One of the most important lessons I learned as a Marine was that “no plan survives first contact.” But as a leader of Marines, I also learned that our commitment to each other and the mission could carry us through even the most adverse circumstances.
I was reminded of both lessons when veterans and advocates from Sierra Club Military Outdoors came to Washington to meet with congressional offices about expanding veterans’ access to the outdoors. Our ““first contact” looked like the FAA implementing a new AI based air traffic control system which resulted in my missing a series of Congressional visits that had been months in the making. Thankfully, I’ve been able to do this work together in partnership with veterans and members of the military community representing the Sierra Club, National Parks Conservation Association, REI, and others who feel equally as passionate about expanding equitable access to the outdoors for veterans. While frustrating to be flying at 30,000 feet somewhere over Virginia as opposed to advocating at the Capitol, it’s validating to know that I’m in a place where others who share the same passion can carry out the work on behalf of the community.
We came to the Capitol to advocate for passage of the Veterans Outdoor Rehabilitation Act — legislation that creates a multi-million dollar grant program to further incorporate outdoor recreation into programmatic offerings by equipping state agencies and veteran service organizations to get veterans in the outdoors. Decades of research and investments in programming have shown that access to the outdoors is a pathway to improved health outcomes including reducing incidents of veteran suicide, building communities of care, elevating pathways to employment, and becoming champions for conservation. We also know that the present state of war, and ongoing unmet needs of the veteran community, require an infusion of new resources to match the strain we’ve placed service members in order to mitigate issues associated with perpetual war. Simply put, if we have trillions to send people into harm's way, then we must invest millions into the systems of care required on the back end. The Veterans Outdoor Rehabilitation Act is our next best opportunity to serve this community.
Veterans only represent about 6% of the population. We need people beyond the veteran community to help turn “thank you for your service” into action. Support veteran health, reduce incidents of suicide, and create pathways for continued service to the land that’s we protect by contacting your Congressional representatives and asking them to pass the Veterans Outdoors Rehabilitation Act.