What started with a motorcycle ride and a milkshake has grown into a ministry helping military members and veterans across the country.
For Kevin Weaver, co-founder, president and CEO of The Warrior's Journey, the idea didn't begin in an office or a boardroom. It began with listening.
Weaver served in the U.S. Air Force from 1982 to 1987, spending much of his military career overseas. He worked in security forces and alongside the Air Force Office of Special Investigations while stationed in Panama during the height of the war on drugs.
After leaving the military, Weaver answered another calling. He attended Bible school and seminary before spending more than three decades as a pastor. His first church even took him back to Panama, where he ministered to American military families.
Looking back, Weaver said those experiences helped prepare him for what would come years later.
The turning point came after his nephew, Nate, joined the U.S. Marine Corps following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Nate fought in the Battle of Fallujah in Iraq and returned home physically unharmed. Emotionally, it was a different story.
Like many service members, he struggled with the things he had seen but didn't know how to talk about them.
Eventually, he turned to his uncle.
The two spent time riding motorcycles, grabbing milkshakes at Sonic, and simply talking. Weaver listened more than he spoke.
"I really believed what he was experiencing was a very normal response to very abnormal situations," Weaver said.
Those conversations changed both men.
Weaver realized his nephew didn't need someone to solve every problem. He needed someone willing to be present, listen without judgment and remind him he wasn't alone.
That simple idea became the foundation for The Warrior's Journey.
Today, the Springfield-based nonprofit serves active-duty military members, veterans and their families around the world. The organization connects people with trained volunteer advocates, often veterans themselves, who serve as trusted companions through life's toughest moments.
Weaver calls them "battle buddies."
Their job isn't to fix people. It's to walk beside them.
The organization also partners with more than 80 other ministries and service organizations, helping military families find everything from trauma recovery and counseling referrals to service dogs, retreats and family support. If someone needs specialized care, The Warrior's Journey works to make sure cost isn't a barrier.
"We can't do this alone," Weaver said. "Partnerships are one of our core values."
While combat trauma remains a challenge, Weaver said another growing issue is helping veterans find purpose after leaving military service.
Many lose the sense of mission and community they once had in uniform. Without that connection, isolation can take hold.
The Warrior's Journey focuses on rebuilding those pieces of life. Weaver said everyone needs to know they are loved, belong to a community, have a purpose and are making a difference.
Those ideas shape every conversation the organization has.
The ministry also provides resiliency training, workshops and resources before a crisis develops. Last year alone, the organization conducted 256 resiliency training events for military personnel.
Still, Weaver says the reason the ministry exists comes back to one heartbreaking reality.
Since the attacks of Sept. 11, he said, more than 220,000 veterans and service members have died by suicide.
That number continues to motivate the work.
"We want to prevent the crisis before it ever happens," Weaver said.
For him, the mission has never been about programs or statistics. It's about people.
Just as one young Marine once needed someone willing to listen, Weaver hopes every veteran can find a trusted person to walk beside them on their own journey.
More information about The Warrior's Journey is available at TWJ.org or by calling 417-567-4800.
