About an hour east of Atlanta, a United Methodist church camp sponsors family retreats for disabled veterans.

The retreat was the result of a partnership between veterans and officials at Collinswood Camp of Aldersgate Homes, who were searching for ways to assist soldiers returning home from service, particularly those among the more than 30,000 wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Jack Merritt, a 64-year-old retired member of the Army helicopter cavalry, said, “All veterans need opportunities like this. We have Iraqi veterans coming back who are in my anger management class who are as angry as we were when we came back from Vietnam. We need to help them replace the negative images of violence, ill will, and combat that soldiers collect during service, with happy times like those made here. Those memories of war are not what the Lord wants us to hold on to…. He wants us to remember times like this.”

At the camp, vets and their families enjoy swimming, boating, and other outdoor activities in a completely accessible setting, which includes wheelchair accessible nature trails and ramps that lead to the dock.

Lt. Josh Galle, who was injured during three tours of duty in Iraq, enjoys being able to relax at Collinswood with his wife, Jessica, and their 6-month old son, Ty. “Having a facility like this where veterans can just relax, where people are focused on abilities, not disabilities . . . I think it will open veterans’ eyes and their hearts. I’m excited not just for myself, but also to experience this place and tell other veterans from other branches.”

For more information about Collinswood Camp’s program for wounded warriors, click here.  Many other programs for Wounded Warriors can be found here at Military OneSource.

Closing Prayer
Lord, thank You for the sacrificial service of so many who have given so much for the service of our nation. Help us to show our gratitude through settings such as Collinswood Camp, so that healing may be reached in spiritual and emotional areas. In Your blessed name I pray, AMEN!

photo courtesy United Methodist News Service by Heidi Robinson
Iraq veteran Josh Galle and his 6-month-old son, Ty, enjoy time at the lake at Camp Collinswood in Georgia.

Tags: Collinswood Camp, wounded warrior

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 16th, 2009 at 4:00 pm and is filed under Active Duty, Families, National Guard, Reserves, Spouses, Wounded Warriors. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.