Georgia Magazine - November 2023 - 23

While at Balad Air Base in Iraq, Mike Reynolds and other medics took turns
holding and feeding " Baby V, " a young Iraqi girl in the intensive care unit, as
she recovered from severe burns and malnutrition.
Agriculture] network, I can usually find someone who does and is willing
to help a veteran learn and get started. That's what we do here: We help
veterans gain renewed purpose through various types of farming. "
M�r� t�a� f�r�i�g
Reynolds notes that working in agricultural fields can instill a peace
and calm in individuals that few other professions can. For mission-driven
members who served in the armed forces, working alongside others to
reach objectives also can restore a sense of purpose-and purpose can be
as vital as breathing air.
" Around here, we say, 'A mission gives you purpose; purpose gives you
hope; and hope gives you tomorrow,' " he says. " It's all about living to see
tomorrow. "
Reynolds shares stories of extraordinary men and women who
returned home after active duty to find they had lost their way in the
world. He's watched veterans struggle to reintegrate into civilian life and
to provide food, shelter and stability for their families. Some spiral into a
web of depression, anger and anxiety. For this reason, HERO Agriculture
also partners with other organizations that specialize in providing basic
needs, health care assistance, mental health services, crisis intervention
and other support.
" For those veterans who feel lost and disconnected, our doors are
always open, and we invite them to be part of our community, " Reynolds
says. " We are about more than farming here-much more. We support one
another. [According to the American Psychological Association,] veterans
are 50 percent more likely to die by suicide than members of the general
HERO Agriculture helped veteran James Hardcastle
realize that he enjoys working with farm animals,
such as this alpaca.
population. We believe that suicide is preventable,
and if we work together, we can make a difference. "
Reynolds understands this firsthand. He served
nearly 18 years in the U.S. Army as a flight paramedic
and treated injured soldiers and civilians in combat
situations. While deployed to Iraq in 2009, he
sustained multiple injuries, including a traumatic
brain injury, that sent him in and out of hospitals
for more than three years as he relearned how to
walk, talk and perform daily tasks. He was forced
into a medical retirement after being deemed " unfit
for duty. "
" Up to that point, everything I had chosen to
do in my life had revolved around helping others, "
he says. " I was a lifeguard. I was a paramedic. I was
a firefighter. After I was injured, I couldn't do those
things anymore, and that was a devastating blow.
Like so many other veterans, I found myself having
self-destructive thoughts, but then I found farming,
and it saved me. "
H�r�e� h�l�i�g h�r�e�
Though many people supported Reynolds'
recovery and transition, he credits one friend in
particular with introducing him to farming and
helping him get started.
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Georgia Magazine - November 2023

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