Twice A Hero
In honor of Veterans Day, we are launching a new series to celebrate the women in service of our country. Jo Arlow will be spearheading this effort to highlight women veterans and farmers as they share their experiences. We are dedicating this new series in honor of these women who have served twice - first in our nation’s armed forces and now as farmers, feeding communities. They continue their mission to make this world a better place.
Twice A Hero
by Jo Arlow
Many service members and veterans would tell you that they joined the military because they wanted a life of service. They would also tell you that transitioning from active duty military to civilian life can be a challenge. Hard physical work and serving the community are a part of both military service and farming, making for a natural pairing. In recent years local communities, the federal government, universities and non-profits, and veterans themselves have recognized former service members as the valuable farming-sector resources they are. Veterans have a continued desire to serve their communities, establish connection, heal from the traumas of military service and find a sustainable employment path to support themselves and their families. From California and Texas to Rhode Island, all of these veteran farmers enrich their communities and their way of life. With financial, technical, and community support veterans across the country are thriving in every sector: farming, beekeeping, dairy farming and cattle raising, from rural valleys to urban rooftops. It is estimated that nearly 370,000 veterans currently identify as being part of the agricultural community, nearly 20,000 of them women. Together they are an economic powerhouse, with a market value of more than $42 billion, divided nearly evenly between crop products and livestock.
Honoring the stories of veterans and highlighting the links between service, community, healing, and farming.
Jo, a professional documentary and action photographer in Olympia, Washington, intends to further document the work of veteran farmers who continue to serve their families, communities and our country. She has a personal as well as professional connection to these veterans and their work on the land. In 2011 her husband, a veteran of the US navy special forces, died by suicide after years of struggling with "moral injury," post-traumatic stress and chronic pain. After his death Jo experienced deep grief, guilt and bewilderment, particularly as she came to realize how little she understood about addressing veterans' health and well-being.
This time marked a huge shift in her life as she left her career as a lawyer to dedicate herself to telling the stories of her community and locally based organizations, particularly those serving veterans. Since that time she's continued to document and participate in veteran-led programs that work to prevent suicide and improve veterans' quality of life, including the Growing Veterans' farmsteads near Lynwood, WA, veterans' spiritual wilderness retreats, Garden Raised Bounty’s Victory Farm, and the Washington State chapter of the Farmer Veteran Coalition. She is also a community organizer with Forefront Suicide Prevention at the University of Washington School of Social Work, focusing on veterans, military service members, and their families.