Fall 2023 Veterans on the Camino Pilgrimage

by Seth Allard, USMC Veteran

Veterans on the Camino (VOC) is taking applications for the 2023 annual Camino de Santiago Pilgrimage in Spain. VOC is a Veteran-led nonprofit organization that helps Veterans of war take the Camino de Santiago, a 1,000-year-old pilgrimage that leads to the resting place of St. James in Santiago de Compostela. VOC provides airfare, food/lodging costs, boots, and a pack – the essentials for a person to undertake the Camino – for accepted applicants. VOC has been sending small groups of Veterans on Camino since. 2016. While recent Camino pilgrimages have been delayed due to COVID, VOC is excited to get this project rolling again with a large turnout of applicants.

Although there are many different routes, VOC follows the popular ‘French Way,’ a 500-mile trek that begins at the border of France and Spain, crosses beautiful northern Spain, and for the Veterans, goes beyond the resting place of St. James and culminates at the “end of the world” in the coastal town of Finisterre. As previously reported in The Havok Journal, former Navy Seabee Brad Genereux “founded Veterans on the Camino to assist veterans who suffer by offering guidance and assistance in making an extraordinary journey towards healing on the ancient Camino de Santiago.”

Pilgrimage is especially powerful, and in the span of human history, a time-honored way of seeking understanding, healing, and community. While the Way of Saint James originated with Christian tradition, for decades pilgrims have come from a variety of spiritual, religious, and cultural backgrounds to find and nurture a sense of belonging and renewed meaning. The Camino de Santiago can hold a special significance in the lives of Veterans of war, who may be impacted by loss, grief, trauma, or isolation. Veterans have also walked in memory of those they have lost in war and to battles with mental health and suicide.

The trek is demanding, requiring that pilgrims walk the entire Camino over a nearly 6-week period. Looking at this opportunity in terms of an investment, however, we realize that the bonds that are grown over this time of reflection and togetherness among Veterans, and between Veterans and a larger spiritual community, can provide a strong bridge between where we are now, whether we are feeling isolated, stressed, or recovering from loss, and a further path of meaning and fulfillment. But as Brad has often put it, he cannot tell people to walk the Camino – he simply removes barriers for people to take their own path.  

To be eligible for this amazing opportunity, you must be a military veteran no longer deployable, have a working knowledge of the English language, be willing and able to walk over 500 miles in approximately 35 days, and be able to travel to Spain (current passport, etc) between the dates of 29 September to 5 November. Apply by emailing a request for an application form to contact@veteransonthecamino.com. Follow the instructions on the application form (fill out the form in English). Completed applications must be submitted no later than 2400 EST, 31 March 2023 for consideration.

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As the Voice of the Veteran Community, The Havok Journal seeks to publish a variety of perspectives on a number of sensitive subjects. Unless specifically noted otherwise, nothing we publish is an official point of view of The Havok Journal or any part of the U.S. government.