RETIRED MARINE VETERAN Douglas McGill of Brownsboro, Frank Palmer of Honored Warrior Ranch in Canton, and John Bradberry of the Association of Military Veterans in Tyler work to put together an elliptical exercise machine donated to the Lone Star Military Resource Group in Jacksonville on Tuesday. The machine came from Honored Warrior Ranch in Canton. Lone Star Military Resource Group provides services for veterans and their families in the East Texas area.

VETERANS GROUPS | EQUIPMENT DONATION

Frank Palmer opens the back of the trailer and climbs in. A group of Vietnam veterans and one Iraq/Afghanistan veteran come over and help him unload an elliptical exercise machine into the garage of a house-turned-veterans hall, where it will be among a treadmill, bookshelves, a television, hygiene supplies and movies.

The workout machine was donated by Anytime Fitness in Canton, but it was Palmer and his organization, Honored Warriors Ranch, that brought it to the Jacksonville Lone Star Military Resource Group.

Palmer sold workout equipment to the military for 30 years and decided when he retired he would give back to the military. He has been the middleman in workout equipment donations ever since, pairing a donor with an organization or veteran in need.

“Working out can play a role in treating PTSD or can be used in rehab,” Palmer said after setting up the machine. “It reduces stress, releases endorphins, it changes the mindset to focus on completing a workout goal rather than worrying about everything else in life. It helps these veterans focus on the now and not worry too much about everything else.”

Charlie George, a peer mentor with Lone Star Military Resource Group, said donations like these are what keep their group effective.

The workout equipment is placed in the garage, facing the door. The layout of the room is designed to help veterans feel more comfortable: facing the only door to the room with nothing behind it to prevent a sensory overload.

“We want to provide a place for our veterans who may be hyper-observant or hypersensitive after their time in the military to come and work out,” George said. “For a lot of them, going to a gym just isn’t an option. There are so many windows and doors and so many people. Their military training kicks in and they feel like they have to watch every window, every door, every person. Here, they can relax.”

Lone Star Military Resource Group Resource coordinator Julianne Sanford said she is trying to make the organization everything veterans need, within her ability.

“We don’t have programs to plug into for whatever needs our veterans have out here in rural communities,” Sanford said. “We want to be a place where veterans from all over can come. We especially want to fight the high suicide rates.”

Sanford said the house they’ve adopted is humble, but they’ve got big dreams for the group.

“This is what we have and we’re going to run with it,” Sanford said. “In the long term, we want to have a custom building suited to veterans’ needs, with more room for equipment.”

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