Boulder Crest Retreat in Loudoun County offers a restful place for service members But here - in a quiet log cabin in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains - Botts hopes to escape the war's lasting grip, at least for a few days. Botts, 42, a retired Marine Corps staff sergeant, and his wife, Theresa, are one of four families that spent the Thanksgiving holiday at Boulder Crest Retreat for Wounded Warriors in western Loudoun County. The nonprofit organization, which opened in September, is the nation's first rural retreat devoted specifically to caring for physically and psychologically wounded soldiers and veterans. It's been nearly two years since the last U.S. troops withdrew from Iraq, and more than eight since Botts returned from his deployment as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. But for Botts, like many other service members, the impact lingers long after his tour ended and after the war began to fade from the public consciousness. "There's not a day that goes by that I don't think about Iraq," he said. For veterans still struggling through the long process of recovery, Boulder Crest offers a simple but vital service, Botts said. "It's just peaceful here," he said, sitting beside his wife in a cabin on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Outside the large picture windows, the rolling hills were faint silhouettes through the fog. A fire glowed in the stone fireplace. Botts's seizures and flashbacks are less frequent now, but he continues to cope with the aftermath of a traumatic brain injury and post traumatic stress disorder. At home, a calendar on the fridge is filled with medical and therapy appointments. Theresa Botts doesn't recall the last time the couple was able to take a break from that schedule. "It's so good to be where you do not have a structured day," she said. If you want to walk the trail, you walk the trail. You can stand outside in the rain. You can sit on the deck. She exhaled. "This is giving us a chance to regroup," she said. We need that. A sanctuary Three years ago, Boulder Crest founders Ken and Julia Falke decided that they wanted to use part of their scenic 200-acre property in Bluemont to create a sanctuary for wounded military service members and their families. Ken Falke, 51, a retired bomb disposal expert with the Navy, had spent years offering support to injured soldiers and their families through the Wounded EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) Warrior Foundation, a nonprofit group he founded with Julia in 2007. The couple understood how exhausting the recovery process can be and the heavy toll it often takes on marriages and families. The Falkes set a $10 million fundraising goal and broke ground on Boulder Crest in May 2012. So far, they have raised more than $6 million to build, launch and sustain the retreat.