The Mind Field: Alternative Routes of Recovery, Alabama Getaway

The Mind Field: Alternative Routes of Recovery, Alabama Getaway

Danny Barrett was reluctant to sign up for The American Legion Department of Alabama’s second annual Veterans Retreat. Days before it started, he debated whether or not he’d even go. In the end, the Navy veteran did – and says he’s so glad he didn’t back out.

“Here I am sharing things with people who know what I am talking about,” says Barrett, who receives care at the Birmingham VA Medical Center for post-traumatic stress. “In civilian life, they want to say, ‘I know how you feel.’ But they really don’t. Here, they know how you feel. It’s been fabulous.”

In early August, about 50 men and women receiving care at Alabama VA facilities gathered at YMCA’s Camp Chandler in Wetumpka for outdoor activities and fellowship. By resolution, the department will conduct the retreat annually.

“It’s our way of showing them an alternate means of treatment,” Department of Alabama Adjutant Greg Akers says. “The biggest thing is camaraderie: get out here, start talking to one another and know you’ve got a shoulder to lean on.”

Activities included fishing, air rifle shooting, a rope ladder and ropes course, photography, and paddling a war canoe that seats more than a dozen and serves as a team-building exercise. 

On the final night, the veterans gathered around a campfire to talk about their time in service, issues they’ve faced since coming home and anything else on their mind. Some stories were funny, others emotional.

For Larry Coleman, who served as an Army helicopter pilot in Vietnam, the retreat is a one-of-a-kind outlet. “To be able to talk about it … that’s a long time coming,” he says. “It’s much better (talking to fellow veterans). If you haven’t been there, you can’t tell me how I feel.”

The retreat provided toiletries and sleeping bags for participants. Local vendors donated food and outdoor equipment, while Post 133 and Post 135 each served a lunch. Sons of The American Legion hosted a fish fry on Saturday, and the entire Alabama Legion Family organized a cookout for the veterans on the final day of the retreat.

During the cookout, Department of Alabama Commander Jim Jeffries announced that the department would pay the first year’s dues for any participant who wasn’t already a Legion member.

“Veterans have to take care of veterans,” Jeffries says. “We have a responsibility to one another.”

Barrett became more aware of that responsibility when he met fellow veteran David Lottier at the retreat. The two spent time together throughout the weekend, and after a while, Barrett asked Lottier if he could give him a hug. Lottier responded with a strange look, but the pair hugged anyway.

“I saw him at breakfast (the next day), and he was so bright-eyed,” Barrett says. “He was like a whole different person. He said, ‘You sat and listened to me, and I shared with you all the problems I have, and they just kind of went away.’”

The pair traded phone numbers to stay in touch. “He helped me,” Barrett says. “I helped him. That’s what this has been about.”

The opportunity to share with others in such a setting “just brings us closer together,” Lottier says. “I’ve met some very good friends.”

This was the second year at the retreat for Alicia Anthony, an Air Force veteran. “I have never had anybody treat me like we were treated last year,” she says. “It was a blessing because it made me realize there are people who care ... It’s amazing that you can meet people and, in a day or two, it’s like you are family.”

Akers, an Army veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, says the retreat is always therapeutic. “I suffer from PTSD,” he says. “This camp has done more for me than any counseling or medication.”  

 

Steve B. Brooks is the social media manager for The American Legion.