Retired Soldiers find a Fresh Start Down on the Farm

From NBC News
By Gene Choo

ESCONDIDO – On a sunny, crisp January morning in Southern California, 16 young veterans gathered to learn the finer points of organic farming: how to brew “compost tea” (an organic liquid fertilizer), irrigation, planting techniques and urban crop production.

As they pounded freshly ground compost in a plastic container, one of the students, Anthony Rohrbaugh, stopped to adjust his wool beanie. Rohrbaugh, 27, had completed two deployments with the Marines to Iraq where he fought in the Battle of Fallujah. He credits the farm’s program, Veterans Sustainable Agriculture Training (VSAT), for helping him deal with his post-traumatic stress disorder and transitioning back to civilian life.

“Coming out of the military, it’s kinda like a shock,” Rohrbaugh said. “[VSAT] is very therapeutic …coming from a combat environment — I was under a lot of stress. And I suffered from brain trauma. Working with plants and soil really helped me connect not only to myself but also the environment around me.”

VSAT, founded by Colin Archipley and his wife Karen, has taught agribusiness skills to more than 60 veterans since it was first established in 2006. These vets are all still working in the agriculture and farm industry.

Read the complete article and view more videos at msnbc.msn.com – Click here to watch the video.