The Albany Times-Union has an article in Friday's paper, linked here, called "A Bridge from Wartime to Civilian Life: Fundraising begins for Patriot Hills, a planned wellness center for National Guard soldiers." According to the article, Jeannine Mannarino, 48, a retired Army National Guard master sergeant, and dozens of volunteers are creating a nonprofit group to fundraise a planned $21 million to crate a "wellness and recreation center for wounded warriors in the Adirondack foothills." The article says Mannarino, who is divorced from her husband, a Vietnam veteran who became "a different person" once he had PTSD, "envisions Patriot Hills of New York as the first Armed Services Recreation Center geared to National Guard members and the treatment of military-related maladies," including PTSD. As the article mentions, "The concept of combat veterans recovering through recreation and professional therapy is innovative and timely," said Mannarino," and adds,
"Patriot Hills would be a therapeutic mountain resort for National Guard soldiers and others who return from war or are diagnosed with trauma. It would give them access to sports and entertainment, but also counseling in a relaxing environment."
This sounds like a great idea. The National Guard in particular seems underserved, nationally, and we wish this project and Ms. Mannarino, every success. It will not be the only initiative of its kind: several private initiatives have sprung up over the last few years, but their current status is unclear. There's the proposed Veterans' Village in Guerneville, California, which is currently getting opposed by its NIMBY-conscious neighbors; and The Sanctuary for Veterans and Families, envisioned by Stacy Bannerman, author of When the War Came Home: the Inside Story of Reservists and the Families They Leave Behind, which seems to have stalled out, either temporarily or permanently.
