A large percentage of returning US veterans suffer immeasurably from PTSD and other physical ailments. This group is working with Sierra Club to reach these warriors and help them benefit from the healing power of nature.
A group of veterans taking part in an SCMO trip to Yellowstone National Park pose for a picture. (Courant Community) Sierra Club Military Outdoors and Veterans Base Camp in Chaplin have teamed up to get veterans outside. The all-volunteer SCMO and the Chaplin nonprofit are serving veterans in the most basic way by sponsoring hiking, canoeing, rock climbing, and fishing trips. The impacts can be transformative, according to SCMO Veteran Outdoor Coordinator Aaron Leonard. No compatible source was found for this media. Leonard spent 28 years in the Army. He knows the difficulties some veterans have when they return from deployment. "It’s common for 30 percent of the population to take a nosedive when they return home," he said. Physical injuries, PTSD, loneliness, and depression can be hard for veterans to deal with. Their friendships and relationships have changed because of their experiences. It can be hard fitting back into the world they left to join the service. "Part of our mission is to reach those people," Leonard said. The programs are all about fostering the physical, emotional and social health of the veterans by immersing them in nature. Army veteran Sarah Hamby learned about the SCMO programs at […]
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