Dr. Julian Wyatt, retired Navy lieutenant commander and author of Becoming Jewish, will speak at the Jewish War Veterans Copper State Post 619 installation luncheon, March 16 at the Oakwood Country Club Recreation Center, 24218 S. Oakwood Blvd. in Sun Lakes, Arizona.

Wyatt, the newly elected Post 619 commander, served 30 years in the U.S. Navy from 1980-2010, and was awarded the Bronze Star from his combat tour in Iraq, 2007- 2008.

Educated in parochial schools, Wyatt sought out a local synagogue after visiting Haifa, Israel, in 1979. He became a Jew by choice in 2007 and a Bar Mitzvah in 2010.

During his last few months in the International Combat Zone, Jules describes his service as the lay leader for B’nai Baghdad, as the “duty, honor, and privilege of a lifetime.”

Back home in 2016, Jules began the Prison Yoga Project Phoenix detachment to help reduce recidivism and give the incarcerated tools of yoga and meditation to navigate stress, anxiety and depression.

He now works for a Nonprofit called Mindfulness First, in Scottsdale, Arizona. The organization works in schools and teaches mindfulness to children and staff in K-12 schools. As a certified health and life coach, Wyatt helps veterans and their families with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and reintegration back into civilian life.

Registration for the seated, hot lunch is $40 each. Send checks made out to JWV Post 619 to Bety Dar, 25827 S. Greencastle Dr, Sun Lakes, AZ 85248, by March 8, 2025.