T H E U LT I M AT E F O R M O F P AT R I O T I S M I S L OV I N G T H E S T R A N G E R S YO U PA S S O N T H E S T R E E T J U S T B E CAU S E YO U SHARE THIS COUNTRY WITH THEM. —JOEY JONES, A RETIRED USMC SERGEANT & CAMP SOUTHERN GROUND SPOKESMAN
PHOTOS THIS SPREAD: © SOUTHERN REEL
GROW YOUR OWN
Camp Southern Ground’s true organic garden has its own farmer and colonies of bees to pollinate the crops. Campers can harvest their own meals for a special cook-out with the chef.
LEARN MORE
Read more about CSG’s military partnerships at CambriaUSA.com/ Camp-SouthernGround.
do almost anything else, they create a ‘full value contract,’” explains Stan Tucker, CSG’s program director. “That’s seven rules that the kids write themselves. I give them the first two: ‘Treat everyone the way you want to be treated,’ and ‘Be open to new things.’ Everyone signs the contract, which means they abide by those rules.” In this atmosphere of acceptance, kids bloom and change. Counselor Mikayla Davis marveled the day one of the campers “had only one scone left on his plate, and he cut it into equal pieces so everyone around him could share.” Support for those who serve in the military has always been a big part of who Zac is, so not surprisingly, there’s an ongoing emphasis on patriotism at CSG. At daily flag raising and lowering ceremonies, that lesson goes deep. Joey Jones, a retired USMC sergeant who lost his legs in Afghanistan and now serves as a camp spokesman, explains that “the ultimate form of patriotism is loving the strangers
you pass on the street just because you share this country with them. Patriotism is appreciating them for whom they are, not for what they look like. Loving them in a way that says you want them to be happy and safe, and you’re willing to work for that. Learning that we’re not inherently able to speak our minds—that there’s a cost our military men and women pay every day: that’s something every kid who comes through camp will learn. In that, we serve the military community, but also the country at large.” Zac Brown’s always done things his way. He won’t be contained or easily defined. Recently, he expanded his fan base by recording new work that includes rock and electronic dance music, simply because, as he explains it, “I have so much music in me.” And doing things “his way” doesn’t just apply to music. Zac has the kind of restless intelligence that drives classroom teachers nuts, but later produces empires. His dozens of businesses, many gathered C A M B R I A U S A . C O M / S T Y L E
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