Michigan legislative action thread
Posted on 07/29/2015 3:10:35 PM PDT by cripplecreek
NORVELL TWP, MI -- Rick Briggs has always been involved in charity work to help veterans, but when his son came back from Iraq with post-traumatic stress disorder, he knew more needed to be done for veterans.
"A lot of guys put a gun in their mouth because they don't have hope, they don't have a purpose," Briggs said. "They need both hope and purpose to move forward."
So, Briggs partnered with other volunteers to bring a shared dream to life.
The 137-acre campsite of Camp Liberty, once finished, will feature a welcome center able to house a large family for camping retreats, workshops and other activities for veterans. The property, near River Raisin in Brooklyn, Mich., also will have a gazebo-style chapel, and multiple handicap accessible hunting blinds.
Eighteen different kinds of wildflowers and numerous animals cover the campsite.
Briggs' hope is that veterans will feel more comfortable in an outdoor environment and will open up more about their experiences while deployed.
The main house is still under construction thanks to donations from sponsors and labor provided by Greater Jackson Habitat for Humanity.
Shelly Hendrick Kasprzycki, executive director of the Greater Jackson Habitat for Humanity, said in between two house constructions, the organization realized they had the time to help build the main building for Camp Liberty.
Military families will be welcome to stay for a weekend and enjoy the relaxation and natural beauty, and groups of veterans will be invited to the campsite for workshops that will help will rehabilitation and social bonding.
While Camp Liberty is not a medical facility, Briggs said there are still things that can be done to help veterans work on things like fine motor skills and communication. Building fishing poles, lures, and other crafts can all help veterans, he said.
"Rather than just going in and doing physical therapy, they can do something they're interested in, and it makes the outcome of their treatment more profound," Briggs said.
Inviting counselors and medical professionals to the campsite will also be part of the plan.
"If they're out here in blue jeans and boots, and they can come sit in a blind, they can get that vet to open up more and to talk about it," Briggs said.
That's where Christine Myran comes in.
"We can't get these guys to come into a clinic to sit in a room," Myran, who vice president of programs for After the Impact, a neuro rehabilitation facility which specializes in brain injury and PTSD treatments. "But if they're sitting in a blind or walking next to a stream, they tend to open up a lot more."
The campsite will also cater to veterans with physical disabilities as well, with the main building being handicap accessible once completed.
For President of the Board of Directors for Camp Liberty Rich Delisle, dedicating his time and effort to Camp Liberty is the least he can do for veterans.
"(I do this) because of the forgotten ones, that's what I call them, the handicap, the vets, the people that society seems to shun," President of the Board of Directors for Camp Liberty Rich Delisle said. "These kids that are out there dying for this country, they deserve this. They deserve our respect and our honor, and we should give them all the help they can get."
Its a beautiful spot with plenty of game.
I knew it was close to you. Very awesome!!!
They’re going to take their guns away (so they won’t “ put a gun in their mouth”) and keep them in a “camp”? How well is that likely to go over with a vet who has Obama and FEMA on his mind?
Best of intentions, possible unforeseen consequences.
Its about a mile downriver from me. I’ve walked most of it and always thought it would be a great place to build a house back in there.
My congressional rep, Dan Benishek, would be popular with you.
The only main difference is that we were designing a hotel like building with many rooms/suites for numerous Vets and/or families, instead of just two houses and a separate main building. Most of the services and facilities they mention were in our plans. Think we were starting with some 40 acres in Arizona.
Anyway, wish these folks the best.
I missed this but was talking to a Marine widow (husband killed at a VA medical center while getting treatment for PTSD - he was a Nam vet) and she said he couldn’t go into the woods without having a flashback.
Made sense to me. Put the Nam veterans (who have the highest suicide rate of vets) in the desert for treatment at first and put the Iraq vets and Afghan vets in the woods?
Nam vets are also going through mid-life crises so that is probably a contributor.
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