Dr. Tim Clinton: Welcome into Family Talk, the broadcast division of the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute. I'm Dr. Tim Clinton, co-host of Family Talk.
As a licensed professional counselor and marriage and family therapist, I'm honored to serve alongside of Dr. Dobson. Here at JDFI. I also serve as president of the American Association of Christian Counselors. Thank you again for joining us here on this edition of Family Talk.
I don't know if you know this, but around 20 veterans every day take their life here in the United States, they commit suicide. According to the recent VA findings on veteran suicide, after adjusting for differences in age and sex risk for suicide was 22% higher among veterans when compared to US non-veteran adults. It's important to remember these stats in this month of September, which is Suicide Awareness Month.
Today on Family Talk, we have a man who knows a lot about the topics of veterans, suicide and PTSD. He also knows what it means to find his purpose in Christ. His name Chad Robichaux.
Chad is a former force recon Marine and Department of Defense contractor with eight deployments to Afghanistan as a part of a Joint Special Operations Command Task Force. He's the founder of the Mighty Oaks Foundation, a leading nonprofit serving the active duty, military veteran and first responder communities around the world with highly successful faith-based combat trauma and resiliency programs.
Chad's also the founder of Save Our Allies, a nonprofit that's mission is focused on the evacuation and recovery of Americans, our allies and vulnerable people trapped in Afghanistan. Since its inception, Save Our Allies, listen to this, has safely evacuated over 17,000 people that were trapped in Afghanistan and he's now helping in Ukraine.
Chad's a bestselling author, has written numerous books related to veteran care and overcoming life's challenges. He's a Medal of Valor recipient for his bravery beyond the Call of Duty in law enforcement. He has an MBA from New York Institute of Technology and is a board certified pastoral counselor with a focus on PTSD.
Chad is a fourth degree Brazilian jujitsu black belt, having competed at the highest level of the sport. He's married to Kathy, his wife, and they have a daughter, two sons, and I like this, two granddaughters, so do I.
Chad, always great to have you. Thank you for joining us here on Family Talk.
Chad Robichaux: Thanks so much, Dr. Clinton. The work that you guys do at Family Talk and with Dr. Dobson and yourself is something I greatly at admire. So it's a real honor to be on, especially part of my journey and I know we'll talk about it, as partner with you at the American Association of Christian Counselors to learn how to care for others.
Dr. Tim Clinton: Chad, my son Zach, would say, "Dad, that is a bad man." I would say, "He's one of America's finest." Chad, yeah, yeah. We do have a little history together. Actually, our relationship began as a result of you taking a course from AACC, the American Association of Christian Councils on PTSD as it relates to military populations.
Chad Robichaux: It did. I really wanted to know, once I recovered from my own struggles in PTSD, my own attempt to take my life, I really wanted to know what happened to me. At one moment I felt great and it felt like I was functioning in my team fine. The wheels began to fly off, in the next moment I was dealing with debilitating panic attacks and anxiety and depression, and it led me to almost losing my family and attempting to take my own life. And so I really want to know what happened to me.
I went back to my original clinical counselor who couldn't give me answers, only gave me prescriptions. And so I went On this search to get answers and that led me to the American Association of Christian Counselors to get a biblical view of what physiologically happened to me. And so I went through the course, your biblical counseling certification course and went through the combat care and trauma course to get focused on PTSD, it was really for my own self-discovery and it really understanding how God designed us, how God had designed our limbic system to work, and the physiological responses that we have to trauma. Made me come to this conclusion that I wasn't broken, my body was doing exactly what it was created to do. And it was really a revelation to me in my own healing and I had a deep desire to share it with others.
Dr. Tim Clinton: Well, over the next couple of days, we're going to hear a very moving story, a graphic story, again of one of America's finest and the amazing work God's doing. But we're also going to go into the heart and mind soul of someone who knows God. He's met him in a special way and he's become a real warrior in the kingdom of God.
Chad, as we get started, I want to go straight to what's happening in the war in Ukraine, what's happening there? You've been there for some time. This is front and center for a lot of people. I think it was William Sherman who said, "War is hell." We've all seen the horrific images but Chad, you posted some pics recently of being out on the front lines. Can you take us there? What have you seen? What's going on? Can you give us an update?
Chad Robichaux: Yeah, well, I immediately went there in February, February 24th when Russia invade it. And then we originally went there to do rescues, some of the rescues early on, people who couldn't self-evacuate. We did through Save Our Allies. Rescued Benjamin Hall, the Fox News reporter who was catastrophically wounded, his cameraman of 25 years at Fox, Pierre, was killed and I personally drove his body out to get him back to his wife, Michelle. So we evacuated them and some other Fox members and as well as disabled people who couldn't evacuate. So early on that's what we're doing.
Currently, we have shifted to Mighty Oaks Foundation, which is our veterans nonprofit here in the United States. Taking US combat veterans who are part of our ministry team and to go to the front lines of Ukraine, to bring the gospel to them, to help them become mentally and spiritually resilient so they could do the hard work that they have to do to defend their family, their homes, their freedom.
And what we're seeing firsthand is not just skirmishes on a border. What we're seeing is as a world superpower invading their neighbor trying to take over their country and firing ballistic missiles in the civilian populations. I was in Kharkiv recently in a Russian occupied red zone where I saw, we counted estimated 100,000 apartment homes that were occupied at a time when they took ballistic missiles from the Russians.
I've been through an Irpin where I went through elderly community where people, 50 years old plus, a community we'd see her in the United States with no military targets whatsoever, was level to rubble by the Russians coming through. So, any way people will want to look at this politically, and I get a lot of slack, people saying, "Ukraine's corrupt, why are you over there helping them?" I'm like, "Well, first of all, America and Washington, DC is pretty corrupt as well. But most importantly is I'm not there for the politics. I'm there for the people."
One story I think is really important to share with, to give you the mindset of the Ukrainian hearts, of the Ukrainian people is I was in a little east of Kharkiv. We spent the night in this shelter, there's about 300 people there. They'd all lost their homes, their jobs, many family members were lost. They lost pretty much everything and they're in this bomb shelter in about 4:00 in the morning, about 3:30, 4:00 in the morning we heard an impact, shook the building, woke everyone up. And from that moment for about 48 hours every minute on the minute was an impact, that's closest 500 yards from us.
Dr. Tim Clinton: Wow.
Chad Robichaux: And as the sun came up, they wanted to do a worship service. These people believe that they're in a good versus evil war and that God's on their side and they want to worship God. These are people that lost everything. And they started this worship service and they wanted me to speak. And I was just blown away at how fervently they were just worshiping God in the midst of losing everything. And it really took me back and speaking. I'm like, "What do I say to these people?"
Dr. Tim Clinton: Wow.
Chad Robichaux: And the only thing I could think to say was, "We hear the bombs going off outside, the air raid sirens, but there was no safer place that I could be right now than in the presence of God." Which I was assured that I was in the presence to God with those people. "And in God's will. Because there's no safer place to be than in God's will." Whether you're in the middle of a bombing zone and in Ukraine or at home in your couch. That's the safest place I believe there is to be.
Dr. Tim Clinton: I'm with you on that. Chad, in the midst of this, while people are there, it also has, I think it's true that I've heard millions of people have left Ukraine really creating an unreal humanitarian refugee crisis. I know you spent some time in Poland. Is that true? What's happening as a result of all this?
Chad Robichaux: Well, it's really changing every day. It's kind of the weather in Texas. It just changes constantly.
When we first went there, it would take anywhere from four to seven days to get across the border into... This is February and March, into Poland from Ukraine. I mean people were freezing as it was below zero at times outside. And people were trying to cross the border. There's no fuel. Their cars are running out of fuel. The Russians are attacking roadways. So it was a very chaotic scenario.
Now the line is the other way to get back into Ukraine. Not because it's safe, because there's just been this mental awakening to the people that they're going to fight for their country. So people are coming back into Ukraine because they want to go home and support the troops and participate in the humanitarian effort. Everyone's like all hands on deck.
I was going back in one night and we were driving across the border and it was like maybe 2:00 in the morning we're driving from Poland into Ukraine. And in March, just such an eerie feeling because you feel like you went from civilization into you could feel like going into a war zone. And it's very strange because I've been a lot of war zones around the world, but never in a first world place like we live. I mean malls and restaurants and neighborhoods, it's like where we live.
And so as we're driving in, this lady who looks like just a normal 30 year old lady, she had brought her kids to Poland and she wanted to go back. So she's trying to walk across the border and they didn't allow you to walk across, so she needed to get in a vehicle to drive across. And she stopped us and asked us to get in our vehicle.
And I was like, "Well, where are you going because it's like zero degrees outside, we don't want to just drop you off?" And she's like, "No, I'm going Irpin and then onto Kharkiv." Which is at that time Russian occupied. And we were like, "Well, we're not going that way. We have to go to Lviv first, which is opposite direction." But she was insisting and wanted to go across and we drove her across and let her out, which broke my heart to do. And she just walking in the dark to go back to support her husband in the troops.
And this is the mindset of the people there. They're not going to give up an inch of their country. They're not going to give up any people. And I believe it's a just cause. I believe it's justified that they defend and fight for the land that is rightfully theirs and their homes and their freedom and their inner safety and they are.
I know you guys see, you got this spiritually resilient and strong willed Ukrainian people, but then you have Russian troops that are there that they were lied to, why they came there. Many of them think they were coming to liberate the Ukrainian people from Nazi-ism. They think that they are going to go on a training exercise. They think that Ukraine was invaded and they have to fight to defend the Ukraine. So they don't even know why they're there. And as they have revelation of what's actually going on, they don't want to fight. So you have this really strong willed people defending their homes versus people that are being forced to be there or manipulated to be there.
Dr. Tim Clinton: Chad, I know recently that there's been increasing attention and concern over what's happening in Ukraine. Where's it all going with Russia, with Putin, his mission? I know there's a lot of fight in Ukrainian people, but what's the end game for him? I mean, what's his mindset?
Chad Robichaux: Well, he wants all of Ukraine. And I don't know if he's sick or not as rumor that he's dying and sick. If that's true, I wouldn't expect him to have compassion on his deathbed other than I think you'd more like vengeance on his deathbed. But regardless if he is, it's very hard to predict the mind of lunatic and what he's going to do.
I think most of us used to think Putin was evil, but he was calculated. We don't see that right now. We see a very uncalculated person that's acting emotionally. So as the will of the Ukrainian people is successful and they are successful in face-to-face scrimmages. When the Ukraine does lose, it's because of the strikes and the ballistic missiles. But as you see Ukraine being successful and recapturing cities like Kharkiv, Putin accelerates the violence. I mean, he won't attack a military town, he'll attack civilian's population. He's doing war crimes.
And so he is doing things that are unpredictable and very, very erratic. So it's very hard to predict how that's going to go. I see this not ending in two or three years. I see this going for a long term as long as Putin's alive. And as long as Putin's alive, that will be contested border.
My question, and I think everyone's question should be is when is the media going to be able to show what's really happening there and hold the leaders of the world accountable? Including our own. Accountable for putting a line in the sand? I mean, the United States and NATO shouldn't be involved in every war of the world. We should defend people who can't defend themselves. But in 2022, a world superpower should never be allowed to invade their neighbor and fire ballistic missiles and chemical weapons into civilian populations. That should never be allowed no matter what the political circumstances are.
Dr. Tim Clinton: Chad, I think most everyone listening probably remembers that remarkable speech by the Ukrainian President Zelensky to Congress. I think it was the New York Times had also referenced President Zelensky's comment about Russia carrying other genocide against them. I think that's what you were talking a little bit about.
Chad Robichaux: Yeah.
Dr. Tim Clinton: Chad, we're hearing some about dangerous biological weapons in Ukraine. Hearing people talk about obviously World War III, nuclear war, all kinds of stuff, China's support of Russia, Russia's invasion. What's your take of this kind of mix that seems to be happening over there? And the concern, the growing concern of the American people, even though people are trying to "block it out of their mind," acting almost like it's not even going on anymore, but it really is contributed to a lot of stress and duress in the American people.
Chad Robichaux: Yeah, and it should. Americans should be concerned about this. They should be in distress about it. I mean, look, I won't say how I know, but I could confirm with 100% certainty and all you can do is just take my word on it, that Russia is using chemical weapons against civilians there, which is a war crime. I know that for 100% certainty that is actually taking place.
And additionally, all of our enemies in the world are watching and when I say our enemies, I mean, the enemies of the United States are watching how the US is responding to this. You see countries like North Korea becoming embolden. They're about to test for the first time a nuclear weapons test. And you have Iran enriching their nuclear program. They're nuclear capable and are making threats like to send New York to hell and burn them down to rubble. And then you have the cartels getting more emboldened on southern border of the United States. You have all these. You have China that's probably going to take Taiwan because we had no response to what's happening in Ukraine.
So our enemies are getting emboldened because of our response to Ukraine in the way we're handling things, in the way the world's responding to things. So that I think that should concern every American for our national security and safety around the world and also economically.
Look, Ukraine is like the number one producer of grain in the world. It's the best agricultural environment in the world and so much produce and stuff comes from there. And it's going to impact, it has impact our economic supply chain to the point to where the only real peace treaty they have between Ukraine and Russia right now is the export of grain. I mean, because that's how important it is. So it is, and it's going to continue the impact the world economy. And so we're going to feel it in our pocketbook, but most importantly, we're going to feel it international security as our enemies around the world are emboldened.
And Russia will not stop. Vladimir Putin will not stop if he took Ukraine. And that's what really baffles me, that the European Union has not... Ukraine's a buffer between Europe and Russia. And I can't see how they're not trying to keep that buffer in place because if Russia takes Ukraine, then you're one footstep away from the Polish border, and we've seen how that turned out in the 1930s.
Dr. Tim Clinton: Yeah. You're listening to Family Talk, a division of the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute. I'm Dr. Tim Clinton, co-host today here on Family Talk. Our special guest, Chad Robichaux. Chad is a former force recon Marine and Department of Defense contractor with eight deployments to Afghanistan as a part of a Joint Special Operations Command Task force.
He's also the founder of the Mighty Oaks Foundation, you want to learn a lot more about that. And he's the co-founder of Save Our Allies, a nonprofit that's mission is focused on the evacuation and recovery of Americans, our allies and vulnerable people trapped in Afghanistan. I think some 17,000+ people have been rescued out of there as a part of their efforts.
Chad is such a delight to have you. Chad, I think that everybody's turning the dial up here because it's like, boy, this is probably a lot more serious than most Americans are taking it right now. Chad, the Kremlin reported that America has declared an economic war against Russia. Thoughts on American engagement, again here? I just want to clarify some of your thoughts of what you're seeing on the front lines, what the feel is over there in Ukraine, and again where you think this is going?
Chad Robichaux: Yeah. It is funny that they would say that we declared economic war on them because that they know that we could end this. The President of the United States and our administration, could end this war within a matter of I'd say two to three weeks without firing a single round or sending a single troop. We can end this economically.
Russia has one natural resource, oil. If we led the world to cut off the supply, the sale of oil from Russia, they would be financially strangled and have to back down, so we have control over them. For some reason, the global leaders have not decided to do that. So to say that we have declared economic war on them, unfortunately, there are no jeopardy of as it looks right now. But we could end this tomorrow and the pundits of Washington, DC we got 60 billion in aid going there. But none of it's making it in front lines. With that $60 billion what people don't realize is, my biggest fear is there's no oversight on it.
Usually when we give money to other countries, there's oversight, there's a congressional oversight committee. There's no congressional oversight with this money. There's no US personnel in Ukraine from the government monitoring the spending of this money. And so it's just being blindly given to them and not making it where it needs to go.
Dr. Tim Clinton: Chad, we're fighting time a little bit here on this first broadcast with you. I want to talk a little bit more about China.
Chad Robichaux: Okay.
Dr. Tim Clinton: What level of concern again should we have there? I know that China warning this, someone tried to defend Taiwan, they would attack, et cetera. I mean, you remember that statement?
Chad Robichaux: Yeah.
Dr. Tim Clinton: Chad, what's your take on all that?
Chad Robichaux: Well, I mean, Ukraine and Taiwan are very similar situations. Russia, Vladimir Putin believes that Ukraine belongs to the Soviet Union, which doesn't exist, but that's what he believes. So he believes it's rightfully theirs.
In China, they believe Taiwan it rightfully belongs to China. So they both got two scenarios where they believe that a land belongs to them and they're going to take it, and no one should intervene because they're taking what's rightfully theirs. So China is watching how the United States and how the world responds to Ukraine.
And at this point, I will tell you, I am highly surprised that China has not made the move yet to take Taiwan.
Dr. Tim Clinton: Wow.
Chad Robichaux: Because they would believe there's no repercussions and no one's going to intervene.
Dr. Tim Clinton: That is just unbelievable.
Chad, as we wrap up this first broadcast, and I know the next couple of days we're going to hear the Chad Robichaux story, your passion for helping veterans, and it's so amazing. But Chad, I want to go back to just our closing thoughts here. What can our listeners be... What should they be thinking? What should they be doing? How can they be helping? And what organizations are helping move the needle? Our goo Franklin Graham has Samaritan's Purse over there. Chad, you're out on the front lines with Mighty Oaks and more, but just give us your closing thoughts.
Chad Robichaux: Well, yeah. Samaritan's Purse, by the way, is probably one of the number one organizations in Ukraine right now, taking bold steps. Ken Isaacs, who pretty much runs their international program, I meet with him regularly, amazing people.
But you know what people could be doing? Everyone could do something. Everyone thinks like, "Ah, I wish there was something I could do." There is something you could do. One, we could all pray. The people in Ukraine need to be covered in prayer. This situation and the leaders around the world, whether you like President Biden or dislike President Biden, it doesn't matter. We need to be praying for our leaders because there's important decisions that need to be made, and we need to be praying that they make those right decisions for the safety of the world.
And another thing you could be doing, and I think this is what most Americans feel hopeless, is you need to be calling your congressmen and your senators and blowing their phones up and speaking against these things that are these terrible decisions that are being made. They're your representatives. This isn't their career. They're your representatives, you're their constituents. They should be voting and making decisions based off of what their constituents want. And so your voices need to be heard.
And I think this was how we moved the needle in Afghanistan and really pressured the White House and the State Department to make decisions in Afghanistan was everyone was on a phone blowing up their congressman, blowing up their senator's phone saying, "This is not right. We cannot do this to these people." And it didn't get the result we wanted, but it did make an impact. And lots of lives are saved because the American people spoke up. Same could be done here for Ukraine.
Dr. Tim Clinton: Chad, if people want to learn more about you and your foundation, the work you're doing, where do they go?
Chad Robichaux: Well, the best place to follow me is on my social media, I'm mainly on Instagram. And you keep going there, Chad Robichaux and find my name. I do have a blue check, the verified account is actually me.
Dr. Tim Clinton: Nice.
Chad Robichaux: And then Mighty Oaks Foundation, mightyoaksprograms.org. You can learn all about what we do, but for the troops in the states and also in places like Ukraine.
Dr. Tim Clinton: Over the next couple of days, you're going to hear a very moving at times, again, graphic story of one of America's finest. Now we're going to go into the heart, mind, and soul, the journey of someone God is now using in a mighty way as a warrior. You heard a little bit of that today, but how he has become a real warrior in the kingdom of God, and we can't wait for you to hear it.
Chad, on behalf of Dr. Dobson, his wife, Shirley, the entire Family Talk team, we salute you and pray that God would continue to strengthen you for such a time as this. Thank you for joining us.
Chad Robichaux: Thanks so much, Dr. Clinton.
Dr. Tim Clinton: You've been listening to Dr. James Dobson's Family Talk and part one of my recent interview with Chad Robichaux. Chad is a friend and highly decorated former US Marine and Department of Defense contractor with eight deployments to Afghanistan.
Chad actually founded the Mighty Oaks Foundation, a nonprofit serving the active duty, military veteran and first responder communities around the world with faith based combat trauma and resiliency programs. He's also a Medal of Valor recipient for his bravery beyond the Call of Duty in law enforcement. Chad has many more accolades and an incredible testimony of surviving PTSD and seeing life on the other side.
Make sure you tune in tomorrow and the next day to hear Chad's riveting story. Until then, if you'd like to learn more about Chad and his ministries, visit drjamesdobson.org. That's drjamesdobson.org/familytalk.
Well, we're almost out of time for today, but I'd like to remind you that September is National Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month. Here at Family Talk, we know that sometimes life can seem too dark to bear, but the fact is there's hope and there's help.
If you are someone you know or love is in a mental health crisis, call 988. That's 988 to reach the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. That Lifeline provides 24/7 free confidential support for you or your loved ones and best practices for professionals in the United States. That National toll-free number once again is 988, and you can reach a trained crisis worker who will listen to you, understand how your problem is affecting you, provide support, and get you the help that you need.
Thanks again for listening to Dr. James Dobson's Family Talk. I'm Dr. Tim Clinton. Hoping that you'll tune in tomorrow again to hear part two of my interview with Chad Robichaux.
Announcer: This has been a presentation of the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute.