Faith and Freedom Club honors veterans

The Faith and Freedom Club of Medina met Nov. 11 at the Rodney Camp Pavilion to honor local veterans and hear from three guest speakers.

Mark Miller, a retired U.S. Army officer and current director of the Schreiner Institute, discussed his military background and the Institute’s mission. The Schreiner Institute is a preparatory program for recent high school graduates seeking appointments to U.S. military academies.

Schreiner University has provided military education for a century. When the Institute first launched, it served 95 young men from the Texas Hill Country, offering rigorous academic and physical training.

Today, the Institute provides programs rooted in military tradition, including the Military Academy Preparatory School (MAPS), Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) and transition services for veterans returning to civilian life.

The program currently serves about 50 students.

Miller oversees a wide range of programs under the Institute’s leadership umbrella, including the university band and three rifle teams.

A native of Timpson, Texas, Miller grew up on small cattle ranches.

He has also coached endurance athletes and moved to Germany after retiring from the Army to continue coaching. He previously coached U.S. Track and Field athletes at Level 2.

Miller graduated from West Point in 1996 and completed four tours in Iraq. His wife, a veteran as well, works as a physician assistant.

Three representatives from Texans Recovering Together — Justin Jackson, Daryl Davis and Wesley Tarpley — also spoke about the mental health program, which delivers crisis counseling and other services directly into communities.

The pilot program is funded by a grant from MHDD in Texas and serves Kerr County and surrounding areas, including Bandera County. The team assisted Uvalde residents following the school shooting and was considered highly effective.

Staff members include trained mental health professionals and paraprofessionals who live within the community. Two work in the office, while seven focus on field outreach.

The program uses a strengths-based approach emphasizing resilience, community engagement, cultural respect and support for individuals with developmental disabilities. Services include individual and group counseling, disaster education, public information, community resource connections and confidential support.

The team highlighted sensory grounding techniques, such as the 5-4-3-21 method — identifying five things you see, four you can touch, three you can hear, two you can smell and one you can taste — which helps individuals manage stress and anxiety. Services are offered in homes and community settings.

The meeting concluded with a preview of upcoming programs.

In January, guest speakers will include Texas author Ben English and broadcaster and writer Tumbleweed Smith. The club’s social hour begins at 3 p.m., followed by the program at 4 p.m., both at the Rodney Camp Pavilion.