R&R

R&R

By Tyler Francke, Veterans News Magazine

Linking Up Vets to ‘Recreational Therapy’

According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, recreational therapy can provide coping mechanisms related to stress and intense emotions by lowering levels of anxiety, providing social opportunities, and creating a sense of community.

It is said that cohesion and engagement are important factors for healing and integrating among veterans. Some, like Link Up Vets president and founder Michael Aaron, have an acute understanding of this and strive to share the message with others.

The mission statement of Link Up Vets recognizes the importance of outdoor activities. It reads in part, “Through the use of the outdoors and community outreach, we create stress-free environments to connect like-minded brothers and sisters in arms.”

“To a good group of veterans, the outdoors is very important. It’s called recreational therapy,” said Aaron.

Link Up Vets provides a variety of outdoor activities including shooting, hiking, hunting, fishing, golf and camping. They put on one or two events a month, including two different types of events: veteransonly events; and family events, where veterans can bring along their friends and family.

Aaron explained that it is important for veterans to interact with each other and be able to enjoy themselves outdoors. Link Up Vets also tries to have a wide variety of activities in order to attract as many people as possible.

“We have a climb of Mt. Bailey coming up next. We also have our annual golf tournament next month. In August or September we will be going on two deep-sea fishing trips, an Alaskan fishing trip, and we will be going bungee jumping,” said Aaron.

The golf tournament, so far one of the most popular events, will be the organization’s fourth. Last year there were 37 teams made up of four golfers each for a total of 148 people playing, as well as numerous businesses and sponsors taking part in other ways besides playing.

The group also completed the Barrel to Keg Run, which was a 79-mile relay run from Philomath to Newport. Five veterans and two advocates completed the run, which took around 10 hours.

In addition to the larger events, members of Link Up Vets will also take part in other smaller events outdoors. They will do yard work for disabled veterans, homeless veteran outreach, military fort and camp cleanups, and cemetery cleanups.

Aaron explained that something special happens when veterans get together in the outdoors.

“The world of outdoor adventure creates a bond that cannot be found anywhere else,” said Aaron.

While the outdoors can be an escape for everyone, it is of particular importance for veterans. If you or someone you know is a veteran looking for activities or people to relate to, check out Link Up Vets.

“Connecting with other veterans and the outdoors gives peace to those who may be dealing with chaos going on in their minds. It creates a sense of grounding, which is mindfully controlling what’s going on inside,” said Aaron.

Check out linkupvets.org for more info and a list of events.

Willamette Master Chorus Will Present Veterans Concert in Salem

The Willamette Master Chorus will open its 34th concert season on Saturday, Nov. 10th and Sunday, Nov. 11th with its Veterans concert performance of The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace by renowned Welsh composer Karl Jenkins.

Commissioned by the Royal Armouries Museum for the Millennium celebrations in 2000, The Armed Man was dedicated to victims of the Kosovo crisis. It is a powerful anti-war statement based on the Catholic Mass, which Jenkins combines with other poignant sources.

The text incorporates words from other religious and historical sources, including the Islamic call to prayer, the Bible (e.g. the Psalms and Revelation), and the Mahabharata. Writers whose words appear in the work include Rudyard Kipling, Alfred Lord Tennyson and Sankichi Toge, who survived the Hiroshima bombing.

The Armed Man charts the growing menace of a descent into war, interspersed with moments of reflection; shows the horrors that war brings; and ends with the hope for peace in a new millennium. British humanitarian and author Terry Waite has said: “Karl Jenkins’ The Armed Man: A Mass For Peace was one of the most moving performances I have ever attended. This powerful work should convince even the most hardened cynic that war is a futile and brutal exercise and we should do all in our power to promote peace.”

Recorded during summer 2000, The Armed Man album was released in September 2001 and has since achieved double-gold award status in the UK and remains a constant bestseller on the official UK Classical Artist Chart.

This Veterans concert will also honor the various branches of the US military and present patriotic music performed with the 2018-19 Willamette Master Chorus Honor Choir, which includes top-selected choir students from high schools in the Salem- Keizer, Dallas, Silverton and Stayton areas.

Concert times are 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 10 and Sunday, Nov. 11, and will be held in the Hudson Hall auditorium of the Rogers Music Center, on the Willamette University campus at 900 State St., in Salem.

Tickets are available online at www. willamettemasterchorus.org/concerts.php

Read

Hue 1968: A Turning Point in the American War in Vietnam

Mark Bowden

The Black Hawk Down author tells what happens after Communist forces open the Tet Offensive and surprise everyone, everywhere.

Played out over 24 days and ultimately costing 10,000 lives, the Battle of Hue was by far the bloodiest of the entire war. When it ended, the American debate was never again about winning, only about how to leave.

Hue 1968 is a gripping and moving account of this pivotal moment.

The Jersey Brothers

Sally Mott Freeman

This page-turner about three New Jersey sailors in World War II is, the publisher touts, “Unbroken” meets “Saving Private Ryan.”

They are three brothers, all Navy men, who end up coincidentally and extraordinarily at the epicenter of three of the war’s most crucial moments.

When the youngest, a commissioned officer in the Navy Supply Corps, is listed as as wounded and missing after a Japanese attack, it is up to his two brothers to rescue him.

Volunteer

Lines for Life www.linesforlife.org/volunteer

Lines for Life is always looking for committed volunteers of all ages. Bring your experience and interests to one of our program areas, and make a positive difference in someone’s life. Needed areas include the Suicide Prevention, Alcohol and Drug, and Military Helplines. For more information on volunteering or how you can make a difference, email info@ linesforlife.org or call 503.244.5211.

See

Leave No Trace | Bron Studios (2018) Bleecker Street Media

From filmmaker Debra Granik (Winter’s Bone) comes the story of an Iraq War veteran suffering from PTSD, who lives in a public park outside Portland with his 13-year-old daughter. Leave No Trace tells the story of what happens when their isolated life is disrupted. Principal photography for the film was in Portland and in Eagle Fern Park in Clackamas County.

Connect

Team Red White and Blue www.teamrwb.org

Team RWB’s mission is to enrich the lives of America’s veterans by connecting them to their community through physical and social activity. The concept of enrichment consists of three core components— health, people, and purpose—that comprise a rich life. Find your local chapter by visiting www.teamrwb.org.

Relax

Link Up Vets linkupvets.org

Link Up Vets has been working since 2014 to fight for the future success and wellness of veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Through the use of service dog training, outdoor adventure and community outreach, they create stress-free environments to connect like-minded brothers and sisters in arms. Learn more online at linkupvets.org.