How 22Mohawks is connecting field experience, participant data, and academic research to better understand the lasting impact of its Airborne Operations Course and Retreat.
By David M. Campisano
Founder and President, 22Mohawks
Close Quarters Group | November 2026
The Mission Behind the Experience
In October 2026, veterans and first responders gathered in Dunnellon, Florida, at X35 Airborne School for Operation Vukovi, the latest 22Mohawks Airborne Operations Course and Retreat (AOCR).
Over the course of a week, participants trained to complete static-line parachute jumps from the historic “Mr. Douglas” DC-3 airliner. They learned airborne procedures, practiced parachute landing falls, worked through physical and psychological challenges, and developed relationships with people who shared similar experiences.
For some, the opportunity represented a lifelong ambition. For others, it offered a chance to regain confidence, reconnect with fellow veterans, or rediscover a sense of belonging.
Those motivations reflect the foundation of AOCR.
22Mohawks developed the program around the belief that meaningful experiences, shared challenges, and supportive relationships can contribute to the protective factors associated with psychological well-being.
Our approach emphasizes purpose, identity, confidence, social connection, and access to appropriate support.
As the program has developed, so has our commitment to understanding its outcomes.
Today, 22Mohawks operates the intervention, coordinates its delivery, collects participant feedback, collaborates with academic researchers, and works with a dedicated data team to examine what participants experience during and after the retreat.
This creates an important opportunity to connect real-world program delivery with systematic evaluation.
Operation Vukovi provides an early example of that work.
Why Belonging Deserves Our Attention
Military service and emergency response occupations often create unusually strong social bonds.
Individuals train together, depend on one another, experience adversity, and work toward common objectives. These environments can become central to personal identity.
Changes in employment, military separation, retirement, relocation, and other life transitions can alter those relationships.
For some individuals, rebuilding a comparable sense of community becomes difficult.
Loneliness is particularly relevant because it describes the subjective experience of disconnection.
A person may have frequent social contact and still feel lonely. Another person may spend considerable time alone while maintaining a strong sense of connection.
Researchers have established that social relationships and perceived belonging are important dimensions of psychological well-being.
Thomas Joiner’s Interpersonal Theory of Suicide provides an important framework for understanding why social connection matters in suicide prevention. In Why People Die by Suicide (2005), Joiner identifies thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness as central contributors to suicidal desire. Subsequent work with colleagues further developed the theory, including the role of hopelessness and the acquired capability for suicide.
For 22Mohawks, this framework provides a theoretical foundation for examining how shared purpose, meaningful relationships, and sustained engagement may influence participants’ sense of belonging. Our evaluation of AOCR offers an opportunity to study these experiences directly, while recognizing that changes in loneliness alone cannot establish changes in suicide risk.
For 22Mohawks, the practical question is how structured experiences and sustained relationships may influence these factors over time.
Participants from an earlier AOCR class gather with companion dogs at the training facility. Shared experiences and peer relationships are central components of the retreat. Photo owned by 22Mohawks.
How AOCR Creates Opportunities for Connection
AOCR brings participants together around a common objective that requires preparation, teamwork, trust, and individual commitment.
Through our partnership with X35 Airborne School, participants receive structured static-line airborne instruction and practical training.
The shared challenge creates opportunities for participants to encourage one another, work through uncertainty, and recognize their own capabilities.
The experience also extends beyond the drop zone.
During Operation Vukovi, participants lived together in a large house in Crystal River, Florida.
Shared meals, informal conversations, downtime, and daily routines created opportunities for relationships to develop outside formal training.
These interactions are an important part of the program design.
For individuals accustomed to military or first responder environments, the combination of shared responsibility and communal living may offer a familiar social structure.
AOCR also incorporates suicide prevention education, wellness activities, and access to community resources.
During Operation Vukovi, the VA Tampa Suicide Prevention Team provided VA SAVE education and firearm safety instruction, including the distribution of gun locks and safety materials.
Participants received QPR suicide prevention education and had opportunities to learn about additional resources through the Ocala Vet Center’s mobile outreach activities.
Complementary wellness offerings included morning yoga and access to other wellness practices.
Together, these activities form a multicomponent program designed to create opportunities for challenge, connection, education, and continued engagement.
Understanding how participants respond to that combination is a central objective of our evaluation work.
AOCR participants practice parachute procedures under instructor supervision. Structured training provides opportunities for teamwork, mutual support, and shared accomplishment. Photo owned by 22Mohawks.
What Participants Told Us Before Vukovi
Nine participants completed the pre-course intake survey for Operation Vukovi.
The respondents included six veterans, two first responders, and one active-duty service member.
Their reasons for attending reflected several recurring themes.
Some wanted to experience airborne training and accomplish a demanding personal goal.
Others specifically described wanting to reconnect with veterans, develop friendships, regain confidence, or become part of a community.
These responses help explain why participants may find AOCR meaningful for reasons extending beyond the parachute jumps themselves.
The intake also provided information about participants’ prior exposure to suicide loss and their familiarity with firearm safety.
Eight of the nine respondents reported having been affected by someone dying by suicide.
Eight also reported owning firearms.
These findings reinforced the relevance of incorporating suicide prevention education, firearm safety resources, and opportunities to learn about available support services.
The responses were self-reported and represent a small group of participants. They provide context for this particular cohort rather than population-level estimates.
They also establish an important starting point: participants arrived with different histories, expectations, and personal objectives.
Our evaluation process needs to account for that variation.
Introducing the UCLA Loneliness Scale
To better understand participants’ experiences of social connection, 22Mohawks incorporated the UCLA Loneliness Scale into its internal evaluation process.
The scale was developed to measure subjective loneliness and has been widely used in psychological and social research.
The 20-item Version 3, described by Daniel Russell in 1996, asks respondents about experiences related to companionship, isolation, and interpersonal connection.
Participants indicate how frequently they experience each feeling.
Responses are scored to produce a total between 20 and 80, with higher scores representing greater reported loneliness.
Russell’s validation research found strong internal consistency across several study populations, with reliability coefficients ranging from .89 to .94.
The scale gives researchers and evaluators a structured way to examine an experience that can otherwise be difficult to quantify.
It measures perceived loneliness rather than suicide risk, and its results are most informative when interpreted alongside other information about participants’ experiences.
For AOCR, the instrument offers an opportunity to examine how loneliness changes over time and whether those changes correspond with continued social engagement.
What We Observed During Operation Vukovi
Our initial Vukovi evaluation produced a small but informative set of responses.
Seven unique participants submitted initial UCLA questionnaires, and nine participants submitted later questionnaires.
Five participants had complete, matched questionnaires suitable for preliminary comparison.
Among those five participants, two reported lower loneliness scores at their later assessment, two reported higher scores, and one reported no change.
The average score across the five matched participants decreased from 51.4 to 49.0, a difference of 2.4 points.
Individual results varied.
One participant’s score decreased by 11 points, while another decreased by six. Two others reported increases of two and three points.
These findings offer an early view of how participants’ reported loneliness may change around the AOCR experience.
They also demonstrate the importance of examining individual trajectories alongside group averages.
The measurement schedule during Vukovi was inconsistent. Some initial questionnaires were completed after program activities had begun, and follow-up responses were collected at different intervals.
Consequently, these results are preliminary descriptive observations. They cannot establish that participation in AOCR caused the changes.
The mixed findings provide a useful direction for further evaluation.
The Transition Home May Be Especially Important
Two participants whose loneliness scores increased completed their later questionnaires approximately 12 and 13 days after the operation concluded.
That timing raises an interesting question.
During AOCR, participants experience a highly structured social environment. They train together, share accommodations, work toward common objectives, and interact frequently.
At the end of the retreat, that environment changes.
Participants return to their families, employment, communities, and established routines.
The relationships formed during AOCR may continue, but the daily opportunities for interaction become different.
We are interested in understanding how that transition affects participants’ experiences of connection.
The current data cannot establish that either participant experienced an improvement during the retreat followed by a decline after returning home. We did not collect standardized immediate post-course measurements that would allow us to examine that pattern.
However, the timing suggests a worthwhile hypothesis for future evaluation.
The period following an intensive shared experience may be especially important for understanding how newly developed relationships are maintained.
This question has implications for program design.
It also informs our work on Frontline Connect, a developing platform intended to support cohort communication, peer engagement, and continued connections within the 22Mohawks community.
As we introduce these capabilities, we intend to examine whether ongoing participation and communication are associated with differences in loneliness and belonging.
What Our After-Action Reviews Add
The UCLA results represent one part of the Vukovi evaluation.
We also collected After-Action Reviews from participants.
Eight individuals completed the feedback questionnaire, and seven rated their overall experience Excellent.
All eight reported finding value in the QPR suicide prevention education.
Participants described opportunities to build relationships, develop confidence, reconnect with others, and experience a shared sense of accomplishment.
These accounts provide important context for understanding the program.
They also help distinguish different types of outcomes.
A participant may describe a meaningful personal experience while reporting little change in their loneliness score.
Another may report improved social connection without identifying a dramatic change in confidence.
These differences are useful because AOCR is designed around several related but distinct experiences.
By examining multiple measures, we can develop a more complete understanding of how participants experience the program.
From Program Delivery to Field-Based Evidence
One of the most significant opportunities emerging from AOCR is the relationship between program development, direct implementation, and evaluation.
Much of the existing suicide prevention literature draws upon observational datasets, previously published studies, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses.
These approaches are essential to scientific progress. They help researchers assess existing evidence, identify broader patterns, and determine where further investigation is needed.
Field-based program evaluation offers a complementary contribution.
At 22Mohawks, we have developed an intervention, established the partnerships necessary to deliver it, and created the operational infrastructure to implement it repeatedly.
We work directly with participants throughout the experience.
We understand the logistical demands, the training environment, the challenges of coordinating multiple partners, and the practical considerations that influence implementation.
We also have the opportunity to collect data directly from successive cohorts.
With a dedicated team supporting data collection and analysis, we can begin connecting these operational observations with standardized measures and more systematic evaluation methods.
That combination creates a valuable learning environment.
We can examine participant experiences, identify recurring themes, explore unexpected findings, and use the results to refine future operations.
We can also investigate questions that arise directly from the field.
How does shared living influence the development of relationships?
What role does completing a demanding physical challenge play in confidence and identity?
How do participants describe belonging during the retreat?
What happens to those experiences after participants return home?
And how might continued engagement influence longer-term outcomes?
These are questions that can be explored through repeated measurement, qualitative inquiry, and stronger comparative research designs.
Our proximity to the intervention creates opportunities for detailed observation and continuous improvement. It also makes transparent methodology, independent collaboration, and attention to potential organizational bias particularly important.
The objective is to build a credible evidence base that can inform program decisions and contribute to broader conversations about community-based suicide prevention.
Participants from a previous AOCR class complete ground-based parachute instruction, building foundational skills before airborne operations. Photo owned by 22Mohawks
What AOCR Cohorts Are Teaching Us About Connection
Across Operations Medusa, Valiant Belle, and Vukovi, 22Mohawks has continued developing its approach to understanding how shared experiences, meaningful relationships, and structured challenges influence participants’ perceptions of connection and belonging.
Each operation contributes to a growing body of internal evaluation data, while our academic research collaboration provides an opportunity to examine participants’ experiences in greater depth.
Operation Medusa: Establishing the Research Foundation
Operation Medusa marked an important step in the development of our research and evaluation efforts.
Through an academic partnership, 22Mohawks supported an Institutional Review Board (IRB)-approved qualitative investigation examining participants’ experiences during AOCR.
The research focuses on how veterans and first responders experience shared challenges, interpersonal relationships, confidence, identity, and belonging within the retreat environment.
Alongside the formal research, our internal program evaluations captured recurring participant descriptions of camaraderie, renewed confidence, meaningful friendships, and opportunities to reconnect with others who shared similar experiences.
These observations helped identify important areas for continued investigation and informed our approach to evaluating subsequent operations.
The formal qualitative analysis associated with Medusa remains underway. Its findings will provide an opportunity to examine participants’ experiences in greater depth and compare those findings with our independently collected operational data.
Operation Valiant Belle: Measuring Changes in Loneliness
Operation Valiant Belle provided an opportunity to examine changes in perceived loneliness during AOCR using the UCLA Loneliness Scale Version 3.
Among 11 participants with complete matched responses, the average loneliness score decreased from 49.3 at the initial assessment to 43.7 at Day 8, representing an average reduction of approximately 5.5 points.
Seven participants reported decreased loneliness, three reported increased loneliness, and one reported no change.
These preliminary findings suggest that some participants experienced improved perceptions of social connection during the retreat. Individual responses varied, however, and one participant’s substantial reduction in loneliness influenced the overall average.
Participant feedback also emphasized confidence, camaraderie, meaningful friendships, and belonging, providing additional context for the numerical findings.
The initial assessments were collected after some program activities had begun, and the sample was small. These findings provide an encouraging direction for further evaluation while highlighting the importance of consistent measurement and follow-up.
Valiant Belle contributed to our decision to continue using standardized loneliness measurements during Operation Vukovi and future AOCR cohorts.
Operation Vukovi: Extending Our Understanding of Loneliness
Operation Vukovi continued our use of the UCLA Loneliness Scale and expanded our interest in understanding how participants experience social connection after returning home.
As discussed earlier, the preliminary findings revealed variation in individual loneliness scores, with some participants reporting decreases and others reporting increases.
These observations have helped shape our plans for more consistent assessments immediately after AOCR and at 30- and 90-day follow-up intervals.
Vukovi also included qualitative research activities under an extension of the IRB-approved protocol associated with Medusa. Analysis of those interviews remains ongoing.
Figure 1. Mean UCLA Loneliness Scale Version 3 scores among participants with complete matched questionnaires in Operations Valiant Belle (n = 11) and Vukovi (n = 5). Higher scores indicate greater reported loneliness. Measurements were collected at varying points, and the findings represent preliminary internal program-evaluation data rather than evidence of program effectiveness.
Connecting Field Experience With Research
Across these operations, our internal evaluations have repeatedly identified participant experiences involving camaraderie, confidence, shared purpose, and belonging.
Medusa established a foundation for formal qualitative inquiry. Valiant Belle added another cohort of internal evaluation findings. Vukovi introduced more detailed loneliness measurements and questions about participants’ experiences after returning home.
Together, these efforts are helping 22Mohawks develop a more consistent approach to evaluating participant outcomes.
As the formal qualitative research progresses, we intend to examine where its findings align with our internal evaluations, where they differ, and what those differences reveal.
This combination of direct program implementation, participant feedback, standardized measurement, and academic collaboration is central to how 22Mohawks is building its evidence base.
Each operation contributes to a clearer understanding of participants’ experiences and helps us refine how we measure connection, belonging, and continued engagement beyond the retreat.
The Next Phase of Measurement
Our next AOCR cohort will provide an opportunity to improve the consistency of our measurement process.
We plan to administer the UCLA Loneliness Scale at four defined points:
- Before participants begin organized AOCR activities.
- Immediately following the retreat.
- Approximately 30 days after completion.
- Approximately 90 days after completion.
This schedule will allow us to examine changes during the program and assess whether those changes persist over time.
We also intend to collect separate information about continued relationships, cohort participation, and engagement with 22Mohawks.
These additional measures will help us investigate how social connection develops and changes beyond the retreat itself.
Over successive cohorts, consistent procedures should improve our ability to compare results and identify patterns.
Future research partnerships may also create opportunities to examine comparison groups, longer-term outcomes, and the contribution of individual program components.
This work will require careful attention to participant consent, confidentiality, research oversight, and the distinction between internal program evaluation and formal human-subjects research.
Those safeguards are essential to developing evidence that participants, practitioners, researchers, and community partners can trust.
The Opportunity Ahead
AOCR began with a practical idea: bring veterans and first responders together around a meaningful challenge and create an environment that supports purpose, confidence, and belonging.
That idea has developed into a repeatable program supported by experienced training personnel, community partners, suicide prevention educators, and academic collaborators.
It has also created an opportunity to study participants’ experiences in the setting where the intervention actually takes place.
Our early findings provide reasons for continued investigation.
Participants describe meaningful relationships and personal accomplishments. Our preliminary loneliness measurements show varied individual responses. The ongoing qualitative research offers another avenue for understanding how participants interpret those experiences.
Each new cohort provides an opportunity to improve the program and strengthen our evaluation methods.
The broader objective is to develop evidence that informs how community-based organizations design, implement, and sustain upstream suicide prevention initiatives.
For 22Mohawks, that means continuing to connect direct field experience with careful measurement, transparent analysis, and academic collaboration.
We have built the program. We are delivering it in the field. We are collecting the data. And we are developing the capacity to learn from what that evidence tells us.
The next chapter of AOCR is about understanding how the connections formed during a shared mission can continue to influence participants’ lives long after the aircraft lands.
Research and Evaluation Notes
The Operation Valiant Belle and Operation Vukovi findings presented in this article are preliminary results from 22Mohawks’ internal program evaluations.
The Valiant Belle UCLA Loneliness Scale analysis includes 11 participants with complete matched questionnaires. Scores were independently recalculated using the UCLA Loneliness Scale Version 3 scoring procedures. For participants with duplicate submissions, the earliest complete follow-up questionnaire was retained. One incomplete follow-up questionnaire and one unmatched initial questionnaire were excluded from the paired analysis.
The Vukovi analysis includes five participants with complete matched questionnaires. These results remain preliminary and require final verification against the original survey records and scoring procedures.
Survey administration was not fully standardized, sample sizes were small, and no comparison group was included. These findings describe changes in reported loneliness among respondents; they do not establish program effectiveness, causal effects, or reductions in suicide risk.
A separate IRB-approved qualitative study associated with Operations Medusa and Vukovi remains under analysis. Its unpublished findings are not represented as completed research results in this article.
The classification, consent, and disclosure requirements for the internal evaluation should be confirmed with the appropriate research oversight personnel before public release of participant-derived findings.
Research Disclosure
The UCLA Loneliness Scale findings presented in this article were collected through 22Mohawks’ internal program-evaluation activities to assess participant experiences and inform program development. These quantitative evaluations were conducted separately from the Institutional Review Board (IRB)-approved qualitative research associated with Operations Medusa and Vukovi.
The quantitative findings have not undergone independent academic review and should be interpreted as preliminary, descriptive program-evaluation results rather than evidence of causal effects or demonstrated reductions in suicide risk.
Because 22Mohawks both implements and evaluates AOCR, potential organizational bias and the limitations of participant self-reporting are acknowledged. Findings are reported in aggregate to protect participant confidentiality.
References
- Joiner, T.E.(2005). Why People Die by Suicide. Harvard University Press.
- Russell, D. W. (1996). UCLA Loneliness Scale (Version 3): Reliability, validity, and factor structure. Journal of Personality Assessment, 66(1), 20–40. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa6601_2
- Russell, D., Peplau, L. A., & Cutrona, C. E. (1980). The revised UCLA Loneliness Scale: Concurrent and discriminant validity evidence. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 39(3), 472–480. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.39.3.472
- Van Orden, K. A., Witte, T. K., Cukrowicz, K. C., Braithwaite, S. R., Selby, E. A., & Joiner, T. E. (2010). The interpersonal theory of suicide. Psychological Review, 117(2), 575–600. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0018697
- UCLA Loneliness Research Resources. Anne Peplau, University of California, Los Angeles. https://peplau.psych.ucla.edu/loneliness/
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Human Research Protections. Quality improvement activities FAQs. https://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/regulations-and-policy/guidance/faq/quality-improvement-activities/index.html