SOVEREIGN ROOTS
VETERANS RETREAT
About Sovereign Roots:
Sovereign Roots was born from the realization that "the mission" doesn't end when the uniform comes off; it simply changes terrain. Founded by a 14-year Army Veteran, our organization is built on the principle of Whole-Self Integration. We believe that the path to healing for Veterans isn't found in a list of clinical acronyms, but in the dirt, the work, and the community.
We utilize the environment of Horticulture, Ranching, and Fieldwork as a background to our primary modalities. By acting as stewards of 30 acres on Colorado's Western Slope, veterans engage in a seasonal, cyclical process that mirrors the internal work of recovery. We move away from "dehumanizing" clinical processes and toward a holistic model that incorporates mindfulness, somatic movement, and raw, meaningful labor.
At Sovereign Roots, we aren't just looking for "coping strategies", but empowering and reclaiming the "Whole": the veteran, the citizen, and the human being.
The Story of Sovereign Roots
By Corey Roberts, Executive Director
The Forge: From Blood to Intel
In 2001, I was a senior in high school watching the world change in real-time. We knew then what we had to do. I wanted the front lines, but my eyes failed the test—color blind and near-sighted. So, I took the closest thing to the fire I could find: 91W Healthcare Specialist.
I spent two years in Iraq with the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment. I didn't just see the war; I felt it, smelled it, and wore it. Between the battlefield skirmishes and the grim reality of the interment facilities, I saw enough death and destruction to last three lifetimes. I watched the cost of "bad intel" in human blood. That changed me.
I transitioned to Intelligence Collection with a single, obsessive goal: If I can provide the right intel, I can stop the tragedies. I wanted to prevent the maiming, the wrongful detentions, and the deaths of my brothers. I made a name for myself in Iraq and Europe. I was on track for Warrant Officer and the Defense Language Institute. I had the "high-level" life ahead of me.
But I had a son who wasn't getting the best of me. I turned it all down. I walked away from 14 years of service to find "grounding." I had no idea I was walking straight into a different kind of hell.
The Abyss: The Civilian Ghost
Civilian life doesn’t have a SITREP. I tried to apply the break-neck pace of military operations to college and a career, and I crashed. I was a 33-year-old angry combat veteran trying to share a classroom with 18-year-olds who looked at my service as "destructive" rather than "helpful." I felt crushed. Without the uniform, I didn't know who I was. I was wearing "goofy clothing" because I literally hadn't learned how to be a person outside of a platoon.
I landed at the VFW bar, trading bitter stories for drinks, surrounded by "woe is me" and the same unreleased trauma I was carrying. The VA gave me a list of acronyms like MDD & PTSD, and an insanely sterile treatment process that left me wanting to scream at the world or end my own life.
COVID almost finished the job. The lifelines vanished. The world felt like it was closing in. I was surrounded by triggers, heart symptoms, and a medical system that only offered side effects.
The Stand: 30 Acres of Grit
We didn't just move to Delta; we escaped to it. We found 30 acres of raw, overgrown, unforgiving land. It was a huge luxurious half-finished house, a decrepit shed and a dream.
The next four years were the hardest mission of my life. I was moneyless, battling a brutal custody case, paying two mortgages, and facing extreme isolation. I used my muscles and my mental limits to clear, shape, and cultivate this land. I didn't have a support network, so I built one out of the dirt.
I forged this place in blood, sweat, and grit. It was a testament to survival. I stopped looking for a "coping strategy" and started looking for a way to be a Whole Person.
The "Whole Enchilada"
Today, Sovereign Roots isn’t just a ranch; it’s a Rally Point. We’ve realized that for a veteran, healing isn't a clinical acronym. It’s ownership & stewardship. It’s the raw labor of the earth. It’s understanding that life is seasonal, cyclical, and beautiful, even when it’s unforgiving.
I chose our symbol from a dead cottonwood tree on the east side of our house. When the Western sunset hits it, that tree doesn't look dead. It glows with a fiery, burning gold. It’s a giant. It’s a metaphor for every veteran who has been weathered and beaten by the storm but still stands as a beacon.
We are here for the "Whole Enchilada." We integrate the veteran, the citizen, and the human into one mission. Whether it’s Fieldcraft, Overwatch, or a full Reset, we provide the terrain for you to find your own Sovereignty.
The mission didn't end. It just moved to the Western Slope. Let’s get to work.
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