Welcome
Dear Friends of the National Center for Healthy Veterans,
I trust each of you had a meaningful 4th of July. America’s Independence Day is a fitting reminder that FREEDOM is not free, and we are the land of the FREE because of our brave veterans. Hence, our theme for the month of July is simply FREEDOM.
Certainly freedom from tyranny, despotic rulers, and foreign oppression is something to be grateful for. This list must include other freedoms as well -– freedom from the bondage of addictions, freedom from guilt and shame that often accompany the trauma of war and other life experiences, freedom (as much as possible) from the physical and mental challenges related to military service, and freedom to chase one’s dreams and serve with purpose. Ultimately, the Biblical maxim “Who the Son sets FREE is free indeed” represents a spiritual freedom that truly liberates one to achieve their full God-given potential, the ultimate goal of each Patriot at the National Center for Healthy Veterans (NCHV).
One way that NCHV helps veterans attain freedom is by embracing latest technologies and integrative medicine to assist with pain management, sleep management, physical and mental challenges, and other maladies common to veterans. In Diving Deeper, you will hear about a VitalNeuro technology that is helping us assess and level out brain state. In Plays of the Day, you will see our continuing emphasis on suicide prevention, community engagement (including lives saved from drowning by two Valor Farm veterans), community support to local food banks, and construction updates regarding our completed farmhouse renovation and our ongoing tiny home builds.
Our Meet the Team highlights an amazing teammate of Valor Farm, ninety-two year old Mrs. Lois Duling from Lancaster County, PA.
As always, we conclude with Prayer Points to provide spiritual artillery for our efforts.
I commend our many volunteers, donors, and staff for continuing to fight this good fight on behalf of our nation’s Veterans. The progress reported in this newsletter is nothing short of miraculous, truly an indication of God’s favor. The result is changed lives, Patriots growing into their full God-given potential, and Veterans who are strengthening the fabric of America.
To close, I join each of you in celebrating the many FREEDOMS we enjoy in America, and remembering that these freedoms have come at a great price. Now we must safeguard them for future generations.
Respectfully in Christ,
Robert F. Dees
Major General, U.S. Army, Retired
NCHV President & CEO
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!
Plays of the Day
- Community which defeats isolation, a primary cause of suicide, is a key element in the NCHV suicide prevention program.
- NCHV takes a proactive approach to suicide prevention, seeking to “get upstream” in a person’s life to develop new coping skills.
- NCHV’s unique Resilience training program also “fireproofs” against suicide, helping Veterans learn to navigate adversity in a healthy way, getting better, wiser, and stronger through the experience.
The 4th of July turned into a very special day for a local Altavista family when 3 of their family members started to drown in the river. Bob Lyons and Connie Peresada came upon the family, realized what was happening, and took immediate action. Connie immediately began CPR and stabilized the patients and Bob arranges for rescue teams. All ended well, lives were saved, and a young family became thankful for our Military Veterans. Praise God Indeed!
CONSTRUCTION UPDATE:
June 8th was a very special day for Valor Farm. We celebrated the grand opening of our Community Center and simultaneously saw the foundations of 11 New homes put in place. Today we have all 11 under construction. We hope to see many of the 20 homes in Village 1 complete by early fall. Our new offices are now fully occupied and the original Farm House renovation is complete. Great job by our construction team and our loyal volunteers!
FOOD BANK AND COMMUNITY CHURCHES PARTNERSHIPS:
God has blessed us with multiple partnerships to feed our Veterans healthy, nutritious food. We are thankful for the solutions we have crafted to provide local food banks and Highland Heights Church with Free Range eggs and we in turn receive lots of healthy meat and vegetables to improve the health of our Veterans. A wonderful Win-Win solution for our community!
HEALTHY VETERAN FARM BOXES:
We are looking forward to accepting orders for beef, pork, eggs, and local produce in August. Our first tests of these healthy food options are being met with rave reviews. While we can only offer these locally, we hope many of you choose to try our wonderful products in the months ahead.
Meet The Team
Mrs. Lois Duling
Lois Linton Duling, “Mrs. D”, was born May 3rd, 1931, the youngest of four children and the only girl. She credits her exceptional athletic ability to the desire to try to keep up with her three older brothers! She grew up in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, and showed her leadership abilities early on when, at the age of eight, she became the drum major for the Swarthmore High School Marching Band, and remained so for the next nine years. Even now at 91 she can still amaze her great-grandchildren with her baton twirling skills. After an outstanding athletic career, during which she earned eight varsity letters and played field hockey, basketball, and lacrosse on teams which were undefeated during her entire four years of high school.
Lois became, at age 19, one of the youngest athletes ever to be named to the US Women’s Lacrosse team and traveled with them on their tour of Great Britain. She continued as a member of the team until shortly before her marriage to a young scientist named Irl Duling.
Mrs D. came to Christ through a life-threatening circumstance related to the birth of her second child. Dr. D made a profession of faith two years later, and the two of them became popular speakers at weekend retreats with a group called Faith at Work.
She was involved not only in Faith at Work, but also in the International Christian Leadership (which became the Fellowship Foundation and puts on the National Prayer Breakfast), and the Worldwide Evangelistic Crusade.
Somewhere during the 1960’s she started feeding large groups of guys before Bible studies (cooked for 25, but it was all eaten whether there were 25 or 8), and during that time they formed a musical group called the New Life Singers happened to sing at a church dinner where there were a few West Point cadets.
When Willowbrook, the home she designed and built, became too much to care for, she and Irl moved to Lancaster County to be near her daughter and five grandchildren. Never one to turn away from a challenge, she, with the help of a local lawyer, was instrumental in getting 4 townships to allow Amish farmers to put their land in Agricultural Security, which, to that point, they had been denied. In the process, she has become good friends with a number of wonderful Amish families.
Being a farmer at heart, she has always owned animals. She still keeps chickens at her home in Lancaster and buys the occasional Guernsey cow, who boards with one of her Amish friends.
Always one to contribute where she can, she is assisting the birth of the National Center for Healthy Veterans at Valor Farm started by Retired Major General Bob Dees who used to come to her house as a young West Point cadet, and his wife Kathleen. She has always had a heart for those who serve in uniform. Mrs. D recently visited Valor Farm, greatly enjoyed interacting with Veterans and our many animals, and blessed our Veterans by giving them beautiful Lancaster-made quilts. (see pictures)
Mrs. Lois Duling is a key member of our Valor Farm family. We are grateful for her encouragement and support in so many ways.
Diving Deeper
Diving a little deeper still, VitalNeuro does the following:
In The Media
- River Rescue
Army veteran Connie Peresada was on a walk with Marine veteran Bob Lyon, when they heard the cries for help. - Living In the Heart of Virginia: Bob Dees and Jeff Horne
- Living In the Heart of Virginia: Bob Dees Interview
- Video Tour of the NEW Community Center
Prayer Points
- Together we uplift the people of Ukraine in this tragic hour. May God guide you, protect you, and hide you under the shelter of His wings as the destruction passes by.
- 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.
- Join us in praising God for the beauty of His Creation at Valor Farm — horses, rivers, cattle, valleys, chickens, the fruit of the land, the beauty of the fields, the wonder of His Creation.
- Join us in praising God for the amazing Army of NCHV volunteers, a multitude of generous supporters, and a faithful staff.
- Pray that God would steady the hand of the 22 Veterans a day that are considering ending their lives.
- 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.
- Pray that God will provide laborers and resources to “Return Healthy Veterans to America,” and may these Healthy Veterans provide unique contributions to America as role models, parents, educators, coaches, business professionals, and societal influencers.
Calendar
- Mon-Fri: Daily Devotions with Staff, Patriots, Volunteers, and Friends of Valor Farm
- Tue & Thur 9-11am and 1-3pm Scheduled Tours
please contact Dianarider@healthyveterans.org if interested.
Thursdays: Community Campfire at Valor Farm 6pm
Come join us for fellowship! - OCTOBER 2022: Suicide Awareness Walk
- NOVEMBER 2022: Annual NCHV Veteran’s Day Event
