Travel is one of life's great gifts. To lose yourself in a place or culture you have never experienced before is truly remarkable. For veterans, travel provides the opportunity to rediscover themselves on the road. Below are five U.S. destinations no veteran should miss out on.
1. Washington, D.C.
As the nation's capital, D.C. definitely tops the list of places former servicemembers should visit. Here veterans will be able to explore memorials from the World Wars, Vietnam and Korea. There are museums galore, and each one has something unique to offer. They can walk the steps of federal buildings and visit the home of their Commander in Chief. Washington, D.C. is the ultimate trip for veterans.
2. Boston, Massachusetts
Veterans with an affinity for history should make the journey to Boston. Former servicemembers can walk the Freedom Trail, visit the site of the Boston Tea Party, visit the location where the Boston Massacre took place and follow the path of Paul Revere's midnight ride. With so much of the nation's history packed into one city, former servicemembers are sure to have a great time.
3. Honolulu, Hawaii
Underneath the beautiful waters of Pearl Harbor lie the remains of the USS Arizona. Aside from being a paradise, Honolulu is great for veterans of any war to come and see the sunken battleship and explore the memorials.
4. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
On the now-quiet fields outside Gettysburg, there once raged one of the most important battles in American history. Veterans from every walk of life should make the journey to Pennsylvania to see the place where brother fought brother and the momentum of the war was changed. Walk in the footsteps of Civil War veterans and take in the history.
5. Yorktown, Virginia
As one of the eight shires that made up the colony of Virginia, Yorktown has been around since the country's beginnings. This region hosts some of the most impressive Revolutionary War reenactments around, and it is only an 15 minute drive to Williamsburg, another colonial city. Veterans can see what America was like in its infancy and how the earliest servicemembers made it what it is today.
Travel can provide veterans with a new outlook on life. It can offer them a glimpse of what life was like for veterans of other wars or remind them of their own service. Many destinations also have discounts that honor former servicemembers and their families. All that is left to do is hit the road.
Veterans are the keepers of some of the nation's most important history. It is vital that society record and preserve their experiences and memories, so that it can learn from them. The American Folklife Center in Helena, Montana, is working hard to keep veterans' stories alive in conjunction with a national initiative to promote historical preservation.
The center recently began work on the Veterans' History Project. Led by Sen. Steve Daines, the Montana chapter's mission for the project is to train local volunteers to record veterans' personal accounts of war and history and gather the personal items they are willing to share. The stories collected will be preserved in the Library of Congress.
The Great Falls Tribune reported that the "project makes personal accounts of wartime veterans accessible can be an incredible resource for researchers, educators and future generations to better understand the realities of war."
The volunteers in Montana will spend the day of Oct. 10 collecting the narratives, postcards, photographs and other wartime memorabilia from local veterans. These items will later be sent to join the rest of the nation's stories in Washington, D.C.
Veterans face challenges that many people cannot begin to understand. Whether it be transitioning into life after service or coping with combat-related stress, the issues that former servicemembers face would be difficult for anyone to overcome. Some veterans believe that no one will understand what they are going through, and therefore, they bottle up their emotions. Many refuse to seek help from a therapist for fear of judgment. Veterans interested in alternative outlets for their feelings may consider one of the creative pursuits below.
1. Art
Painting, ceramics and photography are excellent methods of expression for veterans who cannot put their feelings into words. Art allows them to convey their experiences on a canvas and rediscover the beauty of life through a camera lens. You do not even have to be knowledgeable of whichever form of art you choose. You just have to put yourself into it wholeheartedly. Organizations like the United States Veterans Art Program provide great opportunities for veterans to express themselves artistically.
2. Music
It does not matter if you're jamming away on a guitar solo or belting out the high notes of "Bohemian Rhapsody," there is no doubt that music provides a therapeutic release. In fact, music has been scientifically proven to reduce stress and promote relaxation, both of which would benefit veterans coping with post-traumatic stress disorder. Operation We Are Here is an excellent resource for musically inclined veterans.
3. Theater
Former servicemembers who may be hesitant to share their feelings might consider the stage as an alternative way to emote. Many plays offer actors the opportunity to express joy, fear, anger and passion in the safety of a character's identity and without fear of personal judgment. Nonprofits like Feast of Crispin make it possible for veterans to utilize theater as an alternative form of therapy.
4. Dance
There is a freeing feeling when you are whipping around the dance floor. Dance is a cathartic form of expression that allows people to lose themselves in the music. Veterans can find healing through many types of dance. Programs like 3Arts even provide adaptive dance classes for disabled veterans.
5. Creative Writing
Whether veterans want to them for themselves or share them with the world, putting their stories down on paper is sometimes one of the most relieving experiences they will have. Poetry, short stories, nonfiction and playwriting are all ways that veterans could express themselves. There are a number of organizations, like The Veterans Writing Project, that are dedicated to helping former servicemembers find the tools to help them tell their stories.
The artist Pablo Picasso once said, "The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls." Creativity, in whatever form it takes, provides individuals with an outlet for emotions and memories. Veterans who are coping with combat-related mental issues or having difficulty finding their place in civilian society could benefit greatly from pursuing a creative hobby. Any of the artistic activities listed above could be exactly the kind of release that a struggling former servicemember needs.
Many veterans face difficulties with reintegration on their return from combat. They believe their experiences alienate them from friends and family. They may also have gone through a traumatic event that has caused them to withdraw socially. One of the most helpful treatments for former servicemembers experiencing any of these difficulties in life after service is using art as an emotional outlet.
That is the idea on which the Feast of Crispin, a nonprofit acting troupe in Wisconsin, based its organization. According to the nonprofit's website, the founders saw successful results from a theater program for incarcerated teenagers in Massachusetts and decided to apply the idea to veterans. The group works to pair professionals actors with interested veterans to perform Shakespeare plays on a local stage. Why Shakespeare, you ask?
"One of the reasons that the Shakespeare works so well is it's this language that just holds big emotion," Nancy Smith- Watson, an actress and project director with Feast of Crispin, told ABC News. "It elicits it but it also holds it, the metaphor just enables a lot of emotion to be put on them."
Many of the Bard's plays have intense scenes that allow veterans to express their rage, sadness, joy or pain in an artistic way that is free of judgment. The troupe's most recent production is "Julius Caesar" and features 13 veterans from various branches of service. Several of the former servicemembers that participated told the news source that the experience was a great form of therapy and allowed them to work through their emotions in a safe and creative way.
Since its beginnings in 2013, Feast of Crispin has given over 200 veterans the chance to express themselves through theater, according to ABC News. It is free for former servicemembers to participate in Feast of Crispin, and interested parties are encouraged to contact the group for more information.
Recently, there has been an increase in the number of training centers available for dogs that service wounded veterans. These animals can provide assistance when a veteran is familiarizing himself or herself with a new prosthetic and give comfort to veterans coping with post-traumatic stress disorder, among many other talents. One former servicemember bonded so closely with his service animal that he used the dog as a best man in his wedding.
U.S. Army veteran Justin Lansford lost his leg to an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan in 2012. ABC News reported that when he returned home, Lansford adopted Gabe, a Golden Retriever that was trained at Warrior Canine Connection. He and the dog grew very close, and when it came time for Lansford to choose a best man, his first thought was Gabe.
At the Oct.3 ceremony, Gabe was dressed up in doggie-fitted dress blues and perched at the end of the aisle next to Lansford, according to USA Today. The service dog was perfectly behaved during the entire event.
Brad Hall, a photographer at the wedding, told USA Today, "[Gabe] was easy, quite frankly, a lot easier than we typically see with groomsmen at most weddings."
Gabe helped Lansford propose to his now-wife a year ago, and the couple said it felt right having him be included in the day.
During combat, servicemembers are sometimes injured in a way that leaves them with a traumatic brain injury or post-traumatic stress disorder. In fact, the Department of Veterans Services has reported that nearly 20 percent of returned servicemembers experience PTSD, and it is estimated that an average of 21 veterans take their lives every day because of combat-related stress or injuries.
A 2014 study conducted by New Mexico-based psychiatrist George Greer found that medical marijuana may help those former servicemembers who are struggling with PTSD and other mental issues. In fact, when Greer published his findings in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, he wrote that 75 percent of the 80 veterans who participated in the study saw a reduction in the symptoms and severity of their PTSD when they used cannabis treatments.
The study also concluded that hyperactivity, flashbacks and depression were reduced while participants were using medical marijuana.
Currently, only 23 states have legalized the use of this alternative treatment, but many veterans are arguing for the decriminalization of the drug. Some have even formed the Veterans Cannabis Project, an advocacy group that petitions for veterans' use of medical marijuana.
While the stigma surrounding cannabis is still relatively negative, the proof is hard to ignore.
The Wounded Warrior Project is dedicated to helping former servicemembers who have an injury or illness from their time in combat. The organization has created countless events to help these wounded veterans heal and improve their quality of life. One of the most popular of these is the Soldier Ride.
The event was established in 2004, according to the website. It was meant to provide wounded veterans with an opportunity to rejuvenate their love for life and adventure. Since then, Soldier Ride has sponsored thousands of veterans on four-day bike rides across different regions of the country. It brings these individuals together and allows them to bond through a joint motivation to finish the ride.
The sponsors of the events provide veterans with their bicycles before the journey begins, even if they require special adaptive equipment. The veterans will leave from a designated location and cycle as far as 50 miles until they return to their original location.
Most recently, a group of 50 veterans from Alabama have signed up for the next Soldier Ride. Taking place in mid-October, the group will ride across the state on what the WWP hopes will be a life changing journey.
Veterans are usually very familiar with guns. However, they may not think of them as a way to heal from mental and physical injuries from combat. A nonprofit group in Free Soil, Michigan, is doing just that. Veterans and Sportsman United is a hunting group founded in 2015 that brings former servicemembers together with avid hunters for recreation and relaxation.
The organization provides veterans with a soothing escape when they start to feel confused or stressed by life after service. The group wanted to give veterans a safe place to adjust to their new lives.
"If you're back home from overseas, and you're in the city, it doesn't give you time or a good atmosphere to decompress in," Adam Slinkman, president and chief executive officer of Veterans and Sportsmen United, told Michigan Live. "But if you get out in the field with guys that have the same stories as you, you have a chance to ease your mind a bit. There's a rehabilitation to it."
Veterans and Sportsman United has organized day hikes and week-long hunting trips. Most recently, they have been taking veterans out to Lake Hamlin for duck hunting trips.
The group plans to organize more events and has announced a deer hunting excursion later in the year.
On Memorial Day 2013, Wal-Mart announced its new veteran hiring initiative. The supermarket chain called their program the Veterans Welcome Home Commitment. Wal-Mart's goal was to find employment for any honorably discharged veteran who ended service after the program's start date.
USA Today recently reported that 10 percent of returned servicemembers have difficulty finding civilian employment. Many struggle with translating military skills to a civilian resume while others simply do not know where to look for jobs. The veteran hiring initiative hopes to help reduce this percentage and provide veterans with employment in their life after service.
Since its beginnings, Wal-Mart's veteran hiring initiative has provided jobs for 100,000 veterans and promoted 9,000, according to the company's website. By Memorial Day 2020, Wal-Mart hopes to increase its number of veteran employees by 250,000.
The latest hiring event with the Veterans Welcome Home Commitment will take place in Hemet, California, where the company has opened its newest Neighborhood Market. According to The Press Enterprise, the store has 65 full-time positions available. Many of these positions will begin as early as November.
Interested former servicemembers are encouraged to contact the Hemet Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market. To learn more about Wal-Mart's commitment to veterans, click here.
Inspired by the attacks of 9/11, the Green Bay Country Club has shared their golf course with veterans for the past 13 years, according to local ABC News affiliate WBAY. Every Veterans Day On the Links, the golf course closes to the public to allow veterans to enjoy the day golfing and bonding.
"We get a chance to recognize veterans who sometimes don't get recognized, I think waving the American flag got a lot stronger right after 9/11, everybody found a lot of patriotism and certainly we all have it today, but just for a day we give them a chance to be a Green Bay Country Club member for a day," Jerry Miller, the Veterans Golf Outing Chairperson, told the news source.
Veterans from a variety of conflicts came out to participate in the event. Many told WBAY that the experience was about sharing their combat stories and relaxing with comrades on the course. The manager of the country club also told the news source that many of the course employees volunteered their time to help with the events, even if they were not scheduled to work that day.
More than 100 veterans participated in this year's event.