Retired Army Colonel Joe Brown Named Warriors Heart Executive Director

SAN ANTONIO, TX--(Marketwired - February 17, 2017) - Warriors Heart, the Texas Hill Country-based private treatment facility serving active and veteran members of the military and first responders, today named retired U.S. Army Colonel Joe Brown the organization's executive director.

"Colonel Brown is coming out of retirement to join the front lines against chemical dependency and related psychological disorders so many of our active and retired members of the military and first responders suffer due to the traumas they have experienced," said Josh Lannon, co-founder of Warriors Heart. "Joe's military background gives him a level of understanding and rapport that will be invaluable to our mission of helping these national heroes."

Retired U.S. Army Colonel Joe Brown served more than 25 years in active duty, specializing in operational logistics and medical service. He also served as deputy to the director of logistics in Iraq, supporting more than 144,000 coalition forces of the Combined Joint Task Force-Seven during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Colonel Brown also commanded the 16^th Corps Support Group, consisting of 3,500 soldiers who supported the U.S. Army's V Corps during major combat operations in Iraq in 2003.

Colonel Brown also served as Chief, Ambulatory Care Support Branch at the Frankfurt Regional Medical Center in Germany and Health Care Administrator at Darmstadt Health Clinic, which supported over 40,000 military and family members.

After retiring from the Army in 2004, Brown was a logistics consultant for Northrop Grumman Corporation, providing consulting services to the Romanian Ministry of National Defense in Bucharest, Romania. From 2005 to 2015, he was an associate partner in IBM Corporation's Global Business Services in support of Army and U.S. Department of Defense security missions.

"I could no longer sit back and be silent as more than 20 veterans commit suicide every day," said Brown. "We are losing more veterans to alcoholism, drug addiction and suicide than we are in combat. The VA is backlogged, and our veterans are not getting the help they need and deserve."

Warriors Heart is a 40-bed licensed and accredited treatment center dedicated to helping adult men and women 18 and older who suffer from chemical dependence and co-occurring psychological disorders related to post-traumatic stress disorder, moral grief/injury, anxiety, depression, etc., or the psychological effects of mild traumatic brain injury. Located in a rustic ranch setting in the Texas Hill Country northwest of San Antonio, Warriors Heart focuses specifically on helping individuals (active and veteran) who protect and serve the United States and its citizens -- the U.S. military, as well as first responders, including police and law enforcement officers, firefighters, paramedics, and civilian warriors.

Warriors Heart offers drug and alcohol treatment programs, PTSD and MTBI therapy, and inpatient and outpatient long-term sober living services. Located within easy driving distance from Houston and Austin, Warriors Heart facilitates healing with dignity and respect in a private, home-like, and judgment-free environment.

Statistics show that many people try to cope with their PTSD symptoms by drinking heavily or using drugs. According to the National Center for PTSD, there is a strong relationship between PTSD and substance abuse disorder (SUD) in both civilian and military populations, as well as for both men and women. About one in 10 soldiers returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have a problem with alcohol or drugs. Similar numbers can be found among first responders, who face horrors in their work most of us cannot imagine. In helping everyday people in the worst of times, they witness death, destruction and much of the darkest side of human nature -- and first responders today seem to be exposed to more trauma than ever before.

Service to country and to our nation's warriors is a charge that runs deep in the blood of Brown and his entire family. In addition to his own military service, Brown is the father of two sons who currently serve in the military -- one in the Army and one in the Navy. His wife, Rena, is an addiction nurse at Warriors Heart.

"Joe had devoted his entire adult life to taking care of our nation's courageous warriors -- those who have served and sacrificed so much and have earned a full measure of honor, dignity and respect," said Warriors Heart co-founder Lisa Lannon. "We are grateful for his willingness to be directly involved in the important, life-changing work we are doing at Warriors Heart every day."

About Warriors Heart

Warriors Heart provides private treatment to adult men and women 18 and older seeking inpatient and outpatient treatment for chemical dependency and co-occurring psychological disorders related to post-traumatic stress disorder or the psychological effects of mild traumatic brain injury. Headquartered in the Texas Hill Country northwest of San Antonio, Warriors Heart treats individuals (active and veteran) who protect and serve the United States and its citizens -- the U.S. military, as well as first responders, including police and law enforcement, firefighters, paramedics and civilian warriors. Warriors Heart was founded by Josh and Lisa Lannon, who have built and operated six substance abuse treatment centers since 2002 and Tom Spooner, retired Army Special Forces. Warriors Heart is fully licensed by the Texas State Department of Health Services and Joint Commission Accredited. For more information, visit www.WarriorsHeart.com.