Welcome
Dear Friends of the National Center for Healthy Veterans at Valor Farm,
We have had an exciting month of January – ice storms and power outages, new Patriot arrivals, continued operations despite temporary loss of infrastructure due to barn fire, a new pole barn as temporary facility for horsemanship and equine therapy built in 10 days, and tremendous progress on Village 2 with 10/12 houses under roof already. One could say our staff and our residential Patriots are “persevering” well through Winter.
This quality of PERSEVERANCE is this month’s theme. The Greek language counterpart is proskartereo which means moving toward strength. Isn’t that interesting? As we move up a hill, or a long distance, we get weaker physically as we progress. Yet this definition says we “move toward strength” when we persevere. How can that be? Let’s look at Romans 5:3,4:
Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance (proskartereo); 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.
Despite suffering, woundedness, and weakness; our inner strength grows as we move through suffering to perseverance to character to hope. This reality is critical to our Patriots at Valor Farm and the rest of us. We must persevere, we must move toward inner strength. This is the way of true healing and restoration.
Speaking of restoration, many of you have asked about our barn rebuilding project. The good news is that the architectural plans are nearing finalization. We expect to “break ground” in February, and the completion date is mid-October 2025. Ideally, we will conduct Veterans Day 2025 in our new barn, including a ribbon cutting ceremony. We appreciate the many of you who are assisting with fire relief – please don’t stop now – we have quite a ways to go.
Here’s some news from around Valor Farm:
Plays of the Day – New Pole Barn Completion, Patriot Baptism, LU Chaplain Class Visit
Meet the Team – Patricia Tracey, Executive Assistant
Diving Deeper – Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy by Zac Farrel
In The Media – Equine Testimonial, Resilience Graduation, ABC13 Interview
Prayer Points – Join us in prayer as we continue to support and empower Veterans.
Thanks as always for your encouragement, your volunteerism, your gifts-in-kind, your financial donations, and your prayer.
Blessings and gratitude to each of you,
Robert F. Dees
Major General, U.S. Army, Retired
President and CEO, National Center for Healthy Veterans
YOUR encouragement and generosity
have made these amazing things happen at Valor Farm. We certainly welcome and need your further support on behalf of Returning Healthy Veterans to America!
Join our Healthy Veterans Community!
Meet The Team
New Pole Barn Completion – We’ve officially completed the new pole barn! This will serve as a temporary covered space for riding and horsemanship and will become our permanent equine services facility once we’re able to build a full barn. Seeing this completed was incredibly encouraging for our staff, Patriots, and community, as we are able to look forward to the future and not be held back by the trials we’ve faced.
Timberlake House – Timberlake Church has generously chosen to fund the Timberlake House through their Christmas Eve offering. We are humbled by their support and excited to see the church community stay involved, “adopting” the patriots who call the house home and offering them care and encouragement along the way.
Todd Beck House – The Todd Beck House is dedicated in memory of Todd Beck, a cherished member of Standard Insurance who recently passed away. In honor of Todd’s legacy, his wife and friends raised the funds to make this house a reality, and we’ve been blown away by the outpouring of support from his community. We’re thrilled to see him honored so beautifully.
Patriot Baptism – Continuing a cherished tradition, we baptized one of our Patriots in the Big Otter River on our property on January 1st. It was a beautiful and meaningful expression of faith, symbolizing new life in Christ and a fresh beginning for both the individual and our community as we committed to walking in His path throughout the year.
Patricia Tracey – Executive Assistant
I am originally from Philadelphia and grew up in Delaware County, PA.
I attended Immaculate University where I studied Business and Law. Before moving to Virginia 16 years ago, I owned a Christian giftware business and was employed as a paralegal for a center city labor attorney.
I joined NCHV shortly after my son Jimmy was hired here. I came out on a Sunday afternoon to see the farm and I knew that this was the place I wanted to be after about 10 minutes.
I enjoy traveling, painting and crafting and spending time with my family, which includes 9 children and 10 grandchildren, my husband, and two dogs.
Diving Deeper
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy – Zac Farrell
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is an FDA and Medicare-approved treatment that is both safe and non-invasive. It involves breathing 100% oxygen in a pressurized chamber. At sea level (1 Atmosphere or 1 ATA), we breathe about 21% oxygen. By breathing 100% oxygen under increased pressure, the body can absorb and use much higher levels of oxygen, which helps enhance the natural healing process and fight infections.
As a veteran who has experienced multiple TBIs (Traumatic Brain Injuries) and PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), HBOT has had a significant impact on my recovery and overall health. Before treatment, I struggled with chronic migraines and mental fog—something that was always there but I didn’t fully realize how much it affected me. Since undergoing HBOT in October 2023, migraines have become minimal. In fact, I’ve only had two migraines in the year and a half since my treatment, compared to having multiple episodes every month before.
The clarity in my thinking has also improved dramatically. As the healing took place, I noticed I could focus, think more clearly, and generally function better cognitively. It’s like the mental fog that had clouded my mind for years finally lifted. I now feel like I have a brighter and much more fulfilling future ahead, seeing and understanding things clearly again—something I hadn’t experienced since before my TBIs.
I truly believe bringing HBOT to our program and to the area would be incredibly beneficial for other veterans. It offers a great alternative for healing and recovery in their daily lives, compared to other medicines or treatments. It’s a clean, natural way to heal—exactly the kind of treatment we strive for here at Valor Farm. HBOT gives veterans a chance to heal in a natural environment, with lasting effects, without the need for continuous or lifetime medications.
Stone’s Equine Testimonial
John’s Resilience Graduation Speech
- Thursdays at 4:00 p.m. Scheduled Tourscontact@healthyveterans.org if interested.
- First & Third Thursdays: Community Campfire at Valor Farm 6pm Come join us for fellowship!
FEBRUARY 2025
- NCHV Sponsorship at True Grit Rodeo – February 1st
Briefing to General Assembly Military and Veterans Caucus – Richmond, VA: February 5th
Volunteer Saturday – February 15th
- Council for National Policy – February 26-29, 2025
- Pray for transition of leadership in Washington D.C., and for national security at home and abroad.
- We give thanks for the visible and invisible signs of healing and restoration in the lives of our Veterans. May these transformations continue to blossom, a testament to Your love and the dedication of those who serve them. Amen.
- Without mentioning specifics, pray for the many Veterans and their families in our midst who have financial issues, health crises, relational dysfunction, and suffer from mental and emotional challenges. May God bring wellness to Veterans throughout the land. May we together, “Return Healthy Veterans to America”
- Join us in praising God for the beauty of His Creation — horses, rivers, cattle, valleys, chickens, the fruit of the land, the beauty of the fields, the wonder of His Creation.
- Pray that the work of the National Center for Healthy Veterans would rapidly advance to provide help, hope, and healing for our nation’s Veterans and their families.
