VFW Life member Clayton Yantis is a Pawnee, Illinois, veteran #StillServing as the Illinois state lead for The Fallen Outdoors, an all-volunteer nonprofit. During his time in the Army, Yantis completed his Master Resiliency Certification to provide low-level counseling and resiliency skills to veterans.
Today he uses that training as a member of The Fallen Outdoors team to help veterans mentally and physically through therapeutic outdoor adventures. Last year, they hosted more than 470 veterans on bird expeditions, fishing trips, deer hunts and more.
Yantis is passionate about veteran suicide prevention and believes the soldier’s creed to “never leave a fallen comrade” is just as important in civilian life as it is on the battlefield.
He says that all veterans have a duty to continue to pull each other forward when they need help. Yantis emphasizes he would much rather answer a call at 2 a.m. from a veteran he took hunting or fishing the week before than read about them later in the newspaper.
When asked why he was #StillServing, Yantis stated he only wants to help other veterans succeed.