The Healing Warrior Initiative presents the 2015 Pathway to Peace Conference (formerly the Wounded Warrior Expo) on Saturday, October 24 in Abingdon, Virginia. The event is open to the public and serves a dual purpose: to benefit veterans through an annual charitable fund drive and offer participants, of all ages and levels of experience, exposure to world class martial arts and self-defense instruction.

“In Iraq in 2004 where my primary duty was as a flight surgeon, dealing with a lot of trauma, I realized how well matched classical martial arts were in helping a warrior maintain function and fitness. That's how it started as a concept,” said event founder Colonel Dane Harden. “The actual event itself was modeled after my induction into the Martial Arts Hall of Fame in Anaheim California in 2009. That event was so well done that I thought we could do the same and benefit wounded warriors.”

The veteran organizations that have been selected to benefit from this year's event are: The Wounded Warrior Project, The Abingdon Veterans Memorial Park, The Abingdon VFW Post 1994 and the Healing Warrior Initiative.

The conference will begin at 8:00 a.m. in the Jack C. Smith Conference Center, located at the Food City Corporate Support Center (1 Food City Circle, Abingdon, VA 24210), where participants will be exposed to world class instruction by instructors such as, World Champion Bill “Superfoot” Wallace, World Champion Jeff “The DC Bomber” Smith, Shihan Dana Abbott (Black Belt Hall of Fame), and many more.  Participants through martial arts will: establish tactics for personal safety; learn ways to release the powerful hold of past trauma; manage stress and improve focus naturally; strengthen your body from the inside-out and build awareness about the Healing Warrior Initiative.

Following the conference there will be a Benefit Dinner, also held in the Jack C. Smith Conference Center (located at the Food City Corporate Support Center) with guest speaker Green Beret Vietnam War veteran Tom Osborn, founder of Keganin No Senshi Aikido (Wounded Warrior Aikido).  Mr. Osborn has used this martial arts technique to assist numerous veterans with Combat Related Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.  The evening will also include martial arts demonstrations and musical entertainment.  Tickets for the Benefit Dinner may be purchased in addition to or separate from the conference event. 

Sponsorship opportunities and tickets to any of the three events may be purchased online at tickets.healingwarriorinitiative.com.

About Healing Warrior Initiative
The Healing Warrior Initiative's purpose is to positively influence the values and quality of life for our participants by creating awareness of this drug-free alternative method for reducing the effects of stress and trauma. Through this introduction, we hope make a positive difference in the lives of everyone involved in our training events.

About the Pathway to Peace Conference and Workshop
Our mission is to offer an event whose purpose is to benefit veterans through our annual charitable fund drive and offer all participants exposure to world class martial arts and self-defense instruction.