THREE POINTS, Ariz. (KGUN) — With a bunch of effort, veterans successfully unloaded thousands of pounds of soil off a truck. They had to get creative to find the best way to unload the soil, using a truck to pull a pallet with the soil on top of it.
It was a team effort between Navy veteran Samba Jargu and other veteans.
“Connection with other folks who have that understanding, who see you as an individual,” Jargu said about the other veterans.
Jargu lives with mental health issues like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression that stem from serving abroad.
This weekend he and his partner Kelly Davis, who own the plant medicine collective Green Spirits Healing, hosted a pilot program retreat for veterans at VFW 10245 in Three Points.
“We had people who didn’t really know how to find some of this help,” Jargu said
This weekend the veterans built raised garden beds and learned about watering systems, soil, and seeds. Jargu wanted them to connect by doing something they might not normally do, with people like them they may never have met.
“It’s cool to see people from different walks of life open up,” Jargu said.
Opening up was a big part of the weekend. Veterans talked with each other and an integral development doctor about their goals and how to get over mental health issues.
“We want to make sure that other folks have that opportunity to not just think of themselves as, 'I’m always the problem, but there’s nothing I can do about it,'” Jargu explained.
They also did yoga as well as various types of therapy including massage, plant, and animal connection therapy. Jargu is hoping to do the retreat again and finish the raised flower beds, eventually having fruits and vegetables grow in them that the veterans will be able to keep.
He’s hoping it’s a way for veterans to feel like they’re accepted and can overcome everyday challenges.
“I think that’s something that we all look for, but it’s one of those things that’s really hard to find, especially for some of us,” he said.
——-
Andrew Christiansen is a reporter for KGUN 9. Before joining the team, Andrew reported in Corpus Christi, Texas for KRIS6 News, Action 10 News and guest reported in Spanish for Telemundo Corpus Christi. Share your story ideas with Andrew by emailing andrew.christiansen@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, or Twitter.
