Chaplain (CPT) Melinda Russell, ret.
Melinda is an ordained Lutheran pastor who served as an Army chaplain in Iraq from 2007-2008. Nearly ten months into her tour, she was medevac'ed out due to the trauma of losing her chaplain's assistant. Two months later, she returned to complete her tour. But things would never be the same and her career was cut short after being medically retired in November 2010. The process of healing took her through the Warrior Transition Battalion, Walter Reed, an intensive trauma recovery program in Arizona, several hospitals around central Kansas, and the Veterans Administration. Her experiences in these settings led her to develop Hope & Healing Horse Therapy Ranch, which offers equine therapy to PTSD and TBI sufferers. She is currently homeschooling her teenage children and pursuing a new career path.