Pell City woman opening first-of-its-kind 'reverse boot camp' for veteran rehabilitation

A LOCAL WOMAN IS ON A MISSION TO BRING HOPE AND HEALING TO SOLDIERS RETURNING HOME FROM THE MILITARY. IT IS SOMETHING THAT HER SON WAS NOT ABLE TO DO. DOVETAIL LANDING IS A REVERSE BOOT CAMP OF SORTS, AND OUR SHERI FALK SHOWS US HOW THE COMMUNITY IS STEPPING IN TO MAKE IT A REALITY. IN ALABAMA AND POSSIBLY A BLUEPRINT FOR OTHER STATES TO FOLLOW HERE ON THIS LAND. SOLDIERS RETURNING HOME TO ALABAMA WILL SOON FIND PEACE AND SERENITY, ALL WHILE WORKING THEIR WAY BACK INTO SOCIETY AS THEY KNEW IT BEFORE THE MILITARY, WHERE A YEAR DOWN THE ROAD AND WE ARE MAKING SO MUCH PROGRESS. ELENA SANTILLI IS TURNING THE PAIN OF LOSING HER SON DANIEL INTO A PASSION PROJECT TO HELP OTHERS. TWO DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS EVE, HE PASSED AWAY IN HIS SLEEP AT AND I TELL PEOPLE THAT IT WAS LIKE THE YOU KNOW, THE ARC OXYGEN WAS SUCKED FROM THE EARTH FOR ABOUT A COUPLE OF YEARS. IN 2012, WHILE SERVING AS A MARINE IN AFGHANISTAN, DANIELS HUMVEE WAS HIT BY AN IED. HE RETURNED HOME WITH A TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY AND PTSD, WHICH ULTIMATELY ENDED HIS LIFE IN 2019. I’LL NEVER GET OVER NOT BEING ABLE TO SAVE HIM EVER. AND THIS WAY, MAYBE WE CAN JUST HELP SOMEBODY ELSE. THROUGH A PARTNERSHIP WITH NONPROFIT ALABAMA VETERAN AND MANY OTHERS, HER VISION FOR DOVETAIL LANDING AS SEEN IN THIS RENDERING, WILL TURN 52 ACRES. DONATE BY THE CITY OF LINCOLN INTO A SAFE SPACE WITH FOOD AND SHELTER, 30 TINY HOMES AND AT LEAST 25 FAMILY HOMES. SIX MILES OF TRAILS ON SITE, MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING, JOB TRAINING AND SO MANY OTHER RESOURCES FOR VETS AND THEIR FAMILIES. THERE’S NO OTHER FACILITY THAT I KNOW OF THAT’S ACTUALLY PROVIDING AN ALL INCLUSIVE ONE STOP SHOP RESOURCE FOR VETERANS. YOU KNOW, PITCHING THIS IDEA TO NOT ONLY STATE, COUNTY AND CITY OFFICIALS, EVERYBODY IS LIKE, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THE STATE OF ALABAMA TRULY NEEDS. YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT 60, 65 VETERANS AT A TIME. ALLEN COOK, ALSO A MARINE CORPS VETERAN, KNOWS ALL TOO WELL THE ROADBLOCKS MANY OF HIS PEERS FACE. HE’S BEEN A MENTOR TO MANY FOR THE PAST SEVEN YEARS, WHILE SERVING ON THE ALABAMA VETERAN BOARD OF DIRECTORS. THROUGHOUT MY TIME LEAVING THE MILITARY, I’VE LOST EIGHT MARINES. THE SUICIDES, IT’S BEEN IT’S BEEN TROUBLING BECAUSE I WANT TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE. SOMETHING FOR VETERANS IN THE STATE OF ALABAMA BECAUSE I TRULY BELIEVE THAT THIS PROJECT, THIS THESE GROUNDS THAT WE HAVE ARE REALLY GOING TO BE THE IMPACT THAT’S GOING TO CHANGE SOMEBODY’S LIFE. WE ARE VERY, VERY EXCITED. ELENA’S FACE LIGHTS UP AS WE TOUR A LARGE HOME ALREADY ON THE PROPERTY SET TO BECOME THE ADMINISTRATIVE BUILDING BY THE END OF 2023. IT’S CALLED DANIELS HOUSE IN HONOR OF HER SON. I JUST FEEL LIKE DANIELS WITH ME, AND I FEEL LIKE HE’D BE PROUD. THEY HOPE TO HAVE DOVETAIL LANDING FULLY FUNCTIONING BY 2025. THERE’S SOMEBODY THERE HELPING YOU IN THE TRANSITION FROM CIVILIAN TO MILITARY. WE WANT TO BE THAT EXACT SAME THING WHEN YOU GET OUT OF THE MILITARY IN 90 DAYS, WE’RE GOING TO HELP GET YOU EVERY SINGLE THING THAT YOU NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL. A REVERSE BOOT CAMP PROVIDING PEACE FOR VETERANS TO HEAL FROM THE PAIN OF WAR IN LINCOLN, SHER