Great care is taken when retelling stories on this page. The ability to suppress one’s emotion belongs to the profession. Personal emotion is sacrificed in an effort to more accurately portray that exact emotion to the readership through the written word.

This technique has, for the past three years, worked. That is, until Oct. 10. On that day, during an illuminating and awe-inspiring visit to CampV in Tyler, the author choked up. 

Standing in the recreation hall – known as the Green Zone – listening to a handful of veterans explain the impact of their work, it just happened. 

In retrospect, there is no single explanation. A combination of pride in the work of the fellow vets, a reconnection with camaraderie (lost since separation) and thoughts of how the work at CampV could have helped veterans who had recently been lost to suicide, was overwhelming.

I felt embarrassed. But, in what surely was the greatest endorsement of the work at CampV, the small group simply offered, “It’s OK, you are in the Green Zone.”

The words were offered with respect. They understood. 

Just inside the northwest loop in Tyler, on a 20-acre plot off Tx 31, is CampV – a center which integrates resources to support veterans, active-duty servicemen and their families. 

CampV is one-of-a-kind, bringing together a multitude of service-providers to address practically any issue confronting a veteran. The uniqueness of CampV is no false boast. This non-profit organization is ground-breaking, as it is the only such support site in the United States. 

Perhaps the best way to understand the breadth of what is offered at the site is simply to take a tour. 

The first thing to note is that it is easy to drive right by it. Thousands of people do every day, yet it remains a bit of a well-kept secret. The site consists of three mid-century homes, two commercial buildings which were part of a construction and design company, and a horse stable. It sits adjacent to a school to the west and an established residential area to the east. 

The main building houses veteran advocates, individuals whose job it is to steer a veteran to the right person at the right time for the right reason. One of those steps will likely be to one of several Veterans Service Officers (VSO), co-located at CampV.

Also resident in the main office are representatives of Humana Health Care, East Texas Workforce Solutions, and (once a week) the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Just around the corner from the volunteers’ assignment box is CampV’s director, Travis Gladhill. His office is a testament to his long active-duty career. 

Also fronting Tx 31 is the recently-renovated Women’s’ Center. Run by Yvonne Munn, the center is a sizable home converted to be a sanctuary for female veterans. No touch was missed in creating this refuge. A reading room, kitchen, laundry, shower, massage room and computer room are all calmly and cleanly appointed. A large adjoining deck (completed courtesy of the Women’s Fund of Smith County, Boy Scout Troop 333 Eagle Scouts and the Daughters of the American Revolution) will soon be a full outdoor kitchen. The nearby herb garden is well positioned. 

A short walk past the distinctively-painted covered parking shed leads to a state-of-the-art weight room and Jiu-Jitsu studio. The building, once a construction storage area, is a training facility of the highest quality. Gracie Barra Jiu-Jitsu classes are held weekly on the spring-laden floor. The classes are one of the most frequented activities at CampV.  Instruction concentrates on  compensating for injuries and recovering strength. 

Throughout the gym are short quips painted on the walls. One reads: “Success is a Decision.” It appropriately summarizes the charter of CampV.

Heading back up the hill one finds the Smith County Veterans Service Office co-located with the Veterans’ Court – a pre-trial diversionary service which gets veterans “back on track” after an encounter with the law. 

Both offices are setting records. The Smith County VSO is seeing over 400 vets a month, while the Veterans’ Court is one case shy of a 100% success rate. 

Turning back to look at the far southern end of the property, Mark Shaw, the Community Engagement Officer (and the tour guide on this day) pointed out where the veterans transitional housing units are expected to be placed. As with all activities at CampV, successful outcomes are realized through the attentive guidance of staff and volunteers. The housing program will be closely regulated.

Shaw also noted where the next capital improvement project, the chapel and fellowship hall, will be built.

“We hope to have an agreement with all of the funeral homes in Tyler and surrounding areas that all veterans funeral services can be offered free of charge at the CampV chapel. The facility is designed at 8,000 square feet,” Shaw advised.

One can often get lost in discussion of facilities without a discussion of the intended customers, so Shaw shared a few numbers. He explained that based on a comprehensive 2017 study at Texas State University, the 14-county area of East Texas had the second largest veteran population in the state – second only to San Antonio. That number is about 200,000 vets. The study also concluded that East Texas lagged the entire state in providing veterans’ care.

When the original founders of CampV, Susan Campbell and Jim Snow, set down to address this mismatch, they were trying to meet a dire need in the community. Their vision became CampV, short for “Community Assisting Military Personnel and Veterans.” The community of support they envisioned would bring service-providers together in one place to allow for one-stop service to vets and their families. 

What do some of the day-to-day numbers look like? The recent Homeless Vet Standdown in early October provided support for 65 homeless veterans. That is, Shaw advised, 65 out of a homeless veteran population of over 100 in the immediate Tyler area alone. 

The weekly free lunches hosted at the Green Zone usually fill the facility and have become both a social and mutual aid event. 

Another aspect of CampV is the significant amount of community support it receives. Only one fund-raising event is conducted each year – the Rose City Airfest. All remaining support is obtained through grants and donations. 

The staff goes to great lengths to credit the multitude of entities which support it. The five buildings are adorned with small brass nameplates crediting groups for their donations – from the Boy Scouts to the Daughters of the American Revolution to local schools and civic clubs to the East Texas Quilting Guild.   

Shaw was quick to point out that the City of Tyler added a bus stop in front of CampV.  He explained, “The integration of the local community is absolutely vital to the success of CampV, and the success of CampV is the integration of our veterans into the local community.”

Responsible for the large 14-county area, CampV must periodically take their expertise on the road.

“We seek front-line guys, such as Chris Macellaro of Quitman, who represent veterans locally, and arm them with information from claims procedures to suicide awareness,” Shaw advised.

The tour was nearing completion, but the discussion had not yet touched on the equestrian therapy, or support dog training or VA clinic patient advocates or liaison with the Andrews Center. Suffice it to say that all possible resources are being rendered at CampV.

The final stop on the tour was the Green Zone. Officially, the Green Zone is a recreation facility. However, it is really home. Veterans have been in recreation facilities in some unique places around the world. At times they are the only places a servicemen can go. The recreation area becomes a central part of unit integrity as it allows a bit of individuality and a bit of relaxation, all while building unit cohesion.  

There, standing with Mark Snow, Peer Services Coordinator Jeff Hurley, VSO Tiffany Williamson and volunteer Nicole Kennedy, the true beauty and power of the Green Zone (and the whole CampV initiative) crystallized.

Standing in front of a painting of some special operations soldiers calling in an airstrike in Afghanistan, Hurley spoke, “We don’t care where you are from, you are one of us.”