Friend,

Tomorrow, we honor the people who have served and defended our rights and freedoms. But for many veterans, coming home can be a hard battle. Isolation, stress, and the challenges of readjusting to civilian life can be overwhelming.

That's why the Sierra Club Military Outdoors Program exists. The program connects veterans, active-duty service members, and their families with the restorative power of nature. Through guided outdoor trips, skill-building, and community, veterans gain more than recreation. They gain hope, healing, and sometimes, even a lifeline.

The values that guide our military — integrity, resilience, selfless service, and duty — align deeply with the Sierra Club's own commitment to justice, collaboration, and transformation. Together, these values fuel our shared mission: to build communities grounded in purpose, healing, and care for one another and the planet.

In this video, you'll hear from veterans who share how stepping out into nature, alongside others who served, helped them rediscover hope and, for some, quite literally saved their lives.

Will you help ensure this work continues — and expands — by making a gift to the Sierra Club Military Outdoors Program? Your donation today means:

• More veterans and military families can access life-saving outdoor trips regardless of their location or means.


• Logistics, gear, transportation, and trained leaders can be provided so no one is excluded due to cost or distance.


• A community of peers is built, where veterans lead veterans and healing happens together.

Even a small gift today can make a huge difference. Every contribution ensures that more veterans and military families can step outside, find community, and reclaim hope. Please give now to expand the Sierra Club Military Outdoors Program and reach even more lives.

This Veterans Day, let's go beyond thanks. Let's act. Let's help turn moments of gratitude into lifelines of support because the people who served us deserve nothing less than the chance to reconnect, to heal, to live fully.

I'm here today because I've been blessed to have access to nature as the backdrop to discover who I am.

With deep gratitude and hope,

Sherman Neal II
Veteran, United States Marine Corps
Deputy Director, Military Outdoors
Sierra Club