By Lois Thomson

The dream of a 14-year-old boy has resulted in a place where those who serve their country can receive help and healing.

That 14-year-old boy was Zac Brown, Grammy-Award winning songwriter and musician, and co-founder and lead singer of the Zac Brown Band. However, he is also the founder of Camp Southern Ground in Fayetteville, GA.

Attending camp as a kid growing up in Georgia was where Brown, according to Lacy Gunnoe, fell in love with the experience and grew up wanting to have a camp of his own. The inclusive Camp Southern Ground hosts children ages 7-17 during the summer months for week-long residential camps. They come from all backgrounds, races, and religions, and include typically developing children alongside those with non-typically developing neurodivergent differences.

“Zac worked with his teams to create the Summer Camp inclusion model,” Gunnoe said. When asked about the availability of the camp in the fall and spring seasons, Zac responded with, “I want to serve veterans.”

As a result, the camp offers three programs for veterans: Warrior Week, Warrior PATHH, and Warrior Family Camp. Gunnoe is Wellbeing Director of the Warrior Week program, which he said focuses on transitioning service members – “those service members who are approaching transition, those in transition, and those who have transitioned but are still not fulfilled with their work. We help them find meaningful careers and purpose-driven work outside of the uniform.”

He said they use CliftonStrengths to define the talents that are unique to a person, which are not attached to their former rank or position in the service – these strengths are used to determine how the person is wired to engage in fulfilling work. “We help transitioning veterans find their purpose using their strengths. We use a Gallup-based, holistic approach focused on each area of their overall wellbeing. We use the Warrior Week experience to move the needle in each of those areas.”

Additionally, Gunnoe, who assists with the other programs as well, said the intent is to make sure veterans are a part of the community where they live. “I believe that when veterans transition to civilian life, they should be leaders, be citizens, not just civilians.”

Warrior PATHH (Progressive Alternative Training for Helping Heroes) is a more intense program designed to aid with post-traumatic growth among combat veterans struggling with PTSD and/or combat stress. “It really helps those veterans who have experienced trauma in different forms, whether during childhood or through their time in the military. It helps them shift forward to growth, which is important to their lives and family.”

The Warrior Family Camp is a weekend program where veterans and their families can come in on Friday and leave on Sunday. All family structures – blended, adopted, or unique – are welcome. Gunnoe related that during the weekend, “The veterans are heavily encouraged to use the time as an opportunity to play, have fun connecting around a campfire, and enjoy reconnecting as a family. They have a great time with their kids.” This weekend experience offers activities for the children and for the parents. Families interact, share meals, which results in creating a community of support for each other.

Gunnoe pointed out that, “There is no cost to the veteran to attend Warrior Week or Warrior PATHH, we fly them in from anywhere in the world. They get to stay in the lodge and experience that for free.” The Warrior Family Camp experience requires a refundable deposit of $200 that each family decides if they would like to donate to the mission or have placed back in their account.

Gunnoe himself is a 22-year veteran Air Force pilot who retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. The first Warrior Week took place in 2018, and he was part of it from the beginning. “It is such a blessing to have been a part of the very first Warrior Week and to be here now to help deepen the impact of the program.”

He explained that some of his friends were starting the camp for Zac Brown and reached out to Gunnoe. He originally came in as a speaker, and as he approached retirement, they asked if he’d like to apply to the Director position. “I thought it was a great transition plan and to go back to something close to my heart. I felt called to do it, and my family feels called to be here.”

Sixteen Warrior PATHH Programs are available each year, along with eight weeks of Warrior Programs and five Warrior Family Camps. Eight children’s camps run throughout the summer.

More information and registration can be found on the website at www.campsouthernground.org.