Shownotes
Special Operations Wounded Warriors (SOWW) started the way a lot of good things do: a few guys around a campfire with a problem to solve. Joel Pellici, one of the charity's five founders, tells hosts Kaylee and John how a feral hog problem at a hunting club near Fort Bragg turned into a wild pig hunt for wounded special operators, then grew into a charity that has touched lives in the hundreds. The core idea has stayed simple from day one. Get like-minded guys who carry similar traumas out into nature, and trust that if you sit around a campfire long enough, you can fix just about anything.
Over the years SOWW built out three main programs. The original immersion in nature through hunting, fishing, sporting clays, and golf came first. After losing the man Joel calls their early poster child to suicide, the founders realized they needed to do more, so they started a canine program in his honor and added the Operator Reset, a week-long treatment for individuals dealing with PTSD, traumatic brain injury, and family issues. Joel shares the stories that stick with him, including a wounded warrior who outran everyone on a prosthetic leg and never complained, and a man on roughly 17 medications who slept without them after just three hours in the program. He also walks through how a service dog gave one veteran his purpose and protection back, opening doors as ordinary as taking his kids to Disney World.
The conversation turns to policy in the back half. Joel makes a direct argument that the government should be taking responsibility for the people it sends to war, and that nonprofits like his shouldn't have to exist to care for those who sacrificed so much. He explains the real costs behind a single service animal, between 25 and 50 thousand dollars depending on training, and how SOWW keeps 91 to 95 percent of contributions going directly to its purpose because the board takes no money by its own bylaws. He closes with the three best ways to help: donate any amount, help find people who need the program, and volunteer. The episode wraps with a gift for Joel from AAC Ammo and Palmetto State Armory.
Questions this episode answers
What does SOWW stand for and who does the charity serve?
SOWW stands for Special Operations Wounded Warriors. The charity focuses primarily on special operations personnel from all branches of US service, immersing veterans who carry similar traumas in nature and treatment programs.
How did Special Operations Wounded Warriors get started?
It began when a feral hog problem at a hunting club near Fort Bragg turned into a wild pig hunt for wounded special operators. That hunt grew into a charity, founded by five men around the simple idea that like-minded guys around a campfire can fix just about anything.
What are SOWW's three main programs?
SOWW runs immersion in nature through hunting, fishing, sporting clays, and golf; a canine service-dog program; and the Operator Reset, a week-long treatment for PTSD, traumatic brain injury, and family issues.
How much does it cost to provide a veteran with a service dog?
Founder Joel Pellici says a single service animal costs between 25 and 50 thousand dollars, depending on the level of training the dog receives.
What percentage of donations goes directly to SOWW's mission?
SOWW keeps 91 to 95 percent of contributions going directly to its purpose. Its board is unpaid and the bylaws prohibit founders from taking any money.
Why does SOWW argue the government should do more for wounded warriors?
Joel Pellici argues the government should take responsibility for the people it sends to war, and that nonprofits like SOWW shouldn't have to exist to care for those who sacrificed so much.
How can someone get help from SOWW or nominate a veteran?
Veterans can self-nominate for the program, and supporters can help by finding people who need it. Joel notes that someone may be worse off than you, but that doesn't mean you don't need help too.
What are the best ways to support SOWW?
Joel Pellici names three: donate any amount, help find veterans who need the program, and volunteer your time. Because the board takes no pay, the bulk of every contribution reaches the mission.
Chapters
- 00:00 — Welcome and introducing Joel from SOWW
- 00:13 — Rapid Fire questions
- 01:01 — What SOWW is and who it serves
- 01:29 — The three programs: nature, canine, Operator Reset
- 03:34 — How veterans get help and self-nominate
- 04:04 — The campfire origin story and the first pig hunt
- 05:17 — How many lives the program has touched
- 05:56 — The stories Joel hangs his hat on
- 08:42 — The real cost of a service animal
- 10:40 — The policy side: federal gaps for wounded warriors
- 12:22 — What the government should fix
- 13:45 — Impact on the whole family unit
- 16:15 — Advice and the best ways to help
- 18:07 — Where to find SOWW and a gift from AAC and PSA
About the guest
Joel Pellici is one of the five founders of Special Operations Wounded Warriors (SOWW), a charity that focuses primarily on special operations personnel from all branches of US service. The organization runs three main programs: immersion in nature through hunting and fishing, a canine service-dog program, and a week-long Operator Reset treatment for individuals struggling with PTSD, traumatic brain injury, and family issues. SOWW's board is unpaid and its bylaws prohibit founders from taking money, with 91 to 95 percent of contributions going directly to its purpose. The charity has helped people in the hundreds since its founding.
Key quotes
"if you sit around a campfire long enough, you can fix just about anything" — Joel Pellici
"You would think that it wouldn't be necessary for nonprofits to be there to take care of people that sacrifice so greatly for a country." — Joel Pellici
"I watched him buckle to the ground in tears and thanks when he was introduced to a service dog." — Joel Pellici
"we typically average 91 to 95% of our contributions go directly to the purpose they're supposed to" — Joel Pellici
"somebody might be worse than you, but it doesn't mean you don't need help too" — Joel Pellici
Transcripts
Welcome to Gun Owners of America State of the second podcast.
Speaker A:I'm Kaylee.
Speaker B:And I'm John.
Speaker B:And today we're joined by Joel from sow.
Speaker B:So Joel, how are you today?
Speaker C:I'm doing great.
Speaker C:How about yourself?
Speaker B:Doing good.
Speaker B:So let's start off with our first segment which is Rapid Fire Questions.
Speaker B:We're going to ask you five questions.
Speaker B:Go ahead and answer them.
Speaker A:The first question is what, if anything, would you change in the perception of how veterans are viewed in the United States?
Speaker C:I think there's been a lot of work done recently.
Speaker C:I would start within the va.
Speaker C:Probably don't believe they're treated there as well as they are by outside charities and organizations.
Speaker B:Where do you consume the most content?
Speaker C:As in what?
Speaker B:YouTube?
Speaker B:TikTok?
Speaker B:Instagram.
Speaker C:Probably Instagram.
Speaker A:What was your last impulse buy?
Speaker C:Watch.
Speaker B:Okay, if it was a watch, Quartz or Automatic movement, which one do you prefer?
Speaker C:Automatic.
Speaker B:Cool.
Speaker B:Well, that wraps up our rapid Fire segment.
Speaker B:Let's go ahead and dive into this.
Speaker B:So tell the people who you are, what is sow, all that stuff.
Speaker C:So my name is Joel Pellici.
Speaker C:I'm one of the five founders of our charity, which we lovingly call sal, but it actually stands for Special Operations Wounded Warriors.
Speaker C:It focuses primarily on special operations personnel from all the different branches of US Service.
Speaker B:And then what does your charity do for them?
Speaker B:What do you guys specialize in?
Speaker C:So initially when we started the concept was to try and immerse people in nature.
Speaker C:So it was hunting, fishing, things like sporting clays, golf, all kinds of stuff, fishing.
Speaker C:But really getting a bunch of like minded guys that might have had similar issues, traumas, experiences over their, their career in the military and getting, getting them out in the woods ultimately based around the concept that if you sit around a campfire long enough, you can fix just about anything.
Speaker C:So we originated that way.
Speaker C:From there a couple of things happened.
Speaker C:We work with an individual, for example, that was a dog handler in the U.S. army Special Operations who unfortunately lost both his legs after stepping on a ID and did a lot of work with him over the years.
Speaker C:For one point in time he was kind of our lack of a better term, our poster child.
Speaker C:The guy that we would talk about not specifically in name, but what our charity did to help him, get him off the couch, get him stop drinking, things along those lines, just naturally through putting him in nature and giving him some hobbies.
Speaker C:He unfortunately made a really bad decision after an argument one night and took his life.
Speaker C:And so as great as we thought we were doing up to that point in time, we realized we needed to do some more.
Speaker C:So we started a canine program in his honor and then also started introducing what we now call an Operator reset, which is a week long treatment for individuals struggling with the need for mental therapies, things like PTSD and other issues, family issues.
Speaker C:So with that said, those are our three main principles that we focus on through the charity as well as we built some nice relationships with other charities that specialize in other things.
Speaker C:So if we can't help somebody, we know where to go.
Speaker B:And if there's a veteran out there who needs that help, or maybe a family member who wants to help them get that help, how do they get in touch with you?
Speaker B:What does that process work look like?
Speaker C:So we have a pretty extensive website.
Speaker C:It's so charity.com and through that you can find anything from how to make a donation to help somebody you don't know.
Speaker C:And then we have categories where we show our different programs that we do offer.
Speaker C:And you can self nominate so you don't have to be nominated by somebody else or you can nominate somebody that you know might meet the criteria.
Speaker C:And obviously we vet all the applications and we'll reach out from that point.
Speaker A:That's awesome.
Speaker A:So what kind of led to the creation of Sal?
Speaker C:It's a little bit of a funny story, but we had several members of a hunting club not far from here, and the property that we were using at the time was infested with feral hogs.
Speaker C:And the members of the club at the time, about half of them were retired special operators.
Speaker C:And so after a few consecutive hunts of everybody's attempt to maybe catch a harvest, a whitetail being ruined by the influx of all these pigs, we're sitting around the same campfire referenced earlier and what are we going to do about it?
Speaker C:And after a couple of beers, somebody said, you know what we need to do?
Speaker C:We need to find some wounded guys from Fort Bragg and let them come down here and do a true southern wild pig hunt.
Speaker C:So chasing pigs through the woods with knives is ultimately what it came to.
Speaker C:So kind of a too many beer statement turned into let's do this.
Speaker C:And about 30 days later we had our first event, which was magical for anybody that was involved in it on both sides, the, the wounded warrior as well as the people just trying to do it.
Speaker C:So.
Speaker B:And over the years, how many lives have you guys touched?
Speaker B:How many people have have come through the program?
Speaker C:It's a difficult number to use, but it's in the hundreds.
Speaker C:If we tie in some things that we do, like We've done in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Speaker C:We've done family weekend retreats where we brought in the entire family unit for just the sole purpose of actually reuniting guys that were deployed that came home with their families.
Speaker C:So that could make the numbers jump up really quickly.
Speaker C:On individual one on one type stuff.
Speaker C:It's I think we're in about the 3 to 350 range at this, this point.
Speaker A:Wow, that's awesome.
Speaker A:So what is one of those like stories that you hang your hat on that says, wow, like we really did something special?
Speaker A:Your most memorable, most inspiring kind of.
Speaker C:Well, I can answer that two ways.
Speaker C:So first for me personally, when we started doing this and going back to that first feral pig hunt that I referenced, there were eight guys that came in, there were eight of us in the club.
Speaker C:We all paired off with somebody.
Speaker C:And I tell everybody prior to that moment in my life, I used to whine, complain, feel sorry for myself a lot.
Speaker C:I got paired up with an individual as I think one of the fastest people I've ever experienced in my life.
Speaker C:First one to the activity, wherever it may be, running through swamps, briars, thickets.
Speaker C:It was nasty and to the point that I even had to say something.
Speaker C:Hey buddy, you need to let your friends have some fun too.
Speaker C:At the conclusion of that, we were supposed to be eating dinner and the individual looked at me as somebody take me back to the hotel.
Speaker C:I really wasn't supposed to get this thing wet and come to realize that the entire time this guy that was outrunning me, outrunning his buddies, was running on a prosthetic leg the whole time and never complained.
Speaker C:His only concern was he got it wet right before that I was not that person.
Speaker C:So I learned that as bad as things may be for me that that other people suffer a lot.
Speaker C:So that was impactful for me.
Speaker C:Beyond that, the experiences are numerous.
Speaker C:One the first thing that jumps in mind and it's actually going to be the same individual, but had person that was on about 17 medications, dealing with some pretty significant post traumatic stress issues.
Speaker C:And after going through one of our treatments, which was a week long treatment, but he was two to three hours into his first day, came up to me and said that was amazing.
Speaker C:And first that night where he normally would have taken medication to sleep things along those lines, he woke up the next day the happiest person ever seen in my life and was thrilled with just that three hour process when he had four more days to go.
Speaker C:So some of our programs were pretty impactful.
Speaker C:I guess that's an example of.
Speaker C:And later on in life that person entered into a second phase the canine part of our program.
Speaker C:And I watched the biggest, strongest man in that I know in the presence that he gave.
Speaker C:I watched him buckle to the ground in tears and thanks when he was introduced to a service dog.
Speaker C:So those two things are probably the ones that jump immediately to mind but there's tons of them.
Speaker A:So obviously a charity you survive off of donations.
Speaker A:Just so everyone kind of gets an idea.
Speaker A:How much does it cost for someone to go through don't step one and step two and receive their service animal.
Speaker C:Specifically service animals somewhat it will depend on the training that has to be done specific to the dog.
Speaker C:So we match the dog to the person.
Speaker C:For example, we've given individuals in wheelchairs service animals having guys that have no physical injuries service animals.
Speaker C:But they kind of get to the dog gets tuned up specific to the need.
Speaker C:But on average it's about a 25 to $50,000 decision at the end of the day.
Speaker C:That includes transportation, introducing to the dog.
Speaker C:They go through several weeks of training on how to actually handle the dog and be responsible.
Speaker C:And then at times there's even additional follow up training that's required as well.
Speaker C:So the process can vary but we kind of start at 25 and go up to about 50.
Speaker B:I've heard those numbers before and it's still mind boggling on how high that is and how much it means to the service members to get these dogs.
Speaker B:You know how.
Speaker B:How do you get.
Speaker B:How can people get more involved to help out?
Speaker B:Like if somebody's watching this and they want to get involved with.
Speaker B:So how do you.
Speaker B:What do you recommend they do?
Speaker C:I would encourage them to visit our our website which is so www.charity.com we have a page dedicated one to information about the canine program.
Speaker C:Its a pretty detailed donation page where you can actually select this is what I want to donate to.
Speaker C:A $10 donation is awesome but if you want to sponsor a dog there's ways to learn how to do that in addition to that.
Speaker C:So wide range of options.
Speaker C:We appreciate every single dollar whether it's big or small.
Speaker C:It all adds up together and helps us do good things.
Speaker A:Now it's time for my favorite part of the show where we get to kind of address some of the more policy focused, the spicier side of the conversation.
Speaker A:Obviously GOA has done a lot of work when it comes to veterans rights and the veterans fiduciary rules and so we're more familiar with that side of the house.
Speaker A:But what are the big federal issues that you guys are facing from a wounded warrior perspective, where, you know, there's a big gap that may exist.
Speaker C:So for a while, and it's maybe relaxing a little bit with the different theaters of of war that we were dealing, whether it's terrorism related or other items, the quantity, the number of people that were coming out with issues was significant.
Speaker C:So as things have throttled back a little bit, that has started to get a little better.
Speaker C:The volume is dropping, but, you know, the people that we serve are working, whether or not it's on television.
Speaker C:And so that that cycle kind of never stops.
Speaker C:So the first thing is just recognition.
Speaker C:There's so many topics out there right now.
Speaker C:Burn pits, ptsd, traumatic brain injury, all those different options of things that are out there that could be an ailment in an individual, Just recognition of it, taking responsibility for it at the end of the day is a big piece of it.
Speaker C:So.
Speaker C:And also, one person can have multiple issues, you know, so as a country,.
Speaker B:What do we need to do to fix some of these issues?
Speaker B:And what are some of the issues you see as a nonprofit or as an organization to that need to be fixed throughout the veterans coming home and all that?
Speaker C:You would think that it wouldn't be necessary for nonprofits to be there to take care of people that sacrifice so greatly for a country.
Speaker C:So I would start there.
Speaker C:You know, I think the government has responsibility for what we ask them to do.
Speaker C:The good part is America cares, and, you know, people do step forward and bring together charities like mine as well as others that are extremely effective at helping.
Speaker C:So the first fix should be taking responsibility for ultimately our employees as a government.
Speaker C:And that would be nice that we didn't have to exist.
Speaker C:But continuing to inspire people to do what's missed through charitable work is a big piece of it.
Speaker A:Yeah, I think that's true for a lot of things.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:When it comes to.
Speaker A:We believe as a society that there should be certain expectations for taking care of our veterans, but in reality, that doesn't always fit so nicely or neatly in a campaign slogan when it comes down to the real gaps in care that they experience.
Speaker A:I do want to go back to one thing that you mentioned earlier, and that is the effectiveness of your program.
Speaker A:You know, you gave the example of someone who was on a lot of medication going through the program and then not needing it to fall asleep that night, because there's a fulfillment factor.
Speaker A:That transformation not only affects that person, but their family.
Speaker A:So can you give us a little bit of A broader view of the impact moving forward once they exit these programs that you're seeing from the people who enter.
Speaker C:Absolutely.
Speaker C:So the dog Prague program, for example, one of the main components and intentions of it is to give somebody purpose.
Speaker C:That's number one.
Speaker C:So we kind of say when you're in the military, one of the first things they do is they give you your gun, they teach you how to use it, teach you how to shoot it, and one of the last things they do on your way out the door is they take it away from you.
Speaker C:So things that guys have felt comfortable with for years, their quick security, whether it's on the hip, whether it's over the shoulder, is gone.
Speaker C:And so they go home.
Speaker C:They have no purpose.
Speaker C:They don't feel safe.
Speaker C:The same individual I referenced shared with me a story about how he could never go to Disney World.
Speaker C:And he had young kids who loved it.
Speaker C:So his wife would take the kids.
Speaker C:He couldn't go.
Speaker C:The dog itself opened that door up for him because he had, you know, protection.
Speaker C:At the same time of having a purpose and focusing on the dog, the crowds weren't as bad.
Speaker C:And so things along those lines.
Speaker C:And to that, the family unit.
Speaker C:His wife issued a beautiful testimony to us one day.
Speaker C:And I'll never forget when she said that the help that we gave him not only helped her in her marriage because they were having some issues because of his hostilities at times, PTSD type related, but that it would change the lives of their children and that the argument stopped.
Speaker C:You know, he was better, he was happier, and the kids got to grow up.
Speaker C:And I started having the ability to grow up in a house that may have been a little turbulent prior to, but then it helped them recover their relationship, which, as she said, not only helped her kids, but would eventually help her kids kids.
Speaker C:And to know that one focusing on one individual could have that much transformation through an entire family line was.
Speaker C:Was pretty powerful to hear.
Speaker B:If you were to give any advice to any of the veterans out there or anybody out there who.
Speaker B:Who wants to help your organization in any way, you know, what piece of advice could you give them?
Speaker C:So money always helps.
Speaker C:Unfortunately, things cost.
Speaker C:And so we're proud that in our charity, we don't take any money.
Speaker C:Our board is not paid.
Speaker C:We actually have stipulations in our bylaws that don't allow us to take money.
Speaker C:So we take a lot of pride in that.
Speaker C:That means that we typically average 91 to 95% of our contributions go directly to the purpose they're supposed to Serve money helps but if you don't have it, volunteering, putting yourself out there can make a big difference as well.
Speaker C:And when we get in our networks being honest, a lot of proud men and women have worn the uniform and they always think somebody's worse off.
Speaker C:But it also at the same time doesn't mean that they have don't have problems themselves.
Speaker C:And so helping people realize whether it's them, you know, the individual themselves or their friend, you know, yeah, somebody might be worse than you, but it doesn't mean you don't need help too is a huge piece of it.
Speaker C:And we live off of word of mouth and direct recommendations for people that have experienced us realize what we do and we remind them, you probably know somebody that needs this just as much or more.
Speaker C:So I would say those would be the top three things dollars help and then from there helping us find people that need help as well as just volunteerism basic would would be big as well.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And if somebody wants to volunteer, they can go straight to the website.
Speaker C:Correct submit.
Speaker B:Cool.
Speaker B:Well we're going to go ahead and wrap up.
Speaker B:Go ahead.
Speaker B:And again, we appreciate you being on.
Speaker B:Go ahead and shout out website socials anywhere where people can find you and ways to help out.
Speaker C:So we can be found on most of the major social media sites.
Speaker C:Facebook, Instagram, X we we're there.
Speaker C:Our website's so w charity.com it can direct you into a lot of different avenues of what we do and who we help and how to get that accomplished too at the end of the day.
Speaker B:Well, before we go, we have a gift for you from AAC Ammo and Palmetto State Armory.
Speaker B:They will they sponsored our gift for our guests for the season two so they'll be sending that to you after the show.
Speaker C:Okay, great.
Speaker B:Appreciate them doing that guys.
Speaker B:Make sure to like share and subscribe.
Speaker B:Hit the little bell for notification.
Speaker B:Leave a five star review on all podcasting hosts and we appreciate you guys watching.
Speaker B:We'll see you on the next one.
