I have been watching A Badge of Honor. Podcast since it began on YouTube. I am so impressed with the founders Samantha Horwitz and John Salerno. Their commitment to empowering Veterans and First Responders suffering with PTSI. Not only do they have Police and Veterans who have had PTSI and come out the other side honestly share their stories. A Badge of Honor provides resources to people suffering so they can heal and continue on with life. Reminding them, They Are Not Alone.
A Badge Of Honor is a tremendous resource for first responders and veterans in the N. Texas region and beyond. They have a caring heart and boundless compassion mixed with a very keen ability to speak to and work with a population that is often hesitant to ask for help, while also extremely vulnerable to the very real dangers of stress and traumatic experiences. As they have proven for many years, they are an essential tool for training in wellness and resiliency for many first responders. The classes I have attended have been eye-opening, both for identifying issues, but also for identifying solutions and expanding the toolkit for building resiliency and wellness. The other students always say the same, and I highly recommend A Badge Of Honor to any first responder.
Let me say as an officer with 30 years in law enforcement A Badge of Honor's presentation to my department was one of the best. A group of people who gets the stress and struggles of first responders and their families and actually has done something to help them! The days of, "suck it up and deal with it" has taken its toll on generations of first responders. A Badge of Honor, with their excellent team, has stood up and said, "NO MORE!" John, Sam, Jeff and John are compassionate and bring their years of service, experiences in their sufferings, survival stories and hope of a better tomorrow to a community of first responders who desperately need to hear, "you are not broken", "you are not alone" and "there is a way to heal from the stress and heartache." A Badge of Honor has been a life line to people I know personally.
A Badge of Honor provided me with the gateway to seek help and reconciliation with the traumas that I had experienced over my 22 year career. Hearing their personal testimonies and the strength that they had, really encouraged me to seek out not only counseling but a counselor that could provide EMDR treatment. I highly recommend a Badge of Honor to anyone seeking the courage to ask for help.
I am a 40-year Law Enforcement Officer and a US Navy Vietnam Era Veteran- Currently the Chief Marshal for the Mesquite Marshals Office. During my Law Enforcement Career, I spent 23 years working Criminal Investigations 21 of those years working Robbery Homicide, which included Officer involved Shootings and other Critical Incidents. I have seen the toll both Mentally and Physically that this can take not only on the Officers but their families as well.
The classes that are taught and presented to First Responders and our Military Veterans by A Badge of Honor is second to none! Their work continues to bring awareness to the plight of PTS to our Military Veterans but also the cumulative effect of PTS to our First Responders. Both John Salerno and Samanta Horwitz from Badge of Honor Incorporated have been affected by PTS so what they bring to the show and the classes they teach are invaluable. This is definitely a Top-Notch Non-Profit organization, bringing about awareness and results.
Michael Meek
Chief Marshal
Mesquite Marshals Office