- March 6, 2025
As a retreat for post-9/11-deployed military personnel draws nearer, its organizers are pushing to get more local veterans to sign up.
“We need more participants,” said John November, development coordinator for Gratitude America, which is hosting the Marineland Military Support retreat. “We want to provide support to as many people as possible.”
The retreat, which will be held June 7-9 in Marineland, allows veterans to share stories with one another and connect to support resources in a recreational environment. It is open to veterans and their spouses or main support person at no cost.
A 2012 Pew Research Center study reports that 84% of post-9/11 veterans feel that the public does not understand the problems faced by veterans. The retreat is an attempt to fix this through holistic, educational support. The retreat will include group sessions, yoga, canine and equine therapy and dolphin interaction.
To help bring community members together to support local veterans, Gratitude America is holding Marineland in Motion, a 5K race or walk at 9 a.m. May 18. The race costs $20 before May 1 and $25 after. All money raised by the community goes straight to veteran support efforts through Gratitude America.
To learn more and apply for the retreat, or to register for the 5K, visit GratitudeAmerica.org/Marineland.
Healing through relationships
Since serving in the U.S. Army Aviation branch from 2002 to 2008, Scott Edwards knows how important relationships are to those returning from deployment. That's largely why he decided to attended Gratitude America's retreat.
“No matter what you do, every deployment is going to be different and is going to affect everyone differently,” Edwards said. “For me, I had some baggage that I’m still working on today. Even though I’ve gone through combat operational stress, coming back and readjusting to civilian life — that was the hard part.”
Edwards helped deal with the stress of returning from service after meeting his wife, Maria, in 2011. That was three years after returning from deployment, and he was still acting like a soldier, she said. He was almost robotic.
When he learned to open up to her, he was able to begin working through his depression. He has also healed through relationships with his two dogs and with other veterans he met at a support group at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, where he is studying to become a flight instructor. He knows of the healing power of relationships, and that’s why he’s excited about Gratitude America’s retreat.
“It’s really important for veterans to come together and support other veterans,” Edwards said. “Be open-minded; let your guard down enough to allow (people) the opportunity to assist and support you. There are people in this community who really care about veterans and want to help.”
Still, Edwards knows it can be difficult for veterans to reach out for help or be open with other people. Many fear they will be stigmatized or that their careers will be negatively impacted if they admit to symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder or other issues. For this reason, he and his wife recently launched Battle Buddies Inc., a nonprofit organization that saves dogs about to be euthanized at the Flagler Humane Society and trains them as therapy dogs for veterans.
“Having a dog brings stability,” Edwards said, watching Handy, a pit bull rescued for Battle Buddies just hours previously, explore the room. “You have someone who needs to be fed at this time and taken out at that time. And just having unconditional love, it’s very helpful.”
The veterans retreat will include equine and canine therapy, as well as dolphin interaction. Handy is the first dog to be trained by Battle Buddies, so Edwards and his wife are just beginning a long journey, but to them, it will be worth it. They want to see more resources for veterans in Flagler County, and Gratitude America is part of that.
“I’m going into this retreat not knowing exactly what to expect, but I do know I won’t have to do anything I’m not comfortable with,” Edwards said. “But at the same time, I think it’ll be a good move toward making some positive steps in my life. I’d encourage anyone else to do the same.”
'I want to connect with people who understand'
Robert Humphries was on his honeymoon when he got a call from his doctor.
“We looked at your MRI,” the doctor said, “and your brain lit up like a Christmas tree.”
Humphries was told to come home immediately for brain surgery. Doctors needed to take a sample for testing, because they weren’t sure exactly what was wrong with him.
His problems started one day soon after he returned from his 2008 deployment to Iraq with the U.S. Marine Corps. He was driving on a bright day in Louisiana when the sun shone in his eyes. He realized at that moment he’d gone blind in his left eye.
Humphries underwent an exploratory surgery, during which doctors took a sample of his brain but were still unable to identify the problem. Eventually, a doctor in Miami recognized that his nerves were stripped of myelin, a covering that prevents damage. The degeneration of myelin was eventually linked to a vaccination Humphries took before deploying.
“It’s been a rough few months,” said Humphries, who is planning to attend the Marineland Military Support Retreat. “I’m looking forward to connecting with other veterans.”
After his problem was identified, Humphries underwent one round of chemotherapy, which stopped the stripping of myelin from his nerves. Now, he’s on pain medication, thyroid medication and anti-seizure medication, since brain surgery made him more susceptible to seizures. He can do little about the damage done to his nerves except wait for them to improve.
As Humphries’ health began to improve, and he joined the police academy. A criminal justice major in college, Humphries always hoped to be a police officer. On his last day of classes, Humphries returned to his home in Palm Coast and found that his wife had left him. She couldn’t deal with his medical problems, he said.
That was in August. Since then, things have been harder, but not impossible. When he heard of Gratitude America’s retreat, he decided to sign up. Humphries knows few people in Palm Coast; his move here was for his then-wife's job. He hopes building relationships will keep his spirits up.
“Things were starting to get a lot better, and my thought trains were getting more positive,” Humphries said of pulling himself from his medical struggles. “But at the last minute, after I finally got well again, things got bad again. I want to connect with more people who understand.”
