“On May 10, 2011 a federal judge ruled that the Veterans Administration’s mental health care system was “incompetent” and ordered a complete overhaul. It was revealed that 18 veterans a day were committing suicide. The number of soldiers and veterans committing suicide now far exceeds the number of deaths due to combat.”  Do you understand that quote taken from Health Impact News daily? There are more soldiers killing themselves than their enemies are killing!

Why you ask? Because when they come home they cannot deal with the aftermath in their minds. Their lives have been torn apart, restructured and then controlled. Then we they are done they are just thrown out, there is no program for soldiers with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) to transition out of the military with. So then we have veterans that come home with mental issues that they cannot handle, PTSD claims many lives every day people. The military’s response to this is drugging them.

A drug called Seroquel is the military’s choice for calming the mental haywire that PTSD vets are dealing with. Seroquel has been linked to suicide and depression and many other serious issues. Yet this is what the military has chosen to “treat” these soldiers with. Soldiers no longer able to handle the war in their minds turn to drugs, alcohol and suicide as a way of escaping. They come home with no knowledge of how to act or what to do to straighten their lives out and to have a “normal” life.

Well there is one group of Americans that are not sitting on their hands anymore and they have come together and formed the Farmer Veteran Coalition. According to the FVC, “The mission of the Farmer-Veteran Coalition is to mobilize our food and farming community to create healthy and viable futures for America’s veterans by enlisting their help to build our green economy, rebuild our rural communities and secure a safe and healthy food supply.” They are taking PTSD veterans and teaching them how to farm organically.

Once these veterans learn the skills they need to farm on their own, then they are given the resources to find and start their own organic farm. The veteran’s farms are used to supply organic, homegrown food to the American people. A veteran that once came home and felt like they nothing left to live for all of a sudden is serving the US once again, on a more personal and useful level. To top it off there is incredible evidence that shows that organic farming is helping the veterans suffering from PTSD.

PTSD is not an issue when there is nothing that will trigger responses, loud noises and hectic lifestyles all play a major role in triggering their symptoms and flair-ups. Running their own organic farm the veterans are reporting no stress, no depression, no drug needs, no loss of sleep, inner peace and an over-all sense of wellbeing and importance in their lives. We already know what peace and quiet can do for a person when it comes to health, its literally natural medicine.

But take a sense of service and sacrifice and hand it to veterans that are used to carrying that burden and watch what dedication they have to the job. They will benefit, the public will benefit and the program works! See this video and the one under the picture above. Check out the Facebook page of a veteran’s farm and how the farm supplies food to the market at this link.