(upbeat music) (gun fires) (upbeat music) - The benefits that the veterans get out of coming to programs like Mandatory Fun Outdoors or other veterans programs, there's a lot of therapy in the outdoors.

- It's so awesome to be able to come out and meet like-minded guys.

Most of us have never met each other before, and we get together, and it's like we've known each other our entire lives.

- Who is your captain?

- Eastman - [Jeffrey] And we get to do all sorts of fun activities that bring us outside.

- There's something about being in the woods or in a fishing boat.

I mean it's relaxing.

There's just something about the outdoors that is just kind of zen.

(gentle music) - Something about getting outside and away from everything else and with people who have had either similar trauma, similar experiences, things that they've been through that other people just don't understand.

When you can put them together and get 'em outdoors, outside of the bar, outside of even their family.

Get 'em with people that understand because they've been there too.

They start talking, and we heal through talking.

- Absolutely, it's not healthy to keep it in.

- A lot of times, veterans that come on the events, they're like, I just didn't know if I should sign up because I don't feel like I'm deserving.

Or somebody is more wounded, as you would say, or needs help more than I do.

They're all deserving.

They all signed on the line, they all left their families, four years, 20 years, 30 years, whatever they signed up for.

It's still a commitment to our country, for our freedom.

- We got 52 people out here I think right now.

We got 12 ice castles and this is our annual trip.

We do this every year.

How we doing here?

We got plenty of room?

Weather never cooperates, but yeah, it's a fun trip.

Some of these guys haven't seen each other for 10 years or more, and they get to meet up again, which is great.

But then some guys, they don't even, never met each other in their lives, and within a half hour, it's like they've been best friends their whole life so.

- She's what keeps me grounded.

- Yeah.

- It's great to swap stories with all the guys, find out where they were at, what their experiences were, how they combated issues coming home as well, and just generally make new friends that were in the military with you.

- It's just really awesome to get a chance to give back to those guys for doing all they did for our country and for their communities and what they still do today.

It's really important for us to make sure they feel heard and to find healing.

You know, that's what's really big about Hometown Hero Outdoors is the healing aspect.

We call it a form of outdoor recreational therapy.

Doing trips like this out here in Morehead, Minnesota today, chasing some geese.

Like this is where I get to center myself, to heal and come back to feeling good.

- We like to offer alternatives to alcohol and drugs and suicide.

We know that suicide in veterans is a, it's just awful.

So we are trying to combat that by offering these events that shy away from the drugs and alcohol.

- [Staff] Okay, load up Chrissy over here.

- Oh, I got 'em.

- The name of our organization is Mandatory Fun Outdoors.

We do outdoor adventures.

- Well that was excitement.

- [Samantha] For veterans and their family members, as well as people who are actively serving.

- Really awesome that there are organizations out there that coordinate this stuff.

I appreciate it a lot.

- I got three baby, let's go.

- We're an all volunteer staff.

We have a board.

We're active in like over 30 states and we do all fundraising.

We do a national raffle, we do banquets, we get donations from VFWs, from legions.

So people sometimes like, oh I want to donate.

Well it's only $20.

And I said, well, on a typical trip, $20 can go a long way.

'Cause a lot of us, when we, when I host the trip myself, it's all my equipment.

Nothing's paid for.

My time, I said I donate.

So then hey, that covers breakfast for the day.

That's what it's all about.

That's a big one, pass that one down.

So even small donations go a long way with us and that's what's really important.

When your dollars get donated in the state, like we want that to stay.

'Cause again, this is helping those in these small communities.

- I don't know what it is about Minnesota, but when you get a lot of small towns all put together, they can do amazing things.

They really can.

- When we have an event come up, you can put your name in and then we have a lottery to pick who goes on these events and you get people that don't know each other from different branches of service.

People are kind of quiet at first and they start to speak up and on day two they start to open up about their service and there's always a night where people will tell the hard stories and there will be tears and they can relate.

- In two seconds, I had a major.

- They've never met each other and they're already bonding.

It's hilarious, I love it.

That's my favorite part is listening to 'em all like chatter and talk to each other about all of their experiences and what they did, where they went.

It's my favorite part.

- It's things like that why I've been part of this organization for 11 years.

I remember about year three or four, I had a veteran, Vietnam veteran.

On the third night he came down and he was really quiet at breakfast and I'm like, what's wrong?

Like, did you not sleep good?

He's like, he goes, this is the first night that I have slept through the night since I got back from Vietnam because I felt safe and secure with new brothers.

(gentle music) - [Narrator] Funded by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4th, 2008.

And by the members of Prairie Public.