What is included in the iPhone app?

The native iPhone app contains the practical daily experience, including structured practices, timers, plans, reflections, read-aloud support, Carry It Forward, and supported Live Activities.

Who created Four Shields for Warriors?

It was created by Blain Bertrand, a U.S. Army Combat Engineer and Operation Desert Storm veteran.

Built by a veteran • For veterans and families

Life after war.
A way forward.Find your direction.

Purpose, steadiness, truth, and responsibility. Discover the Four Shields—and meet the Warriors app that helps you bring them into everyday life.

Meet Warriors ↗ Explore the compass ↗

Four Shields compass: yellow East, red South, black West, white North and green Center — Choose a direction to learn what it means.

A clear line between website and app

Learn here. Practice in the app.

Discover the framework, meet its creator, and explore the books. Find your daily structure and complete practices in the Warriors app.

Available on this website

A public introduction for veterans, families, readers, and professionals.

The purpose of the Four Shields
A short overview of the framework
Blain’s veteran story and the books
Family context, FAQs, and the original song

Reserved for the native app

The practical daily experience

The tools that help a veteran put the framework into action remain inside the app.

Daily structure, intentions, and personal practices
Practice timers, plans, and longer guided activities
Reflections, Carry It Forward, and personal progress
Read-aloud support and supported Live Activities

The foundation

Four directions. One whole life.

The framework gives simple language to four parts of life that can become disconnected after war. The deeper practices remain in the book and app.

East • Yellow

Direction

Purpose, intention, and a clear sense of where you are going.

South • Red

Presence

The body, energy, emotion, and the ability to return to the present.

West • Black

Truth

Honest reflection, grief, shadow, and what must finally be faced.

North • White

Discipline

Wisdom, responsibility, boundaries, and the next right action.

Center is where the four directions become one integrated way of living.

The official native iPhone app

The framework in your pocket.

The app is built for real life: practical, calm, private, and ready when structure matters most.

Today

Begin with direction and a manageable intention for the day.

My Four Shields

Work with the complete framework without turning it into ceremony.

Timed Practices

Use structured activities such as walking, grounding, breathing, and meditation.

Plans

Create longer-term structure and return to what you chose to carry forward.

Read Aloud

Listen when reading is difficult or when spoken guidance feels more natural.

Lock Screen Support

Supported practices can stay visible through iPhone Live Activities.

Ready to use the complete Warriors experience?

Get the official native app directly from Apple.

View on the App Store

Go deeper

The books behind the work.

Start with the Four Shields field guide, then use Council to strengthen trust, accountability, and brotherhood.

The Four Shields for Warriors

A grounded framework for rebuilding life after war.

Buy on Amazon Audible

Council

A practical companion for honest circles of trust, shared experience, and brotherhood.

Buy on Amazon

Blain Bertrand, U.S. Army Gulf War veteran and author

Why I created this

Built from lived experience—not clinical theory.

I served as a U.S. Army Combat Engineer during Operation Desert Storm. Like many veterans, I learned that coming home does not always mean the war is over. The body remembers, the mind stays on guard, and the struggle can follow you into sleep, relationships, anger, identity, and purpose.

The Four Shields grew from my own long road through PTSD, loss, responsibility, and healing. I needed something direct and practical—a compass that respected the warrior while helping the whole man regain steadiness and direction.

This framework can support professional care, but it does not replace it.

— Blain Bertrand, U.S. Army Gulf War Veteran

For families

Understanding without excusing harm.

PTSD can change sleep, trust, reactions, attention, and closeness. The Four Shields gives families language for what may be happening while protecting dignity, responsibility, and healthy boundaries.

Safety comes first. If anyone is in immediate danger or at risk of self-harm, contact local emergency services or an appropriate crisis service immediately.

Listen

Four Shields for Warriors

An original song about veterans walking forward together—with brotherhood, resilience, and the courage to find a way home.

Download the Song

Questions

Straight answers.

Is this therapy?

No. It is a practical framework created from lived veteran experience. It can support, but does not replace, professional medical or mental health care.

Why doesn’t the website include the full practices?

The website explains the idea. The structured daily practices, timers, plans, reflections, read-aloud experience, and other working tools are part of the paid native app.

Do I need to read the book before using the app?

No. The app can stand on its own, while the book gives more depth and context to the complete framework.

Is it only for combat veterans?

It was created from combat-veteran experience and is designed for veterans navigating PTSD, transition, anger, numbness, loss of purpose, and the work of coming home.

Life after war.
A way forward.Find your direction.

East · Direction