Post-traumatic stress disorder is one of the hardest and most debilitating conditions a veteran can face when transitioning into their life after service. Medication and therapy are two of the most common forms of treatment, but some creative and caring minds have come up with some new methods.
WTVM in Georgia reported on Jon Jackson, an Army veteran and founder of STAG VETS, a nonprofit group that treats servicemembers with PTSD and traumatic brain injury through farming. It may sound odd, but Jackson's 20 acres of farmland have already begun to help hundreds of homeless veterans break out from under the shadow of combat memories.
"A lot of the veterans that come back from Iraq and Afghanistan find themselves displaced," Jackson told WTVM. "A lot of those things are not working out for them. Farming and agriculture is pretty much like the military. You have to wake up early to feed the animals, things have to be done, you have to constantly plan and be strategic."
Veterans who arrive at the Comfort Farms build greenhouses and chicken coops, among other things. Jackson hopes to expand the size of the farm in coming years to house veterans and their families.
While farming is one method for alleviating PTSD, researchers at the Dwight Eisenhower Army Medical Center's Traumatic Brain Injury Clinic have found transcendental meditation effective. According to UPI, meditation helps veterans rely less on medication for treatment.
Finding inner peace by tuning out distractions has a direct effect on stress hormones, the medical center's study found.
After one month of examining veterans undergoing meditation and comparing them to a group who was not, the researchers found that nearly 84 percent of those meditating had held even, decreased or stopped altogether their medication usage. About 59 percent of the non-meditation group had done so.
Servicemembers spend years of their life relying on the chain of command for orders – how to dress, how to train, how to fight. But when it comes to a life after service, the voice of the drill instructor or C.O. has gone silent. Every decision is now in the veteran's hands, including that of where to go next. So, when the discharge papers come through, how do you make your choice?
According to the Military Times, a majority of veterans chose to stick around their previous duty stations. That's part of why San Antonio's veteran population lies in the six-figure range. Familiar cities aren't the only places in the country with a culture and services tailored to veterans, however.
An analysis conducted by the Military Times has revealed the best cities nationwide – a number of which may be surprising – for veterans seeking a career or comfortable place to settle down. Other studies have determined the worst cities for returning veterans. These are areas that lack military-related jobs, affordable housing and wage growth.
Here's a closer look at both the good and the bad:
The best
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Commuting to work is a breeze in Virginia Beach – on average, the trip is only a little more than 20 minutes. It's also one of the safest cities the Military Times found, with just 26.6 crimes per 1,000 people according to Census data. A culture that values its military members – who often play a big part in community events – puts Virginia Beach at the top of the list.
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Veterans make up a big part of Colorado Springs's population, and the city welcomes their presence with open arms. Homes here go for a little more than $200,000, putting housing easily within reach for veterans, while multiple VA facilities accepting military insurance and benefits are less than an hour's drive.
San Antonio
Every November, San Antonio hosts Celebrate America's Military – a self-explanatory event that draws veterans and their families from all over. Very affordable housing is also a big appeal. Homes in the city can be bought for just a fraction of what they might cost elsewhere. Housing discounts are among the veterans benefits on offer.
San Diego
One of the best aspects of San Diego is its education system, its colleges in particular. Both San Diego State University and the University of San Diego made the Military Times' list of the best colleges for veterans. Having what very well may be the best climate in the country makes the city's strong military culture even more hospitable.
Oklahoma City
Veteran-friendly companies – from Chesapeake Energy to Verizon to Terra Construction – are just one trait Oklahoma City prides itself on. Many of the companies are owned and operated by veterans, making for a very warm, friendly atmosphere around military service members in the city. A VA medical center less than three miles from the city center doesn't hurt either.
The worst
Detroit
Among the hardest cities to live in for veterans trying to break out of poverty, WalletHub ranked Detroit dead last on its list of best and worst cities for former servicemembers.
Newark, New Jersey
Coming in second-to-last to only San Bernardino, California for lowest veteran income growth, Newark also has the inglorious distinction of having the highest percentage of veterans living below the poverty line in WalletHub's study.
Boston
Since WalletHub declared Boston one of the worst cities for veteran homelessness – it tied with San Francisco and Atlanta, among others – the city has put a lot of effort behind getting veterans long-term housing.
Hialeah, Florida
Any veteran moving to Hialeah won't find themselves with very much company. The city ranked dead last of the 100 studied by WalletHub for veteran population, meaning that sense of community and veteran culture would be very difficult to find.
Miami
With one of the lowest percentages of military skill-related employment, Miami makes it tough for veterans to find jobs that properly utilize their experience. In a city as expensive as Miami, that's pretty much a deal breaker.
In recent years, more effort has been put into boosting the care veterans receive when they come back to their life after service, and this assistance comes in many forms. Now, the VA is helping to send more from a private company to assist veterans in the state of Alaska, where care has often been lacking.
TriWest Healthcare Alliance, which is based in Arizona, has received VA funding to send six new employees to help veterans in some of Alaska's biggest cities, according to a report from the Alaska News Dispatch. These workers will assist veterans in scheduling appointments and paying their doctors' bills whenever possible, and will be based throughout the state. Two of the six will be in Anchorage working directly at the VA, while two more will travel to help care providers deal with veterans' claims, and another will work in Fairbanks in a similar capacity. A sixth will be something of an overseer for the rest of the group.
"By having this staff based in Alaska we will demonstrate our commitment to Alaskan providers and gain their trust," Hal Blair, deputy program manager of TriWest Healthcare Alliance, told the newspaper.
The goal here is to assist the VA's other staffers in speeding up the process by which veterans can book doctors' appointments and deal with the claims they need to file on a regular basis, the report said. Lawmakers in the state also hope more funding can be freed up to provide additional support in this regard, with some calling it a "first step" toward a better assistance safety net for state veterans.
The more assistance governmental agencies can provide to veterans in any type of need, the better off those servicemembers are likely to be going forward. And often, even if government support falls short, there will be a private organization that can help as well.
Many cities and states are now looking to tackle the epidemic of veteran homelessness nationwide by dealing with the issue within their own borders. Such a project will soon get under way in New Orleans, where dozens of veterans currently live on the streets.
A New Orleans nonprofit is working with a local real estate firm to build a 5.5-acre housing project for veterans of the most recent Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts who need lifelong rehab, according to a report from the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Currently, the block where these apartments will be built is green space after a canal breach in 2005 damaged all of its buildings, and the goal is to keep as much of that green space as possible and incorporate it into the development of this property.
The area will have nearly 80 apartments available to disabled veterans and their families, ranging in size from one to three bedrooms, the report said. In all, 70 percent of these slots will be affordable housing, with the remaining 30 percent being market-rate apartments. The good news for the veterans who will one day live there is that the property is adjacent to a new VA hospital in New Orleans that should be open by the end of 2016.
In all, half the properties will be rented to veterans who have physical or mental disabilities as a result of their service, the report said. The other half will be rented to older people who agree to volunteer six hours per week helping those neighbors in some way, be it babysitting, driving vets to the doctor's office, and so on.
This kind of assistance could go a very long way toward helping disabled veterans feel as though there are people they can lean on for help when they need it. Many such organizations exist across the country.
Retired Air Force Col. Michael F. Welch has been approached by so many overwhelmed veterans expressing their thanks that he finally has a way of dealing with it, which isn't to say he doesn't appreciate their gratitude. As overseer of the Department of Veterans Affairs' Paralympic program, Welch is plenty familiar with how difficult living through a life after service with a disability sustained in combat can be.
The Washington Post reported that, as the specialist in charge of the VA program, Welch is responsible for providing grants to sports that assist disable veterans, as well as getting stipends to those veteran athletes talented enough to attend international competitions like the Paralympics.
"They tell me, 'You don't know what you've done for my life,'" Welch relayed to The Post.
Adaptive sports allow veterans to exercise, build muscle, connect with their fellow brothers and sisters in arms, and perhaps most importantly, find a new role for themselves. Welch talked about some of the athletes had contemplated suicide before they found an answer in sports.
Welch told The Post about a blind Navy officer who has gone on to win medals in swimming, and four veterans who have suffered traumatic brain injury but are nonetheless on their way to represent the U.S. in soccer at the Paralympic games.
Some wounded veterans have taken their athletic exploits even further. Fox 13 in Salt Lake City reported how more than 80 wheelchair-using veterans have been given the chance to attend ski and snowboard camps at Park City Mountain Resort.
Coaches there will teach veterans to ski regardless of injury, hopefully instilling a new passion for the sport by adapting it to their physical requirements. Spending time with other veterans while doing it certainly doesn't hurt either.
One of the big obstacles that many veterans across the country unfortunately know all too well is that they may not always have access to the health care they need. Luckily, the state of New Jersey recently passed a law that should help them clear some of those hurdles.
The law, known as A-3749, will require the state's Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs to establish a program to help veterans get to their medical appointments when they have conditions related to their service, according to a report from the New Jersey state house. Specifically, the state will reimburse those veterans for the travel costs they take on out of pocket to make those appointments.
"Many veterans are unable to take advantage of helpful treatment programs in New Jersey because of the difficulty in arranging transportation," said Legislative Assembly Democrat Pamela Lampitt, who represents Camden and Burlington. "This law will promote transportation assistance to veterans in order to ensure our veterans have the access to quality care they deserve."
This kind of help may go a long way for many veterans in the state, and could also inspire similar programs in other states as well. That, in turn, could be invaluable to many veterans with health issues who may be struggling financially.
Millions of veterans across the country became small business owners after they left the service, and a lot of them have success specifically because of the skills they learned while serving. To that end, national convenience store chain 7-Eleven has taken aim at helping would-be entrepreneurs achieve their dreams.
For the second year in a row, 7-Eleven is holding its Operation: Take Command contest, in which one veteran in the U.S. will be given a fee-free franchise of the store that he or she can run on their own, according to a report from the Lockport Union-Sun and Journal. The value of such a prize can be as much as $190,000.
There will be several steps to the contest itself, with a winner announced in June, but sign-ups close in late February, the report said. Near the end, a group of 25 contestants will be asked to submit videos highlighting why they should win, and as many as seven will advance from that group. Lastly, three finalists will be interviewed by the company's franchise department before a winner is chosen.
These kinds of contests may help veterans achieve some of their personal dreams, and entrepreneurship in general can be very empowering for those who return from service.
It can sometimes be hard to take, but not every veteran has a family around to honor them when they pass. Thankfully, Californians have proven definitively that when family can't do it, strangers will.
On Wednesday, strangers gathered at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery to attend a ceremony honoring 169 fallen veterans whose remains were never claimed by friends or kin. Under dozens of American flags snapping proudly in the wind, people the veterans never knew made sure that their service wasn't forgotten.
According to Fox 40, Sacramento's cemetery hosts this type of commemorative service several times throughout the year, but usually on a much smaller scale. Craig Allen, operations foreman at the cemetery, pointed to the laudatory efforts of the Missing in America Project – a group that locates veterans without families – for the expanded scope of the ceremony.
"They actively sought out these veterans that have somehow not been accorded the honors that they deserve," Allen told Fox 40.
Three of the veterans buried on Wednesday who were found by MIAP were from or near Napa County, the Napa Valley Register reported. Two of them – Waightsel Lumpkin and Keith Sipma – were Army veterans who served during World War II. The third was Quenton Nickell, who served in the Army during the Vietnam War.
Craig Hall, another Army veteran, was appointed Napa County's very first veterans remains officer last summer. He worked with the county sheriff's office and MIAP to locate the three men, who were taken to the national cemetery via procession.
There, along with all the other fallen, the Register reported that they received a full memorial service complete with rifle volleys, taps, and a presentation of the American flag to a veteran in attendance.
Some missions last a day, some a month, some a lifetime. For Veterans on Patrol, helping homeless veterans is their vocation 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The group just recently established a new camp in Mesa, Arizona, ABC 15 reported, that bears the signs of a military operation – rigid tents and an American flag.
"Homeless veterans coming – when they see military structures like this – it's a familiarity with them," Lewis Arthur, co-founder of Veterans on Patrol, told the news channel. Arthur said that he hoped veterans seeking shelter would soon find the tents stocked with donations from the Arizona community.
"So, if a vet comes walking down this street at 3 o'clock in the morning, he'll see the flag lit up at nighttime in the camp and he knows he can walk over here to get food, water and a blanket," Arthur continued.
While Mesa may be the group's newest location, it certainly isn't their first. According to Tucson News Now, back in December Veterans on Patrol was going out of its way to put a roof over the head of homeless veterans who had somehow slipped through the cracks in their life after service and who weren't receiving aid.
"In Tucson, we've found 18 veterans so far that are either not in the system or the VA themselves are looking for them," Arthur said at the time.
Mesa's camp now brings the total Veterans on Patrol sites in Arizona to four. Operating with a team of dedicated volunteers, the group posts requests for the items it needs to Facebook, then relies on donations from the community to fulfill them. But there's more to the operation than just handing out supplies.
"Once we develop a relationship with them, if they need help transitioning, we'll help them," Arthur told ABC 15. "If they want to stay homeless, we'll gear them up good."
Homeless and low-income veterans are a group that people overwhelmingly want to help in any way they can, and cities and states nationwide are now doing more to make sure those servicemembers are receiving help in the form of permanent housing. The state of South Dakota is just one of those entities, but it is finally poised to take a huge step forward in this regard.
Three years ago, the South Dakota state legislature signed a bill that allocated about $41 million – including $17 million from the VA – to a home for veterans who are struggling financially, according to a report from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, television station KELO. Now, after a lengthy period of construction, the facility is just about ready to open.
The aim of the Michael J. Fitzmaurice South Dakota Veterans Home, located in Hot Springs, South Dakota, with more than 100 beds, is to take care of older veterans in particular, who may not have the financial wherewithal to appropriately take care of themselves any more, the report said. It will replace an older, smaller facility that had a similar goal.
"Everybody will move in here, so most of what's remaining of the old campus will be shuttered, for lack of a better term, for the time being – until we move into a different phase, and after our new construction is complete," Brad Richardson, superintendent of the facility, told the station. "And as I finish up more of my suites, I'll move more and more of my staff into [the older facility]. Long term, a floor previously used for administration in the building will be turned into a museum area."
Many veterans may be able to get some sort of assistance from government agencies or private organizations in their area, and often they just need to know where to look for help when and if they need it.