SARATOGA SPRINGS, Utah — A Saratoga Springs mother is turning her tragic loss into a mission to support veterans as they make their transition back to civilian life.
Her effort comes as the Associated Press reports roughly 2,500 U.S. Marines are headed out to the Middle East — a major addition of troops as fighting escalates in the region.
Veterans we talked with say they can still feel those moments when they were deployed.
“They called me and said, 'Hey, we’re going to Iraq in four months,'” said U.S. Army veteran Sean Knudsen. “I turned off the tractor and I sat there for an hour.”
Knudsen was starting to build a home for his family when that heavy message came. But after 23 years in the service in artillery and forward observation, what weighed even heavier was having to leave the force.
“Who am I, if I’m not a soldier?” Knudsen said. “It becomes a part of your identity.”
Bowden Hunter discovered that identity for himself in junior high, and his mother, Janaea, says by his senior year in 2020, he’d gone to California to join the Marines.
“He wanted to protect his family but also to protect the community,” said Janaea Hunter.
But after just nine months in boot camp, he suffered a significant injury.
“They said, 'Your injury is too big, and we’re going to medically discharge you,'” Janaea recalled.
She thought he would come back as the same kid who left Saratoga Springs.
“He left feeling like he wasn’t good enough, like he was broken,” said Janaea.
Boot camp rewired Bowden — and then broke him — and he faced an identity crisis. His mom says he fought that internal battle for another three years.
He took his own life on Aug. 2, 2024, at just 22 years old. His mother says he’s the fifth person in his platoon to die by suicide.
So as she grieved, she also recognized the need these veterans have — and it’s to be around other veterans.
“Because they understand each other, they understand where they are from, what they have gone through,” said Janaea.
She founded the non-profit Bowden’s Brigade last year to give them that communal space.
“You go from just believing that you’re this one thing, or that this is your purpose, this is your intent, to suddenly kind of feeling worthless,” said Ben Miller, another U.S. Army vet who also long served in the National Guard at Camp Williams.
Miller says after more than two decades of service, he also got forced into a medical retirement. But he worked with Knudsen in the army, and now, they find themselves together again at these events.
“Being able to be around other veterans now, and help them, has kind of given me a renewed sense of purpose,” Miller said, noting he was a Master Resilience Trainer during his time in the army.
Whether it’s playing games, going to a shooting range, or Bowden’s favorite — golfing — Janaea’s carrying his spirit with her as she bridges the gap between the brotherhood and sisterhood and life at home.
“I’m just trying to fill that spot that is lacking, because he’s not here,” said Janaea, holding back tears.
The brigade held a gathering Saturday at Bluffdale City Park, as they welcomed in a nonprofit called Heroes of the Sky for a memorial to honor veterans who have taken their lives.
Then on May 9, they will be holding a gala at Club Paddock in American Fork to raise funds to support this ongoing mission.
If you’d like to support Bowden’s Brigade, you can visit their website HERE and learn more.
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For those struggling with thoughts of suicide, the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline can now be reached by simply dialing 988 any time for free support. Resources are also available online at utahsuicideprevention.org.
