Jodi Burns has never worn a military uniform though she’s acutely aware of the struggles.
Burn is the wife of a special operations Navy SEAL who has spent more than 30 years in military service, deployed to war and other combat zones. She is also the CEO of Special Forces Trust, a nonprofit organization that supports Green Berets and their families with tragedy assistance, scholarships and a life-saving suicide prevention program called ‘Beyond the Battlefield.”
“I know the life,” Burns, also a mother of two, told Military.com. “Being a single parent without being single is how I describe being a special operations spouse.”
For all her efforts, Burns next month will receive a 2026 Patriot Award from U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM).
“The award is for me, but it’s really for the organization. I’m just the face,” she said. “The team is really the force behind our organization. Without them, we couldn’t pull off these programs. We couldn’t provide the support that we’re able to give.”
Nearly $16 Million Raised for the Cause
In 2020, Burns took over Special Forces Trust—described at the time as a fledgling nonprofit—and built it into a premiere organization serving America’s Green Berets and their families.
Under Burns’ leadership, more than $15.7 million has gone straight into confidential mental health care and suicide prevention for Green Berets, in addition to resiliency programs for their families, scholarships for their children, and grants for their caregivers, according to the nonprofit.
“Our mission is twofold, not only to fill the gaps of what the government provides for our soldiers but also for the families,” she said. “The government doesn’t prepare Green Beret families for the time their loved one is away at war. We help fill that void.”
That help and support is why Burns and her team will be recognized with the USSOCOM Patriot Award on Aug. 5 in Orlando, Fla., at the 2026 USSOCOM Warrior Care Program – Care Coalition Conference. It’s the highest honor given by USSOCOM to individuals and organizations who provide significant, enduring support to wounded, ill and injured warriors, their families, and the families of the fallen.
Burns said the need can be dire, particularly when infantry and special forces have an estimated suicide rate of roughly 31 deaths per 100,000 service members, according to the Department of Defense.
“The heaviness of war is one thing,” she said. “The back-to-back combat, the stress of that is hard. But I’m not sure if that’s what’s driving the suicide numbers.
“I think it’s the loss of identity. They have been defined by their fight in a war for so long and then suddenly it’s gone, and they don’t know who they are anymore.”
Adding to the struggle, Burns said, is the lack of recognition Green Berets experience when they return home from deployments.
Unlike big Army, big Navy, or big ships coming in with a celebration, Green Berets literally come off a plane from war to home, sometimes within hours. There’s no slow transition period or any downtime for them.
‘Beyond The Battlefield’ Program Focuses On Suicide Prevention
Burns is looking forward to acknowledging her nonprofit staff and the soldiers they’ve been able to help.
She is particularly proud of the organization’s Beyond the Battlefield program, which offers anonymous mental health, suicide prevention and crisis support for Green Berets.
“A Green Beret who is challenged or is suffering silently, and doesn’t want to raise a red flag or expose himself to anybody out of fear, can instead go to our website and get an anonymous identifying number and take it to any therapist they want,” Burns said. “We will pay for up to 12 sessions on their behalf, without ever seeing or recording their name.”
The program is a life-saver that Burns wants to see continue, permanently.
“Our intent is to eventually develop an endowment that will ensure that the ‘Beyond the Battlefield’ program will continue in perpetuity,” she said. “What keeps me up at night is not being able to say ‘yes’ when that Green Beret calls and asks for help.
“My worry is that I would have to say ‘no.’ I’m hoping that an endowment will allow us to say ‘yes’ always.”
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