Lawrence Rhone, a disabled U.S. Army veteran, now spends his days with his wife on his farm in Flaxville, with a new mission in life – helping other veterans get back on their feet.
Rhone owns and operates “Rhone’s Farm and Retreat,” a place where veterans are given the opportunity to “rejuvenate their sense of self-worth, sense of purpose, and sense of community,” all while learning what it takes to manage a small, working farm.
Having served in the Army for more than 11 years, Rhone is in a unique position to help veterans in need since he knows firsthand what they are going through. According to Rhone, “you need a holistic approach if you really want to help.” In some cases, that involves first helping to sort VA healthcare paperwork so they can access their earned VA services and benefits, in other cases, it’s him finding them a place to rent and call their own.
“Once these often frustrating-to-accomplish tasks are sorted, then the real healing can begin,” Rhone said. He also credits his ability to speak the same mission-oriented language as those veterans who are just getting out of the military, which he says is critical in helping establish a mutual sense of trust.
Although Rhone now operates a farm with a goal to help veterans, he grew up very differently than many farm kids across Montana. He grew up in the projects of Fayetteville, North Carolina. It wasn’t until he was 14 years old that his father – by means of his truck driving job at Burlington Industries – was able to relocate their family to Burlington, North Carolina. When Lawrence was just 17, he joined the Army and served his county for 11 years, 4 months and 27 days. Afterwards, he remained in Germany for 26 years, working as a linguist and translator. When he and his wife decided to provide their son with the opportunity to play college football in 2005, they made the move back to the United States. It was then that Rhone – wanting to find out more about how his father managed to get his family out of the projects – put himself through truck driving school and went back to work alongside his father.
Driving took Rhone all over the U.S. and Canada. During countless hours spent on the road, he kept hearing about the ‘big oil boom’ in North Dakota. Figuring his truck driving skills and clean driving record (one million safe miles) would be sought after, Rhone called a company in North Dakota and asked if he could come out and drive. He quickly landed a job driving truck during the oil boom, but the four-day commute to North Carolina was just too taxing. After some discussion, he and his wife decided to move across the county to Flaxville, Montana, population 88.
When reflecting on his move to Flaxville, Rhone said, “I realized then that I’d been a taker all my life, and that I needed to start giving.” With that mindset and the same mission-driven focus he had during his years of service, Rhone set out to learn all he could about farming so that he could maintain a place of his own to lend a helping hand to others. With the help of the DNRC Veteran Farmers program, Rhone soon found himself with new knowledge and a 5-year business plan for Rhone’s Farm and Retreat, and ready to approach a local lender.
According to Rhone, “veterans focus on missions, things they want to achieve…at that point, for me, it was farming so that I could start a retreat center.” Since he got his farm up and running, Rhone has literally taken veterans in on the farm to support them in their healing process. While there, they are introduced to the essential skills needed in the farm and ranch setting and are provided with the opportunity to use these skills to “adapt and overcome in a farm and ranch setting” according to Rhone. He also personally provides coaching, mentoring and advocacy for them – and if something comes up where he doesn’t know the answer, he finds it. For example, if mental health or counseling services are needed, Rhone will connect them to a specialist who can help. “It’s all about community, building community, and helping each other,” said Rhone. He understands the position of fellow veterans, and makes the point that most people in the community – whichever community – aren’t going to directly ask if a veteran is hurting. He encourages veterans to speak about hurt when they are seeking change. “Hope is always available if you take the opportunity to reach out and ask for help.”
Rhone said there is no one key ingredient, it’s a multi-item recipe of engaging stakeholders in the community and using a sense of situational awareness to achieve results. “My focus is on outreach to veterans transitioning from active duty, combat or crisis into a farm and ranch setting – both have a mission-oriented approach.”
His work to support veterans and help them turn things around hasn’t gone unnoticed. In February of 2021, Senator Tester recommended Rhone for nomination to the Veteran’s Advisory Committee on Rehabilitation for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), a position he will hold for two years.
There are many ways to support veterans and the programs available to them. Start with an online search for local veteran support programs or at www.va.gov.