Beyond the Yellow Ribbon unites combat veterans through ski resort retreats
Overwhelmed with casualties from two wars, the image of the Veteran’s Administration (VA) has taken a beating recently. Some administrators in the agency took shortcuts in order to look good on paper at the expense of those they are meant to serve, instead of seeking to upgrade facilities, staff and services.
This betrayal has repercussions affecting more than the thousands of veterans already in the system. Many service members have simply avoided approaching the VA to receive the benefits and counseling they need because they no longer trust the agency.
It’s a big mess someone has to clean up. Politicians make the headlines as they use the crisis to draw attention to themselves, as well as an opportunity to disparage the opposing party. But Josh Anderson is on the front line, working to restore trust in the VA and bring veterans into the fold.
Anderson, 32, is a Readjustment Counseling Technician with the Department of Veterans Affairs. I met him Saturday at Silver Mountain to talk about Beyond the Yellow Ribbon, an outreach program created to help combat veterans readjust to civilian life by connecting with each other. Anderson, a veteran who served in the Army from 2004 to 2012, was with a group of about 30 veterans who came to the ski area on a retreat sponsored by the program.
Anderson’s focus is connecting veterans with the VA. Based at the Spokane Veterans Center in Spokane Valley, his territory covers 37 counties from the Cascades to Montana and into northern Oregon. Groups like Beyond the Yellow Ribbon help make his job a little easier.
“I look at Beyond the Yellow Ribbon as a force multiplier,” he said. “I can’t be in 37 counties on a regular basis. Veterans can come up here, have fun with other vets and start feeling more comfortable with the VA. Each vet knows five or 10 other vets. Once these guys get connected, they can go back out into the community and bring their buddies back with them the next time.”
Beyond the Yellow Ribbon is a non-profit program administered by the Spokane Valley Fire Department. The organization sponsors several retreats throughout the year for veterans to meet and share their experiences. Saturday’s event at Silver Mountain was the first of three winter retreats planned for 2015. The next one takes place at 49 Degrees North Feb. 28, followed by Mount Spokane March 28. Each mountain provides lift tickets, equipment and lessons to participating veterans for free.
The conditions Saturday at Silver Mountain were less than ideal, but that wasn’t important. When the veterans had enough of the icy runs, fog, flat light and chilly wind; a hot and hearty lunch, hauled up by Anderson in one of the service gondolas, was waiting for them in the lodge.
During the meal, I had a chance to talk with Ben Reeves, a Vancouver, Washington native living in Spokane serving as a staff sergeant in the Army Reserve. After surviving his 2006-07 deployment in Iraq, Reeves, 27, said he did little but stay in his house with his wife, who is also a veteran. When he heard about Beyond the Yellow Ribbon, he was hesitant to get involved at first, thinking that he wasn’t going to fit in. Once he got involved he was surprised at how easy it was. Saturday was his introduction to snowboarding.
“It’s not like meeting brand new strangers every single time,” he said. “It helps me because it brings me together with other veterans who were deployed and may have gone through similar situations that I’ve gone through. It’s a safe environment where we can go relax, let our guard down a little bit and just kind of unwind and have a good time.”
Veterans interested in becoming involved in the next Beyond the Yellow Ribbon ski and snowboard retreat can learn more about the group on Facebook or by calling the Veterans Center at 509-444-VETS (8387). Activities are open to combat veterans from any era.