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Today’s Star Spangled Salute honors Veteran Marvin Frink. It’s been nearly 2 decades since Marvin was a soldier, but what Marvin went through during his three deployments in Iraq and 16 years as a civilian anti-terrorism specialist still haunts him through nightmares, migraines and bouts of hypervigilance. Like far too many veterans suffering from PTSD, that pain nearly drove him to suicide. To help, Marvin discovered what he calls “agritherapy”—working on the land and with animals as a way of healing the psychological wounds left over from combat. In 2018, Frink bought 42 acres of farmland in Red Springs, N.C, and began raising cows and chickens. Marvin says farming and the animals gave him a second chance and a sense of purpose and now he and his wife give back by hosting Veterans on regular visits to the farm to talk about agriculture—and mental health. Keep doing what makes you happy Marvin and THANK YOU for your service.
