It takes courage to stand up and speak.

It also takes courage to sit down and listen.

It takes courage to stand up and speak.

It also takes courage to sit down and listen.

Welcome home

The Concept

At a Vets Town Hall, veterans of any era who served in any capacity have the right to stand before their community and speak for up to ten minutes about what it was like to serve their country. These events are non-political, and all perspectives are valued.

Why a Vets Town Hall?

For most of human history, trauma was both experienced and processed in groups – family, village, tribe. As a result, humans are amazingly resilient when part of a community, and amazingly fragile when they are not.

Start a Vets Town Hall

How to set up an event

These events are simple to set up and cost almost nothing. They can be organized by veterans or non-veterans, and by individuals or organizations.

Each event is locally run, and we have resources available to help you start an event in your hometown.

Check out our basic guide to setting up an event, get answers to frequently asked questions, let us know you're organizing an event, or ask us a question about coordinating Vets Town Halls.

Who's Behind Vets Town Halls?

Sebastian Junger & our team

Sebastian Junger is the bestselling author of War, about American soldiers in Afghanistan’s infamous Korengal Valley, as well as Tribe, about their struggles adjusting to life back home.

His documentary Restrepo - which he shot, directed and produced with photojournalist Tim Hetherington - won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for an Oscar the following year. Junger remains committed to helping veterans and is the originator of Vets Town Halls.

More about the Board of Directors