“Some of the soldiers were interested in getting into some type of an agriculture career when they transitioned out,” Sump said. LaGrange said he met with Jill Sump, a Warrior Transition Battalion occupational therapist, who oversees his pilot program.Īfter LaGrange spoke with Sump about the therapeutic benefits of working with bees, they started building on the idea of introducing agriculture to transitioning service members. “It just seemed to me that I felt an obligation to help these folks out, knowing what they’ve experienced, knowing the demons that they are confronted with.” “There probably hasn’t been a day where I haven’t flashbacked or thought of those things that occurred over there, and they’re not always pleasant,” LaGrange said. LaGrange said he spent two tours in Vietnam, one tour in Laos in a special operations unit and retired from a 28-year career in the Army. Some of the soldiers in the Warrior Transition Battalion are transitioning out of the Army back to civilian life. Warrior Transition Battalions “provide personalized support to wounded, ill and injured soldiers who require at least six months of rehabilitative care and complex medical management,” according to the “Warrior Transition Units” page of the Warrior Transition Command’s website. Now, he is a master beekeeper in Manhattan with a dream to help wounded veterans become farmers.Ībout two years ago, LaGrange started a pilot program with the Warrior Transition Battalion on Fort Riley, he said. Gary LaGrange was once a garrison commander at Fort Riley. LaGrange teaches Warrior Transition Battalion soldiers beekeeping, how to feed bees and harvest the honey. Gary LaGrange, Manhattan resident and retired Army colonel, is the president of the Soldier Agricultural Vocational Education Farm.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |