ROCKPORT, Texas — Justin Patterson walks with purpose. His stride is steady, but the scars of war run deep.
“I believe god has a handle on this and that’s why we are so successful and so blessed in our fundraising and everything we’re doing,” said Patterson, co-founder of 10 Klicks Outdoors. “I believe god put me in a position, and I’m just a vessel.”
The Rockport resident joined the U.S. Army in early 2001. Over the next 14 years, he completed multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan as a sniper.
“It’s the best worst job I’ve ever had,” he said. “Having to deal with the stains of the soul after the fact. Losing friends, watching people perish, and taking life.”
He was awarded four Bronze Stars and three Purple Hearts. A 2008 roadside bomb left him with severe head trauma.
“I spent years in the hospital working on speech, which obviously isn’t working well,” Patterson said.
Even after coming home, the war followed him.
“We do bad things to bad people. We’re exposed to things humans shouldn’t have to see,” he said. “When you’re in the military, you’re around a group of like-minded individuals, but when you get out, you’re essentially separated from the herd. You lose your self-worth, you lose your purpose, direction, and motivation, and then you find yourself self-medicating.”
“What it feels like is nobody understands you,” he added. “You feel like civilians don’t get it, and you’re not around your people and family. Next thing you know, the only way out is death. You feel like you’re a burden to your family.”
Patterson hit that point himself.
“The stains of war, when you come home, there’s not a lot of therapy,” he said. “There was a time that I tried to take my own life. I almost became one of those statistics.”
Hope returned when a fellow veteran introduced him to outdoor therapy.
“Somebody got me involved in outdoor therapy and it changed my life,” he said. “There’s no pills, there’s no medication, it’s just outdoor beauty and getting guys together. It’s a reset of the mind, body, and soul.”
In 2023, Patterson co-founded 10 Klicks Outdoors, a nonprofit dedicated to healing through nature. The organization provides retreats and guided experiences for veterans, first responders, their families, and at-risk youth.
In just a year and a half, 10 Klicks Outdoors has served 113 veterans and their families.
“It’s not about the quantity, it’s about the quality of the retreat,” Patterson said.
The retreats include fishing, hiking, campfires, and candid conversations in the wilderness. The organization also holds events and women’s retreats, and is currently partnering with country artist Brantley Gilbert on upcoming projects.
“The cohesion, the camaraderie, the trash-talking back and forth, it’s been amazing,” Patterson said. “I’ve got the best job in the world.”
He says his experience taking life in combat is exactly why this mission to give back feels so personal.
“We’re just as passionate about giving life,” he said.
Patterson knows that healing is a journey, one he’s still on himself.
“Coming home is the hard part,” he said. “But you’re not alone, and we’re here to help you.”
To learn more about 10 Klicks Outdoors and its events or support its mission click here.
More Veterans In Focus stories are available here, along with resources for local veterans.
Contact Veterans In Focus reporter Michelle Hofmann at michelle.lorenzo@kristv.com
