
Welcome Home - A Podcast for Veterans, About Veterans, By Veterans
Welcome Home is a Willing Warriors and the Warrior Retreat at Bull Run project. The program highlights activities at the Warrior Retreat and issues impacting all Veterans. For questions or feedback, please email us at podcast@willingwarriors.org.
Welcome Home - A Podcast for Veterans, About Veterans, By Veterans
Bridging the Gap: Michelle Lang on Supporting Rural Veterans' Transition to Civilian Life
What if transitioning out of military life was harder than being deployed? Join us as we explore this provocative question with Michelle Lang, co-founder of Operation Honor: Rural Salute. Michelle shares the poignant story of her husband, Chris, an Army veteran, and their challenging journey from military to civilian life. Despite having a job and family support, Chris faced the unseen battles of mental transition and inadequate VA services. This struggle inspired Michelle and Chris to launch a nonprofit aimed at bridging the gap in resources for rural veterans. Learn how this initiative, sparked by the eviction of a Vietnam veteran neighbor, addresses critical issues like transportation and telehealth access.
In our conversation with Michelle, we dive into the heart of rural America, where veterans often find themselves isolated from essential services. Michelle’s dedication to raising awareness about mental health and breaking down stigmas in these communities is both inspiring and urgent. Discover how you can join this cause, whether by joining their online community or volunteering at upcoming events in Pennsylvania and North Carolina. Visit ohruralsalute.org to see how you can make a difference. The message is clear: community support isn't just beneficial; it's vital for the well-being of our rural veterans and the fabric of our nation. If you would like to volunteer or find a way to help, reach out to Michelle(at)ohruralsalute.org.
Good morning. I'm your host, Larry Zilliox, Director of Culinary Services here at the Warrior Retreat at Bull Run, and this week our guest is Michelle Lang. She's one of the founders, along with her husband, Chris, of a veteran service organization called Operation Honor: Rural Salute, and they have a great organization that helps veterans rule veterans find the resources not only hiring but mental health resources, all sorts of things that veterans who live in the cities or close by to the VA facilities just sort of take for granted. So I'm really glad she could join us today. Michelle, welcome to the podcast.
Michelle Lang:Yeah, thanks for having me. I really appreciate it.
Larry Zilliox:So tell us a little bit about how the organization came about. I know your husband, chris, is an Army veteran, but how did you come up with the idea or you guys decided that, on top of everything, when you're transitioning, it's a good idea to start a nonprofit?
Michelle Lang:Yeah, it's, it's very I don't know. When you are used to the military life, you're just, I think you lose some of your and you just decide everything is a good idea. But he got out of the military the first time in 2019. And that is what started our journey. He didn't have a good transition, even though we had everything lined up he had a job, we had family support and everything. He really wasn't and I wasn't prepared for the mental transition. And then we lived in an area where, yes, we could get to the VA as an hour away. Unfortunately, the VA that he had to go to was not helpful. Way, unfortunately, the VA that he had to go to was not helpful, which created sort of more of this moral injury and really started the design. And so I was like, what do you do whenever you're not near your military installation that has all these nonprofits and resources that you can just go to a resource fair and see what's available to you? So, with that, we started a nonprofit in 21 with the idea that we would create this really robust database, all these smaller nonprofits that people could basically just go backyard and use. That were right there.
Michelle Lang:Yeah, but we made a shift just this year. So the idea is we were always trying to tell rural veterans that, hey, I know you don't think so, but there's help available for you. But we did an event in June. That was just. It was geared to rural veterans, it was marketed towards rural veterans.
Michelle Lang:It was in my hometown, which is a very we have more cows than people in the county, so it was very rural. And that's after. That is whenever we decided to make the change, because people had that label then where they could say, like I am a rural veteran and this is actually really the first time I felt seen and supported and I was like, well, we can reach you this whole time. I just needed to give you that label to help you find community and understand that there's help available to you. So we made the shift from Veteran Help Point to Operation Honor Rural Salute in June with the intention of just serving rural veterans and their families and letting them know that there's help available to them, there's a community available to them and there's a lot of great opportunity that they can take advantage of.
Larry Zilliox:For our listeners, if you would. How does your organization define rural veteran?
Michelle Lang:We pretty much go off the USDA definition. So I mean there's three different categories of rural, but basically anywhere that's not a giant city. So there's even some people that don't identify as rural. But it's like well, how far away is your VA Like? Do you have something? For example, we're here at Fort Liberty. Fayetteville is not very rural. There's VAs that you can go to. I live 30 minutes out of Fayetteville. We're very rural. I live right across from a dairy farm. This is a beef farm. There's not much here. You have to travel kind of far to get any resources, usually for an hour. So if you have to go more than an hour to get to a VA, you're probably living in a pretty rural area.
Larry Zilliox:Yeah Well, I do travel more than an hour to get to a VA, but that's by choice, because where I live in this Northern Virginia suburbs it's the same amount of time to drive 78 miles to the VA in West Virginia that it is to fight the traffic to go in 32 miles to the VA in DC. But we're not really rural, but I do understand what it's like to have to make that haul, especially when sometimes the people you're dealing with at the VA are just quick to set up appointments for you like you'd write down the street Right. So what's the number one issue that you think rural veterans face today?
Michelle Lang:Well, there's two different perspectives. I guess there's what I think from seeing on the outside and kind of looking at the holistic picture of it. But then, talking to rural veterans, a lot of them tell me is transportation is an issue, which that is a big issue. We don't have Ubers and we don't have taxis and if you are an older veteran and you're trying to get to your VA appointment, finding somebody that's going to take you, most of the people in my town in Pennsylvania have to go to the Martinsburg VA and so trying to find somebody to take you to an hour and a half away and then sit and wait with you all day and then drive you back, that's really, really tough to do. So transportation is an issue. Increasing awareness about telehealth, even finding places that some people don't have good connectivity at their house, so broadband internet issues, awareness of the resources, because there's so many resources that people can use inside their own house that they're just not aware of because they don't think that they qualify.
Michelle Lang:They don't realize that they have their benefits that they can use. I mean the total awareness, all the opportunities is to me the number one issue.
Larry Zilliox:So let's go back and talk a little bit about your transition from the first time you said from service to civilian life. And where were you guys at at that time physically located?
Michelle Lang:We were at Fort Bay I guess it's Fort Moore now, I think. So we were down there, we. It was not something that my husband wanted to do, he was not able to. His career has been very interesting. So he got orders to go to Fort Irwin but he didn't have his ranger tab as an infantryman because he got injured in ranger school and I mean just all this stuff. So it was like the writing was on the wall he was never going to get promoted. He didn't want to drag his family to the middle of the desert for you know, to not see him for three years only to get say, hey, we're not going to promote you. So he's like I'm just going to get out, we're just going to try and make this work. So he got a job.
Michelle Lang:We moved back home to Pennsylvania, to Lancaster, pennsylvania, and so that was about two and a half hours away from both of our families, but still way closer than Georgia, right, and that's where everything seemed okay. We had a house, we had my sister-in-law actually lived in Lancaster, so we had support and that was the first time we ever lived near family in like six years. But he just did not have any fulfillment or purpose in his new job and he went from only wanting to be a career soldier to now dealing with working in a factory that he didn't have any passion for. He wondered his purpose in life, felt like he was letting his family down, his country down, and really nobody to talk to about that and I never hear this side either.
Michelle Lang:Me as a spouse, I felt like I kind of was losing my identity too, because I had just come around to the fact that I was a military spouse. I had fought it for so long, but, yeah, it was finally like, hey, okay, I can embrace this lifestyle. But then we moved to Pennsylvania and I was like, oh, no like what do I do?
Michelle Lang:There's no. You know, I'm so used to going on base for my medical care, I'm so used to doing this, this and this and having these support systems. Now you've got to figure it out all over again. But it's not the familiarity of going to. You know, this office you need to go to. Now you have to figure it out on your own all over again Right.
Michelle Lang:Sure. That all really really took a decline on his mental health. Unfortunately, he reached out to that local VA and they told him, no, we can't help you. And instead of saying like here's other resources we can point you to, it's just like have a good day Bye. And so he was like well, I can't be helped. And that is where it got really, really bad. Like boy, we were looking at the reality of getting divorced. I had just found out that I was pregnant with my second son and when I found out, like it was like a light switch went off in him. And when I found out, I was actually afraid to tell him. And he is like a very loving father. He is, I mean, he's a great dad. But we were not OK, just like boom, like that it was. So it was so crazy and I tried to get him the help that he needed. I tried to get him into a therapist. The therapist that I got him with had no military experience, had no experience working with veterans nothing.
Michelle Lang:And so that was less than helpful. That actually was kind of hurtful too, because he just didn't understand why Chris was struggling. So what did Chris do? He threw himself back into service and he was in the reserves. So he never, when he transitioned out, he transitioned into the reserves. But now he decided to take a bigger role, went active duty, signed up for a deployment without telling me, because that's where we were in our marriage. Luckily we got it together before he deployed and, you know, worked on our marriage through therapy and things like that. But it was a really, really rough year for us.
Larry Zilliox:Yeah, I know that our listeners understand that your story is actually more common than what people think and that transitioning. You hear a lot of veterans talk about purpose and how they lose that. They also lose access to the tribe and access to that comfortable feeling of, in a weird way, being told what to do. Things are pretty simple because I've been told this is what I need to do and I'll do it, also losing access to all the services that come with your own military service. So you got a problem with a lease. You take it to the legal office. They take care of it for you. Now you got to hire a lawyer if you've got a problem. So it's just such a totally different world. And then on top of that, you throw in moral injury PTS, maybe, tbi, maybe just some other physical ailments that you need to have addressed. So you try to find some sort of relief through the VA and that's a struggle just to get at it. Once you're in, the care is really good in most cases.
Larry Zilliox:Yeah, I understand that was a pretty common story about struggle when you separate and I'm just so thankful that you at some point decided to create this amazing organization that just provides help and resources for veterans that just don't live in an area that has much to offer, at least on the surface.
Larry Zilliox:So that is always a problem. You know, it's sort of the opposite of what we have, the problem that we have here in, say, the Northern Virginia area or around the city. Here in our area there is an abundance of veteran service organizations. The problem is that there's so many that they're all doing their own thing and different things and sometimes the same things, but people don't know how to find them or they're not really networking that well, whereas the opposite for you is the farther out and the more rule you get, the fewer the resources. So it may look to veterans like there's just nothing available. When you know Operation Honor and Rule Salute is there to say, hey, those things are here, or maybe it's not quite like that, but these folks can help you. I just think what you guys do is just so great. Talk a little bit about that point in time where you said, hey, this was a good idea, this is what we should do.
Michelle Lang:Well, whenever we were, my husband was going through all that mental health stuff and you know we were trying to figure that out. We actually had our neighbor. We lived in a duplex and our neighbor was a Vietnam veteran and he and his spouse were not married by law but they were domestic partners for I think like 30 years and they were being evicted from their home and they didn't know what to do. Their family lived in like Maine area and also Las Vegas. Family lived in like Maine area and also Las Vegas, so they didn't really have any help or anywhere to go. Their church also didn't know how to help them. So my husband and I found the veteran, a house that accepts only Vietnam veterans, got the wife situated so that way they wouldn't be homeless, they could figure it out until they got back on their feet and I was like, wow, that was really scary and that's kind of what made me realize, like what would they have done if we weren't there? And they didn't know how to reach out to other veteran organizations. So my husband deployed. I started just sharing my story online and, because I wasn't embarrassed about it like a lot of people are, it's not something we could help and it's not like I'm a weak person, it's not like he's a weak person. We just had something that we didn't know how to deal with. But we got through the other side. So I started talking about it and other even some of my friends were like, yeah, we had the same problem. And I was like why didn't you talk to me about that? Well, I was embarrassed and I get that as somebody that you know wrote research papers for college and you know knows how to research. I also couldn't find the help that I needed, and that was embarrassing, it's infuriating, but it's still no fault of our own and I thought we really got to do something about this. So I started talking to my husband about it while he was overseas and was like, wouldn't it just be easier if there was a way that people could know about these resources? So we decided to start a nonprofit whenever he got orders down here to Fort Liberty, because he's been active duty reserve ever since, and I thought this is a good place as any to start a nonprofit, because there's all these resources and help and there are. I mean it's a fantastic place to start a nonprofit. The people here are really, really wonderful. There's really good resources if you're looking to start a business or nonprofit here.
Michelle Lang:So I got to work and I just it was. It was good. I just was trying to kind of boil the ocean, as they say. So I wasn't making as big of an impact as I wanted and I still felt like there was just something that I was missing and I really wasn't like scratching my passion. It's like there was just an itch that I still was missing and it really wasn't until that event where I was like that's it. We just need to do only rural veterans and focus on them, because they're the ones that are not getting the fact that there are resources available to them and they are. I just believe in this community so much. I love my rural community. I love it's just like my family. My family is from rural America. My parents were dairy farmers. My grandparents were dairy farmers. I know what they're capable of and I know that a lot of city folk underestimate rural America. But without them, I mean, america would be not what it is today.
Larry Zilliox:Yeah for sure. Oh, they'd eat less. Yeah, I want to direct the listeners to your webpage. So it's ohrulesaluteorg, so that's an O and H and then the word rule and saluteorg, and H and then the word rule and saluteorg. The webpage is just full of resources. This time of the episode, our listeners know really what I'm going to say, which is find the donate button, and in this case it's on the right-hand side under the word more. Click on that and you'll see donate. Go ahead and click on that button and donate what you can. It's super simple. I just did. It Took me about 38 seconds. They have a PayPal Express route that I took and it kind of threw me a little bit that the dollar amounts that are preset were a little bit different than what you usually see. But it's super simple and this is a great organization that you can help out by donating. And for our rural listeners, anybody out there, is there a way for them to volunteer or to help out? What's the best way that people can help?
Michelle Lang:Oh, there's a lot of ways. So I mean online. We have our online community that we just launched. So I believe it's the first ever online community for rural veterans. So help moderating that. We always need help with social media, with outreach, and then we have our in-person events. So in 2025, if you're local to the Gettysburg area, to the Fulton County Pennsylvania area or to the Southern Pines Fayetteville area we'll be doing events next year and we always need tons of volunteers for these events because they're like big festivals they're like big festivals.
Larry Zilliox:We go to Gettysburg a fair amount. It's a beautiful area, actually, just like Lancaster, the heart of Amish country. Up there it's really nice. So should they just reach out through your webpage?
Michelle Lang:Yeah, I think that my email is linked to there. If not, my email is michelle with two L's at ohruralsaluteorg. I mean there's a contact button on the website or any of my social media accounts. We get all those messages too Great.
Larry Zilliox:We really probably can get you some help there. But the main thing is really listeners, go to the webpage ohruralsaluteorg, take a look at the resources, but under that more button on the right hand side, hit donate and give what you can. Really, I would say that, next to female veterans, that rural veterans are the most underserved in our community, clearly, and a lot of organizations are like well, you know, if you want help move closer or you know we can't put a VA on every corner, but there's a lot that can be done to help our rural veterans and you know Michelle, you and Chris are really doing something special, so I know our listeners really appreciate that. So thank you so much for joining us for this episode. I really appreciate it and keep up the great work.
Michelle Lang:Well, thank you for having me. I do appreciate it.
Larry Zilliox:So, for our listeners, we'll have another episode next week Monday morning at 0500. If you have any questions or suggestions, you can reach us at podcast at willingwarriorsorg. Until then, thanks for listening.