Part of the 15 for 15 Challenge Partner Spotlight Series
Recorded: Dec 12, 2025
As PsychArmor marks the 10-year anniversary of 15 Things Veterans Want You to Know, the organization is spotlighting the partners, leaders, and visionaries who brought this transformative training to life and continue to carry it forward.
Few voices are more foundational to that story than Marjorie Morrison, founder of PsychArmor. Long before the course became one of the most widely adopted Veteran cultural competency trainings in the country, it began with a simple but powerful realization: most Americans want to support Veterans, but do not always know how.
In this Partnership Spotlight interview, Morrison reflects on the experiences that led to PsychArmor’s creation, the development of 15 Things Veterans Want You to Know, and why the course remains as relevant today as it was a decade ago.
Before PsychArmor became a trusted national resource, it began with a personal belief and a real need. What experiences led you to create PsychArmor?
Marjorie Morrison:
“I did not come from a military family. My father was in the Army, but he was a doctor during the draft, and it was a short period of time before I was born. It was never really part of my family narrative. Growing up in Los Angeles, I wasn't around people that were also military connected. When I got an opportunity in 2008 to work with the Marines as a psychotherapist, I walked in thinking, ‘It’s all the same. I’ve done private practice.’ But it wasn’t. It was really different, and my learning curve was really steep to understand the culture.”
Marjorie describes how Marines took the time to teach her their culture and values, and how deeply that experience shaped her perspective.
“The more I learned, the more I realized how different the culture was. I loved the culture. I’m guilty of drinking the Kool-Aid if that’s a guilt. But what I realized after working with the Marines was that when someone transitions into the Veteran world, the safety net has a lot of holes.”
She explains that once service members leave active duty, they rely almost entirely on civilians.
“If they go to work, we’re their employers. If they go back to school, we’re their educators. If they use commercial insurance, we’re their healthcare providers. Volunteers, nonprofits, communities, we are the safety net. And so when you think about less than 1% of the country serving and 10% maybe military connected, it still leaves about 90% of us that are this safety net, but yet post the draft, we don't understand the culture.
So I just felt like there was really a need to create a place to make it easy for people to learn how to support. I think most Americans really see the value in supporting our military and our Veterans, but we don't really understand how and what to do. And it shouldn’t cost money for people to want to learn how to support.”
That belief became the foundation of PsychArmor.
“I felt strongly there should be a place where people could learn 24/7, whenever they wanted, about how to support Veterans and service members.”
That foundation led directly to 15 Things Veterans Want You to Know, now PsychArmor’s most widely known course. What inspired its creation?
Marjorie Morrison:
“I really can’t take credit for it. That was Heidi Kraft’s vision. The need was so great, and there were these common themes that came up again and again. Heidi had the foresight to say, ‘Let’s do this.’”
The course took shape during PsychArmor’s early years.
“I had a [custom] deck of cards with the 15 Things [Veterans Want You to Know printed on them and they were] sitting on my coffee table. I would meet people at events, handwrite notes, and mail them the cards just to get it out there. But the reason why I think it really worked was that it's simple enough and it resonates with everybody. And I think that Psych Armor really hit the nail on the head with the 15 things. And those 15 things can make such a difference in someone's life. But it really was the team and it was led by Heidi that really came up with the idea and did it.”
When you launched the course, what did you hope it would change for Veterans and the people who support them?
Marjorie Morrison:
“We put a lot of onus on Veterans to explain themselves. To explain their MOS [Military Occupational Specialty]. To explain their experience. That’s not fair. It should be a partnership.
If you’re not going to take time to learn everything, just knowing a few basics can go a really long way. Not calling everyone a soldier. Understanding small but meaningful distinctions.”
She adds,
“Every single American should know the 15 Things. Period. You never know who you’re interacting with. It could be your Uber driver. That basic understanding can make such a difference.”
Looking back, what has been most meaningful about the course’s impact over the last decade?
Marjorie Morrison:
“Hearing the stories. I hear it all the time. Someone will tell me they watched it years ago and still remember it. Or they remembered 11 of the 15 and had to go back and watch again.
It’s simple, but it sticks. And it matters.”
She sees the course as part of a civic responsibility.
“If you’re not going to serve, which is fine in an all-volunteer force, the least you can do is learn a little about how to support those who do.”
Ten years later, 15 Things Veterans Want You to Know remains widely adopted. Why do you think it still resonates so strongly?
Marjorie Morrison:
“Just hearing you say that gives me chills. I’m so proud of PsychArmor for carrying the mission forward. It’s a founder’s dream to see something grow beyond what you imagined.
It probably takes ten years to really create a movement. Now making the ten year mark, it’s sustained.”
Marjorie hopes the course becomes even more embedded in everyday systems.
“How cool would it be if every employer with Veteran hiring initiatives included it in onboarding. If every professor knew it. There's a lot for Veterans that falls through the cracks and it should just be part of medical school training as well. So what I hope for in its future is it continues to become more and more and more mainstream so that everybody has to have them.”
She adds,
“We’re not even talking about changing the 15 Things. That tells you something. PsychArmor really got it right.”
What will keep this work going for the next ten years?
Marjorie Morrison:
“It has to be a groundswell movement. People have to share it themselves. Maybe there’s a pledge where everyone who takes it commits to sharing it with five others and then those people take it and then they, you know [share it so] that there's some kind of a pledge that goes with it that you're responsible or part of the sharing the message. That would be really cool."
Jamie Regalia:
“So a ripple effect, something where one person brings it to another and then two more."
Marjorie Morrison:
“Yes."
Marjorie’s vision gave rise to more than a course. It sparked a movement grounded in cultural understanding, shared responsibility, and community connection. 15 Things Veterans Want You to Know continues to shape how Americans show up for Veterans and their families, one learner at a time.
Jamie Regalia:
“Marjorie, thank you for your vision and for the impact your work continues to make across the country. 15 Things Veterans Want You to Know has changed the way thousands of people understand and support Veterans, and your leadership is the reason this movement exists.
To everyone watching, you can support the 15 for 15 Challenge by taking the course, sharing it with your networks, or contributing to help keep this training free and accessible for all individual learners.
Marjorie, thank you again, and thank you all for joining us.
Conversations like this one highlight the real momentum behind community-based prevention. When people gain the cultural understanding they need, they feel confident stepping in, speaking up, and standing alongside Veterans. Stories like this show us what becomes possible when culturally informed training reaches the people and the places where it is needed most.
As we honor the 10-year legacy of this flagship course, we invite you to join us in the 15 for 15 Challenge.
You can make an immediate impact by:
• Watching the course
• Sharing it with your network
• Donating to keep this training free for individual leaners
Together, we can ensure the next decade of learners and the communities they touch are even better prepared to support our nation’s Veterans and their families.
👉 Join the challenge and give today: https://giving.psycharmor.org/page/FUNQSPZZJAQ