Warrior’s Rest Foundation 

It was Brett Key’s first day in uniform when the radio crackled. A triple fatality on I-35 in Moore. 

“From day one, my eyes were opened very quickly,” Key said. “I could tell you everything about that scene.” He remembers the weather. The wreckage. What he did not understand yet was what those images would cost him over time. 

“I tackled a guy stealing cigarettes,” he said. “That was pretty cool.” A ride-along confirmed it. Within a week, his application was in. He would serve more than 26 years with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. 

Like many young officers, he focused on the adrenaline and variety of the job. “We aren’t the cubicle, scheduled-out type of people,” he said. “You go into work and have no idea what’s going to happen that day, and that is a draw.” 

But what no one told him, because many did not yet know it themselves, was how the weight builds. “The patrol taught me how to drive, fight, and shoot,” he said. “They taught me what I needed to do to go home. But not what to do once I got home.” 

His second son was just hours old when Key received a call that a fellow trooper, Nikky Green, had been shot and killed. Soon after, Key was activated with the SWAT team to help find the suspect. 

“I kissed my wife on the forehead, left, and put my uniform on,” he said. “That pushed me to a place I really didn’t know how to handle. It started a series of events I didn’t understand. Someone finally looked at me and said, ‘You gotta get help, Brett.’” 

Thankfully, he sought it. “I met with Dr. Kathy Thomas in Stillwater. I sat there with my arms and legs crossed and told her I didn’t know why I was there. But tears started welling up in my eyes, and she looked at me and said, ‘So how is this working out for you?’” 

“I just lost it,” Key said. It was not just one tragedy weighing him down. It was years of scenes and sorrow with nowhere to go. 

This personal realization led Key and several colleagues to found the Warrior’s Rest Foundation, a nonprofit training first responders to support one another through peer teams. Using the established ICISF curriculum, they equip departments to offer confidential conversations, recognize warning signs, and refer colleagues to clinicians when needed. 

“There are times when conversation is enough,” Key said. “A safe place to unload.” 

Warrior’s Rest has trained Edmond Police and Fire and focuses heavily on rural agencies that lack the resources for internal peer support programs. The goal is holistic wellness for first responders. 

For all involved with the foundation, the mission is personal. Key explained that he wants more than for first responders to make it through their careers alive. “I want them to make it through with their mental and emotional health and their families intact.” 

“I always say that it’s okay not to be okay,” he said. “It’s just not okay to stay that way.” 

Key is clear that, like most nonprofits, Warrior’s Rest is always short on time, money, and manpower. But what he wants even more than donations is understanding. “I’m a firm believer that God will provide for our material needs,” he said. “What I really want people to understand is what first responders go through.” 

If you know a first responder, ask how they are doing and mean it. Give them space to answer honestly. Listen without trying to fix it. 

“Most importantly, if you sense something is off, help them take the next step toward support.” 

Learn more about Warrior’s Rest Foundation or seek support at warriorsrestfoundation.org.