Another day on the job for the lawn care specialists at Operation Think Green. Spring is here, and Lancaster County home owners need their grass treated.
These specialists go home-to-home, spraying nitrogen fertilizer on each customer’s lawn.
It wasn’t long ago, though, these men were defending our country.
“While they were highly capable and competent, one of the major obstacles of them getting back on their feet was employment," said Ryan McGinnis, mental health counselor and owner of Operation Think Green.
McGinnis has no military background, but about three years ago, he found himself on an important mission: to help service members transition back into the civilian world.
“They’ll be left alone, they’ll do their own thing. I will trust them, I’ll teach them how to do the job. And I will cut them loose to do the job. Which is how the military works,” said McGinnis.
That’s when Operation Think Green was born.
It's a business venture that is not about making money…
“I just had a veteran come say to me, ‘Hey man, I want to come work for you. I want to mow.’ And we don’t offer mowing services. It’s something we’ve talked about, and so I sat down with our office manager and I was like, ‘Dude, we’ve got to mow,’” said McGinnis.
Now he offers the vets the independence they need on the job each day and the friends they can count on when they clock out.
“Even though war is awful, the soldier lives closest to what it means to be fully human. They live in community, they live in brotherhood,” said McGinnis.
“I was 17 years old when I went in the service. So that was where I grew up. I grew up in that environment of being used to having that support network, and then when it was taken away it definitely can be a lonely feeling,” said Keith Brown, director of operations at Operation Think Green.
While the veterans say battling stubborn weeds is not the same as battling another country, the underlying mission is the same.
“We all share similar experiences. So we can draw off of each other. We all know what it’s like to go through different struggles, so it’s a good support network,” said Brown.
“Operation Think Green is a family. It absolutely is a family. We check in with one another. We’re concerned about what’s going on in each others lives. We take a good amount of time to make sure that everybody’s got their head straight, not just so they can do the job, but so that as individuals they’re okay,” said McGinnis.
Since it's creation a year and a half ago, Operation Think Green has helped eight veterans transition into civilian life.
If you are a veteran looking for help or a potential customer, you are encouraged to visit the Operation Think Green website at https://operationthinkgreen.com/ or their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/operationthinkgreen/.