Gold Star Families Find Healing Through Literal Leap of Faith: 'God's Not Done with Us'

For Gold Star families who have lost loved ones in the military, the path to healing can feel overwhelming. Yet, a unique program is giving these families a chance to find hope, connection, and a renewed sense of purpose by taking a literal leap of faith.

Operation Support Our Troops-America (OSOT-America), based in Illinois, in collaboration with the All-Veteran Group parachute team, offers an event called "Leap of Faith" that takes participants 14,000 feet into the sky. The idea is simple yet powerful: skydiving to find the strength and courage to take the next step forward in their journey of healing.

Shelton Thornton, a Gold Star father from Louisiana, joined the event to honor his son, who died by suicide 12 years ago.

"I'm here to celebrate my son," Thornton said. "I really want to do this—I'm a little scared, but hopefully, I'll be able to release a lot of things that I've been holding on to, that I don't need to." 

Moments later, Thornton took the leap, releasing an emotional weight he had carried for years.

Michele Wright, another Gold Star parent, also took part in the jump to honor her son, First Lt. David Wright. 

"My son's right here with me," Michele said. With the support of the All-Veteran Group, Michele took to the skies, carrying David with her in spirit. Mike Elliott, President of the All-Veteran Group, reassured her, "We're gonna take David flying with us today."

Ashley Audo, a Gold Star daughter, decided to jump in honor of her father, who served in the Army. "My dad did everything they allowed him to do, except jump out of a plane. So, I'm doing this because he couldn't," she said before taking the leap herself. 

Sunnydale Hyde, Operations Lead with the All-Veteran Group and a former U.S. Army Golden Knight, explained, "We get the incredible opportunity to provide moments of healing for these people. The biggest thing is—we've been through the darkest time of our lives—God's not done with us."

Families come from as far as California to attend OSOT-America's "Leap of Faith" event in North Carolina, hopeful to move forward with their grief. Dr. Doug McKinley, a clinical psychologist who has partnered with OSOT-America since its inception, sees the event as transformational.

"Grief is something that you use. You're not possessed by it," said Dr. McKinley. "We're trying to help set them free from the psychological traps that happen because of emotions like grief."

For Michele Wright, the jump was a turning point. "It was absolutely amazing—the first day of the rest of my life," she said tearfully. 

Dr. McKinley added, "Skydiving doesn't help with grief—it actually excites everything. But when we tie it to the message we're trying to say—to get them to let go of their fear—the metaphor is that you can literally, physically let go and also psychologically."

Deb Rickert, the founder of OSOT-America, started by putting together care packages for soldiers in her garage back in 2003. When some of those soldiers didn't return home, she created the "Leap of Faith" event to support their families.

"For us, who've had two sons deployed repeatedly and did come home. My husband and I feel like we have a debt of gratitude that we have to repay," Rickert explained.

The three-day retreat also offers family seminars, professional counseling, and equine therapy at Southern Eight's Farm in Chesterfield, South Carolina. Bart and Alexia Collart, Gold Star parents who lost their 21-year-old son, Spencer, in an Osprey crash, spoke about the experience. "Spencer wrote lots of sayings. One was, 'Who says you cannot touch the stars?' I just feel that I got a little closer to God by being up there," Alexia said.

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Bart and Alexia shared how, despite their loss, they find solace in knowing their son continues to inspire them. "Out of horrible loss, it continues to bear fruit," they said.

Donna Brown, a member of the All-Veteran Group, encouraged others to "pay it forward." She said, "If you see a soldier, walk up to them. Shake their hand. Thank them for their service. If you see a person—whether military or not—say 'hey' to someone because you never know what that person is going through that day, and you could change their lives."