Gold Star Families Find Healing Through a Literal Leap of Faith: “God Isn’t Done With Us Yet”

For Gold Star families who have lost loved ones in the military, the journey to healing can be overwhelming. But a unique program gives these families the chance to find hope, connection and a new sense of meaning through a literal leap of faith.

Operation Support Our Troops-America (OSOT-America), based in Illinois, in collaboration with the All-Veteran Group Parachute Team, offers an event called the “Leap of Faith” in which participants climb 14,000 feet into the sky. The idea is simple but powerful: skydive to find the strength and courage to take the next step on the path to healing.

Shelton Thornton, a Gold Star father from Louisiana, attended the event to honor his son, who died by suicide 12 years ago.

“I’m here to celebrate my son,” Thornton said. “I really want to do this – I’m a little scared, but hopefully I can let go of a lot of things that I’ve been holding on to and don’t have to.”

Moments later, Thornton took the plunge and let go of an emotional burden he had carried for years.

Michele Wright, another Gold Star parent, also took part in the jump to support her son, First Lt. David Wright, to honor.

“My son is here with me,” Michele said. With the support of the All-Veteran Group, Michele took to the skies, carrying David with her in spirit. Mike Elliott, president of the All-Veteran Group, assured her, “We’ll be flying David today.”

Ashley Audo, a Gold Star daughter, decided to jump in honor of her father, who served in the Army. “My father did everything he was allowed to do except jump out of a plane. So I’m doing this because he couldn’t,” she said, before taking the plunge herself.

Sunnydale Hyde, director of operations for the All-Veteran Group and former U.S. Army Golden Knight, said, “We have an incredible opportunity to provide these people with moments of healing. The greatest thing is – we have been through the darkest time of our lives – God is not done with us yet.”

Families come from as far away as California to attend OSOT-America’s Leap of Faith event in North Carolina in hopes of moving forward with their grief. Dr. Doug McKinley, a clinical psychologist who has worked with OSOT-America since its inception, sees the event as transformative.

“Grief is something you use. “You don’t obsess over it,” said Dr. McKinley. “We try to free them from the psychological traps that arise from emotions such as grief.”

For Michele Wright, the jump was a turning point. “It was absolutely amazing – the first day of the rest of my life,” she said through tears.

Dr. McKinley added: “Skydiving doesn’t help with grief – it actually upsets everything. But when we tie it to the message we want to convey – getting them to let go of their fear – the metaphor is that you can literally let go physically and also psychologically.”

Deb Rickert, founder of OSOT-America, began putting together care packages for soldiers in her garage in 2003. When some of these soldiers did not return home, she created the Leap of Faith event to support their families.

“For us, who had two sons who were deployed repeatedly and came home. My husband and I feel like we have a debt of gratitude that we need to repay,” Rickert explained.

The three-day retreat also offers family seminars, professional counseling and equine therapy at Southern Eight’s Farm in Chesterfield, South Carolina. Bart and Alexia Collart, Gold Star parents who lost their 21-year-old son Spencer in an Osprey crash, spoke about the experience. “Spencer wrote a lot of sayings. One was: ‘Who says you can’t touch the stars?’ I just feel like I got a little closer to God by being up there,” Alexia said.

Bart and Alexia shared how, despite their loss, they find comfort in knowing their son continues to inspire them. “Despite the terrible loss, it continues to bear fruit,” they said.

Donna Brown, a member of the All-Veteran Group, encouraged others to “push it forward.” She said: “If you see a soldier, walk up to him. Shake his hand. Thank him for his service. If you see a person – military or not – say hello to someone because you never know who that person is.” If you live through this day, you could change their life.

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