Refresh. Renew. Flourish.

The Origin of the Poetry Brigade: In January 2020, the US 82nd Airborne was suddenly deployed, something that had not happened in a generation. I was running a recreational park for service families near Ft. Bragg. The team I worked with met with family group leaders to see what we could do to support the extended families of service members. I had noticed that people might read short writings – something not much longer than a sonnet. I also noticed older men would read poems but not essays or long-form works. So, I created the Poetry Brigade to help people find words that might heal, uplift or direct in times of war stress.

Allegra Jordan’s military background: My father, the late MAJ. Malcolm E. Jordan died of Agent Orange poisoning. After 17 years of Vietnam-era service, he was forced out. The Jordan family learned many lessons from this hard knock. Suffering happens, and it doesn’t have to get the last word. We keep the growth but learn to discharge the pain. Yes, even horrible pain you didn’t even know you could bear.

Forty years after my family left the service, I became the Executive Director of the Rick Herrema Foundation (2017-2020), which helps service members reintegrate after deployments.  My contributions were honored with two of the top civilian commendations provided for volunteers by US Joint Special Operations Command (2021, 2022). I completed my service and turned the park over to the veteran community to run as theirs. It is their community, and I, a steward, was grateful to help build it until that time they could successfully run it.

Today, under US veteran leadership, the park is flourishing both at its North Carolina site and its new Texas site. www.rhfnow.org

The Poetry Brigade, now housed on this site, continues to provide opportunities to renew, refresh, and flourish.