SUNDAY NIGHTS used to be quiet. Now, they’re alive with voices — sometimes joking, sometimes heavy, always present. Veterans from the 278th G Troop of the Tennessee Army National Guard gather on Zoom for Sit-Rep Sunday. What began as a simple check-in became a lifeline. It’s the thread that stitched them back together after one loss too many.
Stuart Rudy, who served with the unit, remembers how it started.
“Shortly after returning home, we had a couple of our soldiers take their own life,” he clearly recalled.
But the one in 2023 broke the silence for good, beginning with Sit-Rep Sunday, the weekly meeting that Keith and Tianna Hale started. Today, the Hales, Rudy, and other members have expanded the outreach to include the Lifeline Warrior Foundation and its companion project, the Den of Valor clubhouse. It’s a grassroots effort restoring veterans’ lives and connecting them with vital resources.
The vision is twofold: a space that feels like a hunting lodge, tucked off the beaten path, where veterans can relax, recover, and reconnect; and a support system that steps in when life gets overwhelming. The foundation’s board members — Rudy, Allen Nunley, Chase Clevenger, Keith and Tianna Hale, Erin Mosley, Brian Renfroe, and Daniel Slayton — have jumped in wherever needed.
“It hasn’t seemed like work to find support,” Rudy said. “When we need something, it always shows up. I feel like God is behind us, paving the way as we go.”
That faith fuels every effort — from trailering construction scraps from the North to repair homes to planning to build tiny homes and barracks on land they hope to purchase and tracking every veteran they help until they’re standing strong again. One veteran needed a car to get to a new job; another needed help navigating a disability claim. A third had a home in disrepair. Rudy’s team showed up with tools, support, and a plan.
But even with steady wins, the road forward isn’t easy.
Rudy is clear about the challenges: manpower and funding. They’re raising $160,000 for a mobile concert stage to create income, cut fundraising needs, and provide a job for veterans. It’s a bold goal, but one they believe will sustain the mission.
And there’s another challenge, too: reaching the veterans who have pulled away. Some feel disillusioned or disconnected from traditional programs. That’s why Den of Valor is different — more relaxed, more personal, built with veterans in mind.
Rudy envisions a space that feels like home, not filled with hand-me-down furniture or flickering lights, but thoughtfully built to help veterans feel cared for and welcomed.
But it’s not the clubhouse or foundation that changes lives — it’s the bonds between veterans. That’s what Rudy knows they crave most: each other.
“We aren’t wired to take care of ourselves. We survived by taking care of the people around us,” he said. “We need to be together — at least close enough to keep an eye on each other.”
That instinct to care for the person beside you — that’s the thread running through it all. From virtual roll call to a future built by healing hands, the mission is clear: no one gets left behind. GN
To learn more about Lifeline Warrior Foundation or Den of Valor, contact Stuart Rudy at (931) 251-1195.
