Military veterans who served in combat have a difficult time returning home and assimilating back into society, especially if they've been injured. The American public today, for the most part, appreciates what they've done to protect our freedoms and the freedom of other nations. That wasn't the case for most Vietnam veterans.

A dismal job market makes their return even more stressful.

I strongly applaud what one Nebraska Marine veteran is now doing to help other vets find their way. He is Chet Bennetts, who lives on an acreage near Denton and is a financial planner in Lincoln.

He returned home from combat in 2007, medically discharged after being injured in the second battle of Fallujah in the Iraqi war. He, too, struggled but found his way and is on a mission to assist other returning veterans who want to get involved in agriculture enterprises.

Bennetts is director of Farm Business Development for the Farmer Veteran Coalition, a national program begun in 2008 in Davis, Calif. FVC's objective is to connect military veterans with careers in agriculture and with mentors and resources to help get them started. More than 3,000 veterans are being served by FVC.

He's determined to establish FVC in Nebraska. "My therapy, my medicine so to speak, is helping veterans assimilate once they come home. Many struggle to find their mission in life that will give them the same sense of purpose that is greater than merely self-preservation. Without a sense of purpose, unemployed veterans feel disengaged after serving their country," he adds.

He plans to make part of his 20-acre acreage a location for a comprehensive training program, or incubator, as he calls it, for veterans interested in agriculture enterprises.

You can help him in this cause. To make his dream come true, Bennetts and his supporters have established a fundraiser to get FVC started in Nebraska. Those supporters will hold a "Celebration of our American Heroes" day Sept. 18, highlighted by an evening dinner in Seward.

To contribute to FVC, contact him at 402-890-0797 or email him at [email protected]. The Farmer Veteran Coalition national website is www.farmvetco.org.

Proceeds will go toward micro-grants to help farmer/veterans with startup and equipment costs and for training opportunities, equipment adaptation for veterans with disabilities, costs of business planning and legal services, and buying tools needed in their businesses. Examples of the latter are a plant bed in a greenhouse, small tractor, egg crates and livestock handling equipment.

Donations of equipment and land resources will be accepted, too. For instance, farmers could offer pivot corners for livestock grazing or alternative crop production, to a veteran.

FVC welcomes volunteers to help with the program as well as mentors such as existing farmers to offer advice to veterans.

The types of ag businesses Bennetts refers to most often go beyond conventional agriculture and instead are non-traditional agriculture and niche markets. Some examples are farmers-market vegetable and fruit production, greenhouse vegetable production, a nursery business, raising grapes for a winery, alternative livestock such as pygmy goats, butchering business and honey production.

Many don't have farm backgrounds, and that's where Bennetts' vision of training comes in. It's about entrepreneurship and creating something with your own hands, he says.

FVC is open to all veterans of all eras and service branches. "The coalition will work with veterans, their families and employers to support those returning to or beginning careers in food and farming, Bennetts says.

"While less than 20% of the nation's population live in rural areas, more than 40% of veterans are from rural America," he says. "With our nation's farmers aging and veterans coming home with a great work ethic, determination and passion for service, what better way than to marry these two together."

Cutline

Chet Bennetts during his service In Iraq