It was never about the moose

It was cool, quiet, and peaceful. It was moose hunting season here in Maine. The excitement in the air was palpable.

After months of anticipation, planning, scouting, early mornings hitting the dusty road before daylight and returning long after sunset, shared stories and shared challenges, veteran Alex Murphy had harvested his moose. Smiles stretched across every face, guides were running to hug each other and Alex in excitement. Cameras captured the moment. It was a celebration worthy of the incredible animal that lay before them in the marshy grass far upriver from where they began.

But then something happened that none of us expected.

As the group stood in a circle chatting, laughing, sharing high fives and excitement, Alex quietly looked around at the group of guides, volunteers, and fellow veterans who had gathered to celebrate alongside him. He paused for a moment with a somber look on his face. Someone asked him, "Are you OK?" — and then he shared something with us that would leave the entire group speechless.

"I just realized that I've never had anyone truly be excited for me about anything in my life."— Alex Murphy

Everyone was silent, but only for a moment. Paul House, Executive Director of House in the Woods and a Gold Star Father, walked over to Alex and wrapped him in a hug. We could hear him whisper to Alex, "We're proud of you, you deserve this."

For everyone standing there, it was a reminder of something we know all too well: the hunt had never really been about the moose.

Being seen

Time together on a House in the Woods veteran retreat is about the camaraderie. It's about giving back to the men and women who have served this great nation. It's about belonging and being a part of a family — a huge, growing family where everyone matters, everyone's story is different, and it's about being seen. Not just being seen as a veteran, but as a human, with a journey and trials and also joys.

This veteran retreat, after four days of moose hunting with a group of volunteers, was about discovering that, perhaps for the first time, someone genuinely cared — not because of a title, a uniform, or a diagnosis, but simply because Alex was Alex. Alex, who is part of the House in the Woods family.

That single moment perfectly captures the mission of House in the Woods Military & Family Retreat.

A long road to the Maine woods

Alex's journey began long before he ever arrived in the Maine woods. Following the attacks of September 11, he and his twin brother enlisted in the United States military alongside several friends. In March 2004, they deployed to Iraq. On June 19, 2004 — a day Alex now refers to as his "rebirth date" — his life changed forever when a mortar exploded just outside the door as he stepped outside. The blast left lasting wounds that couldn't be seen from the outside. Wounds that wouldn't be his first, because even before the military, Alex, like so many others, had trials and tribulations growing up — layers upon layers of "life" that we bury.

Like many veterans, Alex came home determined to move forward. He got married, and together he and his wife raised five children. He did everything he could to leave the past behind — but trauma has a way of resurfacing when it's ignored and buried down deep.

By 2016, the weight of his experiences had become overwhelming. His wife suggested that he find treatment for post-traumatic stress. Alex attended several military programs but didn't find much relief. In 2019, Alex reached one of the darkest points in his life and nearly gave up on life altogether.

It was then that his path began to change. He embraced a more holistic approach to healing through meditation, exercise, and reconnecting with life. Along that journey, he discovered organizations dedicated to serving veterans — not simply through programs, but through genuine human connection.

One of the first was House in the Woods.

"The hunt was great," Alex says with a smile. "We love that part of it."

But what stayed with him had nothing to do with harvesting an animal: it was the camaraderie. It was meeting complete strangers, volunteers who willingly gave their time, energy, and hearts to serve veterans they had never met before. True healing and connection was felt when he was simply sitting beside other veterans who didn't need long explanations because they already understood.

Healing around the campfire

For many veterans, healing begins not with words spoken in an office, but around a campfire, over coffee, on a quiet trail, in a canoe, or while waiting together in a hunting blind. Away from the noise and distractions of everyday life, conversations happen naturally. Walls begin to come down. Stories that have remained untold for years finally find a place to be heard — if not verbally, simply by being together.

All of us at House in the Woods have always believed that veterans cannot be defined solely by their military service. That is a part of their life, but it is not the definition of their life — a chapter along the road of life.

They are fathers and mothers. Husbands and wives. Brothers and sisters. Friends. Neighbors. People with dreams, fears, triumphs, and heartbreaks that started before and extend far beyond their time spent in uniform.

Those stories are rarely discovered in a crowded room, but rather one conversation at a time, one moment walking the trail, one silent sunrise in a boat fishing, one moment giving back to their fellow veterans, or even just sitting with volunteers over coffee. Every moment reminds our veterans that service was a part of their life, but not their whole life.

For Alex, the greatest gift wasn't the moose lying before him in the grass. It was the realization that he belonged to a community and a new family that celebrated his victories as if they were their own.

Today, Alex describes himself as genuinely happy. He openly credits organizations like House in the Woods with helping him rediscover hope and his purpose in life. His message to fellow veterans is simple: never give up. No matter how isolated you may feel, you are not alone.

His message to the rest of us is equally powerful. If you have the opportunity to support organizations that bring hope to veterans and their families, do it. Whether through volunteering, donating, or simply sharing the House in the Woods mission, every act of generosity helps create moments like the one Alex experienced.

Because sometimes healing doesn't arrive in a hospital or a counselor's office. Sometimes, it shows up deep in the Maine woods, up a narrow river in tall grass, surrounded by people who are simply excited for you.

And sometimes, that changes everything.