Hagerstown veterans support group bonds over commitment to fitness

HAGERSTOWN, Md. ( DC News Now ) — May is National Military Appreciation Month, and for soldiers returning from combat or making the adjustment from deployment to civilian life, it can present emotional challenges.

Sometimes these challenges lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In Hagerstown, veterans and their support groups gather before sunrise daily to find emotional strength through the discipline of physical fitness.

Danny Farrar was part of the team that responded to the Pentagon first after the plane hit it on 9/11. He leads the group at Soldierfit on Eastern Boulevard.

“Fifty percent of our country is expected to be obese by the year 2030 and it’s not actually listed as a national security threat,” Farrar said. “Young men and women cannot pass a physical fitness test even going into the military and so one of the things we want to do is, we know fit and healthy Americans are free Americans. So that’s what we focus on.”

Farrer and his dedicated veterans are so disciplined they can be found doing their strenuous calisthenics daily well before dawn. During his down time, Farrer spends his time helping small business start-ups thrive.

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