"VSAT, founded by Colin Archipley and his wife Karen, has taught agribusiness skills to more than 60 veterans since it was first established in 2006. These vets are all still working in the agriculture and farm industry.
"The military community has such great talents and work ethic," he said. "And it's not being realized once they leave the military."
Archipley, 30, should know. As a decorated Marine sergeant with multiple combat tours in Iraq, he grew increasingly frustrated with the number of fellow warriors who had honorably served their country only to come home to a nation lacking in opportunities and a coherent strategy to re-integrate these vets back into society.
"They are so much more than just trigger pullers," Archipley said, gesturing to a group of students learning about bioponic farming, an organic method of sustainable farming that recycles water using high-tech greenhouses. "If the American public knew how good these guys are-- I mean, they were in charge of millions of dollars worth of high-tech equipment and leading men in the most extreme environments under massive stress."
At the end of VSAT’s six-week "full impact" training course on the six acre farm known as Archi's Acres, each student must come up with a viable business plan as to how they will utilize their new skills."
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That's just awesome. I know you couldn't necessarily get every single vet into agribusiness necessarily, but in general our vets need more than what currently exists in order to successfully make the transition from military to civilian life, especially those who come back with traumatic injuries, whether physical, mental or both.
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There are no automatic doors, just very polite ninjas
