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Life can be full of stress that is unavoidable. From the
irritation of dealing with road-raging drivers to the anxiety of
coping with Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome, it can be a lot to
handle.
Of course, stress and PTSD are not always limited to
veterans alone. Many family members and civilians can have similar
weight on their shoulders. Regardless of the size of the shoulders,
sometimes, the weight can just be too much.
But in these
situations, people just need a horse to save the day, according to
Retired Command Sgt. Maj. Sam Rhodes, owner of Warrior Outreach in
Fortson, Ga. After serving 30 consecutive months deployed to Iraq in
2003, Rhodes found it hard to readjust to life back home. He
suffered in silence from the impacts of war because he feared the
stigma associated with asking for help.
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March 18, 2017 - Retired Command Sgt. Maj. Sam Rhodes was diagnosed
with PTSD after serving 30 straight months deployed to Iraq starting
in 2003. Upon returning home, he discovered that horses helped him
regroup. Now, he runs a nonprofit organization, The Warrior Outreach
Ranch, which helps veterans and their families reconnect and relax
by learning to deal with horses. (U.S. Army Reserve Photo by Maj.
Michelle Lunato)
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“I was kind of embarrassed. I didn’t
want anyone to know I had challenges. So I kind of handled
it on my own,” said Rhodes who serves as the Comprehensive
Soldier and Family Fitness Program Manager for The Maneuver
Center of Excellence Directorate of Training and Doctrine at
Fort Benning.
Through his struggles, Rhodes
discovered a path to comfort. “I found that horses were very
helpful to me. The dynamic part of that is, being a leader,
once you find something that’s going to help you get through
the challenges in life, you want to share it with other
people.”
So like a good senior noncommissioned
officer, Rhodes sprang into action to help others who may be
suffering in silence, like he was. In 2008, Rhodes and his
wife, Cathy, started the Wounded Warrior Horsemanship
Program at Fort Benning. It allowed veterans and their
families the chance to interact with horses during special
events on post. As time went on, people kept asking us to do
more and more though… so eventually, we did, said Rhodes.
That is when the Wounded Warrior Horsemanship Program
transformed Rhodes country home into the Warrior Outreach
Ranch.
“In 2015, we decided to make it bigger and
bought 15 acres, built the barn, and now expanded our home
as a place for people to come, relax and enjoy life and
relieve some of the stress of life.”
Warrior
Outreach Ranch, which is a 20-acre ranch, is a sanctuary
Rhodes and his wife created for veterans and their families.
“There are so many veterans suffering from
challenges in their life – not only from the war, but just
everything. So we want this to be a peaceful place for them
to come,” said Rhodes.
At the ranch, peace comes in
a variety of forms. Veterans can choose to walk a quiet
trail, fish in the tranquil pond, hang out in the quaint
club house, or Rhodes’ favorite activity – interact with the
horses. Whether it’s feeding, grooming or riding the horses,
Rhodes finds that his soul is quieted through the contact.
“They say the outside of a horse is good, for the
inside of a man.”
Being around an animal that big,
makes people focus, and focus is a key to dealing with
stress, according to Rhodes. With all the stressors in
today’s hectic pace of life, anything can trigger anxiety…if
we let it, said the veteran who is a Legion of Merit and
Bronze Star awardee.
“We can go into a downward
spiral any day, over anything,” said Rhodes. But the retired
command sergeant major found his way to refocus through
horses over the years. And this form of therapy has worked
for other veterans and their families too. That resiliency
skill taught Rhodes, and his Warrior Outreach Ranch
visitors, how to emphasize the good.
“You have to
figure out a way to get a positive in what you are doing,
and not focus so much on the negative things in life.”
The Warrior Outreach Ranch helps people do just through
daily interaction or special events. Rhodes said the ranch
was created for veterans, and he and Cathy tailor their time
to what veterans and their families need. So whether
veterans need a unit family day, class on resiliency or just
time with the family in a quiet place, this retired command
sergeant major is ready to help.
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March
11, 2017 - Austin Jones, a Boy Scout with Troop 69 out of
Columbus, Gal., pets "Scout" during a visit to The Warrior Outreach
Ranch. Warrior Outreach Ranch is a nonprofit organization for
veterans and family members to relax and unwind through equine
therapy. (U.S. Army Reserve Photo by Maj. Michelle Lunato)
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In December, over 50 Army Reserve
Soldiers from Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st
Brigade, 98th Training Division (Initial Entry Training),
spent the day at the ranch for their official family day.
The relaxed family environment was filled with outdoor
activities and time with the horses, said Capt. Cheryl
Miller, an HHC officer with 1st Brigade, 98th Training
Division (IET), which is located on Fort Benning.
The local facility offered the Reserve Soldiers with a
unique opportunity to unwind, said Sgt. 1st Class Marvin
Chestnut, plans and operations noncommissioned officer, HHC,
1st Brigade, 98th Training Division (IET).
“The
Warrior Outreach Ranch put in a lot of hard work for our
Soldiers to have a memorable experience, and really took the
time to ensure the Soldiers were really enjoying
themselves.”
The fact that the unit’s family day was
at a fellow veteran’s home just added more to the day, and
the unit could not be more thankful to Rhodes and his wife,
said 1st Lt. Robert Burch, HHC commander, 1st Brigade, 98th
Training Division (IET).
“They are absolutely
fantastic people and their mission is an honorable and
selfless one.”
Creating a ranch doesn’t just happen
overnight though. It takes a lot of volunteers to run the
nonprofit organization that is available at no cost to
veterans. Lance Hoffman, a retired lieutenant colonel who
was also diagnosed with PTSD, is one of those volunteers who
keeps the ranch running.
Hoffman, who only found out
about the ranch through a friend, said he offered to help
out for one event, and hasn’t stopped since. That was a few
years ago.
“Sam found out I had a chainsaw, and that
was all she wrote,” said Hoffman who regularly helps clear
brush and trees along the three main hiking and riding
trails. “Now I am the proud owner of three chainsaws, two
pole saws and several double bit and single bit axes and
wedges and everything else.”
The large group of
volunteers who keep the ranch running are a mix of veterans
and their family members, as well as local citizens who just
want to support the military and be around horses. As the
volunteers muck stalls, familiarize visitors with the horses
and cut trees, they are also building a larger family and
stronger community.
“There is just a camaraderie out
here,” said Hoffman. The close-knit family is always willing
to adopt though, joked Hoffman.
“We need more
volunteers. If you gotta chainsaw, come on. I got lots of
work for us to do!”
However, not all volunteers need
a chainsaw. There are plenty of other ways to help the ranch
that range from administrative tasks to handing out
equipment to visitors. And when time is not possible to
give, others compelled to help can donate everything from
hay to food to garden tools.
In full military style,
Rhodes does give out one safety warning to all his guests
and volunteers though, just so they know what they are
getting into to.
“Once you come out here, you’ll fall
in love with it and you won’t want to leave.”
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Learn more
about Warrior Outreach Ranch or volunteering to aid the nonprofit
organization
By U.S. Army Maj. Michelle Lunato
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2017
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