Last Tuesday Doonesbury creator Garry Trudeau hosted a forum to promote a program entitled, “Soldier Resiliency: A Fresh Approach” The proposed program would offer “respite and reintegration center for active-duty soldiers, veterans and their families” and would be located at the Trudeau Institute, a medical center in Saranac Lake, NY built by his great-grandfather.
From The Adirondack Daily Enterprise:
“I was only invited a short time ago to join in this effort but its been enough time to see the extraordinary opportunity that the Patriot Hills initiative represents,” Trudeau said. “It’s not crazy to imagine that this kind of fully integrated approach could serve as the template for other regions and states.”
As he spoke, Trudeau stood at a podium below a large portrait of his great-grandfather. He described how Edward Livingston Trudeau came to the Adirondacks suffering from tuberculosis “in the expectation that he would die.”
“Instead he found hope, healing, life and a mission in a place of absolutely soul-stirring peace and beauty,” Trudeau said. “There’s now a new generation who needs that kind of sanctuary, men and women who have served their nation well but have suffered grievous wounds and deserve the healing power this kind of fully committed community steeped in best practices can bring to bear.”