PHOENIX — Valley nonprofits and veteran advocacy groups are teaming up to help former service members.
Operation Restoring Veteran Hope, Knights of Columbus and U.S. VETS are taking veterans from the Valley to northern Arizona for a weekend retreat to focus on their mental health.
"Most of us that get out, not all of us, do struggle with readjustment issues one way or another," said Ray Perez, founder of Operation Restoring Veteran Hope.
Perez was in the infantry and started using drugs and alcohol after getting out of the military. He also spent time behind bars.
"Even non-combat veterans experience things most civilians would never understand," he said.
On Friday, Perez led a group of veterans and advocates to Morman Lake where they will spend the weekend networking and connecting veterans with valuable resources.
In Arizona, veterans are two-and-a-half times more likely to die by suicide than non-veterans.
Emmett Patterson, a Navy veteran, lost a friend to suicide and wanted to make the trip in their honor.
"There's a lot going on today with veterans, it's tragic somewhat but hopefully we can come together and get some kind of spiritual lift from this," he said.
Perez said he hopes his personal experience will help others understand that there is help out there.
For more information about Operation Restoring Veteran Hope, visit orvh.net.