Troubled vets of all ages find comfort at refuge

[Omaha Steve]

http://apnews.excite.com/article/20141108/us--the_vets_refuge-d01da17845.html

By SHARON COHEN

SAUK CENTRE, Minn. (AP) — The vets, some yawning, others clutching packs of cigarettes, trickle into a sun-splashed room for morning meditation. Some survived war long ago, others have fresh memories of combat.

All have struggled. For some, it's been alcohol or pills. For others, it's post-traumatic stress disorder. Young or old, these vets have similar stories: Substance abuse. Failed marriages. Legal troubles.

"Do not feel bad about your weaknesses," one vet reads to the others. And then they file out — some to jobs in town, some to the barn to feed the horses, some for a smoke on the porch or to the solitude of small, dorm-like rooms.


ADVANCE FOR USE SUNDAY, NOV. 9, 2014, AND THEREAFTER- In this Oct. 16, 2014 photo, tattoos mark the arm of Mark Addis as he pets a kitten in a barn at Eagle's Healing Nest, a retreat for veterans, in Sauk Centre, Minn. The Nest is a labor of love of Melony Butler who is the daughter, wife and mother of military men and serves as a place for vets who are trying to regain their footing. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)


So begins another day for a special fraternity, residents of the Eagle's Healing Nest, the labor of love of a woman who is the daughter, wife and mother of military men. Down the winding road, past the squawking chickens and statues of soldiers decorating the lawn, 47 vets who've stumbled in life are trying to regain their footing. The goal is to mend — and go home.

FULL story at link.