Resurrecting Lives foundation
Advocating for Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury
Resurrect a Hero – Strengthen a Nation
Resurrecting Lives foundation
Advocating for Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury
Resurrect a Hero – Strengthen a Nation
GUARDING OUR GUARDIANS LAUNCHES IN AUSTIN, TEXAS
WITH A CALL TO ACTION FOR AMERICA'S VETERANS
Resurrecting Lives Foundation brings its national mission to the
Texas Capitol, urging leaders and communities to help secure a
future for those who have guarded ours.
On July 29, 2026, Resurrecting Lives Foundation launched its Guarding Our Guardians
mission at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the grounds of the Texas Capitol in
Austin. The event brought together veterans, civic leaders, supporters, and special
guests for a focused message: gratitude for America’s service members must become
measurable action in health care, education, employment, and military-to-civilian
transition support.
The program opened with the song “Guard our Guardians,” setting a tone of
remembrance and resolve. Retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Tim Gorrell welcomed
attendees on behalf of Resurrecting Lives Foundation and introduced the event’s
purpose: to elevate the voices of veterans and call on civilian institutions to help close
the gap between service and stability.
A Mission Rooted in Service
Dr. Chrisanne Gordon, MD, founder of Resurrecting Lives Foundation and author of
Guarding Our Guardians: Guaranteeing America’s Veterans a Future from Deployment
to Employment, delivered remarks that framed the day as more than a book launch or
public ceremony. She described the mission as a national responsibility to protect the
men and women who have protected the country, especially as they face the complex
transition from military service to civilian life.
Dr. Gordon thanked Senator Juan Hinojosa for sponsoring the event and recognized the
dignity and importance of gathering at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. She also
honored Colonel Richard Keagy, a Vietnam veteran and longtime Guardian of both the
nation and Resurrecting Lives Foundation, whose counsel helped shape the
foundation’s early work dating back to 2010. Special guests Tim Baechle and Kim
Baechle were recognized for their creative contributions, including the song “Guard Our
Guardians” and the broader storytelling behind the movement.
Why Texas, Why Now
Texas was a fitting place to launch the mission. Dr. Gordon reflected on the personal
and professional Texas connections that helped influence the writing of Guarding Our
Guardians, from Dallas and San Antonio to the Alamo, Houston, and the enduring
relationships between Texas and Ohio. She connected the spirit of the Alamo to the
name “Guardians,” reminding attendees that the nation’s defenders deserve more than
symbolic appreciation.
Texas also holds a strategic role in the future of veteran support. The state has the
largest veteran population in the nation, and its health care, higher education,
employment, and civic resources make it a natural proving ground for a coordinated
model of veteran transition support. Dr. Gordon pointed to Texas institutions and leaders
as examples of excellence, including world-class cancer care, cardiovascular
innovation, globally recognized university systems, and an economy positioned to
create opportunity for veterans and their families.
The Call to Action
The message of the day was direct: grant our Guardians a future by providing gold-star
health care, education, and employment. With approximately 7,000 deaths in combat
and 35,000 deaths by suicide among post-9/11 veterans and service members, the
need for a stronger bridge between military and civilian life is urgent. The mission calls
on legislators, health care systems, universities, employers, veteran organizations, and
community members to work together so that no Guardian is left to navigate the
transition alone.
Dr. Gordon emphasized that Vietnam veterans have long led the way in advocacy,
particularly in pushing for changes in brain health, Veterans Affairs systems, and public
understanding of invisible wounds. The Guarding Our Guardians mission builds on that
legacy by asking today’s civilian world to step forward with the same courage, loyalty,
and resolve veterans have shown in uniform.
A Future Worth Fighting For
Following Dr. Gordon’s remarks, she introduced Senator Hinojosa, who offered remarks
and presented a proclamation in support of the mission. The event concluded with
photo opportunities, questions for Dr. Gordon, and a renewed sense that Austin was not
simply a location of the launch, but the starting point for broader national momentum.
Guarding Our Guardians asks every American to recognize that those who fought for us
now need us to fight for them: through legislation, military-civilian collaboration, employer engagement, stronger health care navigation, and friendships forged across
the battlefield and the home field. In Texas, where so many Guardians and resources
reside, the mission has taken hold with clarity and conviction.
They fought for us. Now it is our turn to fight for them.
May 12th, 2026, Release of
Guarding Our Guardians
This book is a Call to Action, uniting our nation to secure a future for our Guardians.
Use the button below to Learn more about the
Guarding Our Guardians
book and Order Today!
250th Anniversary of the United states of America
As our nation prepares to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States, we are called to remember not only the birth of our country, but the ideals that gave it life: liberty, courage, self-sacrifice, service, and the belief that a better future is possible. When people stand together for something greater than themselves.
Two hundred and fifty years ago, men and women risked everything to secure independence and establish a nation built on freedom and responsibility. Across generations, those same ideals have been carried forward by the service members, veterans, and military families who continue to defend our nation today. They have guarded our freedoms, protected our communities, and preserved the promise of America for all of us.
This historic anniversary gives us more than a reason to celebrate. It gives us an opportunity to act. As fireworks light the sky and communities gather in gratitude, we can choose a gift worthy of the country we love: a better military-to-civilian transition for the men and women who have served, and a stronger future for America’s veterans.
At Resurrecting Lives Foundation, this mission is at the heart of our work. Too many veterans return home carrying invisible wounds, including traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress, and the burdens of navigating healthcare, education, employment, and community life on their own. Gratitude alone is not enough. Our veterans deserve a clear path from deployment to employment, from service to stability, and from sacrifice to renewed purpose.
That call to action is powerfully advanced in Guarding Our Guardians: Guaranteeing America’s Veterans a Future from Deployment to Employment by Dr. Chrisanne Gordon, founder of Resurrecting Lives Foundation. Drawing on Dr. Gordon’s medical expertise, advocacy, and lived understanding of traumatic brain injury, Guarding Our Guardians reminds us that when we care for those who once guarded us, we protect not only their future, but the future strength of our nation.
As we mark America’s 250th anniversary, we invite you to celebrate in a way that honors both our founding generation and today’s guardians and defenders of freedom. Together, we can help turn appreciation into opportunity, patriotism into action, and celebration into lasting change. This 250th anniversary, let us give our veterans a gift worthy of their service: a smoother transition home, a renewed sense of purpose, and a better future in the nation they helped defend.
Reverently Grateful,
Veterans Crisis Line is a Confidential Crisis Support for Veterans and their loved ones.
Contact the Veterans Crisis Line 24/7, 365 days a year: Dial 988 then Press 1, chat online, or text 838255.
The Veterans Crisis Line serves Veterans, service members, National Guard and Reserve members, and those who support them. Call 911 in life-threatening situations.
The Facts About TBI
- Treating TBI/PTSD is a necessity; NOT an option. Prompt diagnosis and treatment diminishes complications and improves employment and education opportunities.
- TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) has been estimated in 20-25% of the nearly 3.2 million returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan, and an estimated 30% have PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).
- Conventional neuroimaging studies such as the MRI and CAT scan do not reveal the pathology of a mild TBI. Newer technology, such as Diffusion Tensor Imaging and functional MRI must be utilized to further the diagnosis and treatment of the nearly 450,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans with TBI.
- The conditions caused by TBI are unforgiving, and include substance abuse, unemployment, homelessness, incarceration and even suicide.
- Recent statistics released by the DOD/VA indicate that Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are taking their own lives at an alarming rate. Statistics reveal that nearly five times more veterans have died by suicide than in combat.
