Wyoming nonprofit plans summit to help veterans rebuild connection

Veterans Talking to Veterans will host its third annual Stronger Together Summit on Aug. 1 in Dubois, Wyoming, with a program built around community, resilience and purpose. The event will include Gov. Mark Gordon, a Wyoming PBS screening and activities aimed at helping veterans and military families reconnect.

Why it matters: - Loneliness and isolation remain a growing problem for many Americans, and veterans can feel that loss of connection especially sharply after leaving military service. - Veterans Talking to Veterans is using the summit to address that gap with an event built around belonging, not just information. - The gathering is designed to help veterans, families and supporters strengthen resilience through shared experience and community.

What happened: - Veterans Talking to Veterans will host its third annual Stronger Together Summit on Aug. 1 at the National Museum of Military Vehicles in Dubois, Wyoming. - The event will bring together veterans, spouses, military families, caregivers, active-duty service members, National Guard, reservists and community supporters. - Ryan Elledge, VTTV’s executive director, said the summit is meant to create a place where veterans can rediscover existing bonds and build new ones.

The details: - The summit program includes a keynote address by Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon. - The event will also feature the Wind River Dancers, a vendor and community expo, and a veteran coach graduation ceremony. - A dinner and Wyoming PBS screening will follow a documentary about U.S. Army Lt. Lee Alley’s journey home from Vietnam. - VTTV said the setting at the museum, in the shadow of Wyoming’s mountains, is intended to give veterans time away from daily demands and space for genuine conversation. - Elledge said resilience is strengthened through trusted relationships and community. - VTTV’s veteran-led coaching groups have already turned conversations into friendships, support networks and renewed purpose. - The organization trains veterans and military spouses as professional trauma-informed coaches and runs veteran-led coaching groups through weekly meetings, coach training and community initiatives.

Between the lines: - The summit reflects a broader shift in how veteran support is being framed: not only as individual counseling or benefits access, but as a community-building effort. - VTTV is leaning on peer connection as a practical response to isolation, with veterans helping veterans through shared experience. - The inclusion of a film on a Vietnam veteran’s homecoming underscores the event’s focus on service, transition and post-military identity.

What's next: - VTTV is directing attendees to its website to register and view the full event schedule. - The organization is also pointing people to a Wyoming Public Radio feature for more background on its work. - The summit will serve as another test of whether structured peer connection can help sustain long-term support beyond a single day event.

The bottom line: - VTTV is betting that belonging can be a form of resilience, and that veterans may rebuild purpose fastest when they are surrounded by people who understand military life.