on the back.  Worse yet was the impression from some major veterans relief organizations that war-related trauma and post-traumatic stress (PTS) could be relived with some swag and a photo-op.  The VA themselves, completely overwhelmed, could only offer some pills and some talk therapy, after you waited and waited for your case to be heard. This problem is REAL.

Jake’s admission of his own suicidal thoughts being lifted by meditation sparked the conversation which led to the formation of the Warrior Meditation Project, now Save a Warrior.  We wanted to bring this relief to other returning vets who were at risk.  My original concept was a daily routine of Meditation, Yoga and Nutrition that would help the returning veteran be in the day he is actually in, not in the regrets and sadness of the past or the fears of an unknown future. 

We knew that this might sound like some crazy hippie shit to some people, but I argued that maybe we had to look to where the hippies were RIGHT, scrape some of the patchouli off of this stuff and utilize it in a positive way to help these men who have done so much and sacrificed and damn near died for us.  For these young men with so much life ahead of them to die at their own hand after surviving combat seems unbelievably tragic.  We had to do SOMETHING.

Jake really took it upon himself to make the project a reality.  He had read thousands of books and had taken many hours of different types of training in rented hotel conference rooms that would lead to the “War Detox” part of the project. It is nothing short of miraculous what Jake has done in less than a year, (first Cohort #001, Nov. 2012) it seems that the Universe has conspired to put Jake in this unique position to help these men.

You too can Save A Warrior!

The turn-around in Jake’s life and in the 50 men through 5 cohorts is astounding, if I had not seen it with my own eyes, I would not have believed it.  These are truly some of the finest people I have ever met; to think we could have lost some of these guys is unfathomable. The fellowship forming around these men and how their shared experiences, no matter how horrific, can benefit others going forward.  They have learned to rely on each other and offer support through the phones and email, this fellowship works because, like in other fellowships, they are rarely all crazy on the same day.  I will still help Captain Jake Clark anyway I can. 

- Willis Daniels

Willis Daniels -
WeDo Architecture