RICHMOND HILL, Ga. (WTOC) - Imagine being at the height of your career. You are on top of the world. Things just make sense, but then it all just stops because of outside factors. It’s a story Retired Army Pilot Danny Archer says he knows all too well.

“Just imagine being on to the top of your game as a person, then you turn the lights off. And now that person is just quiet,” says Archer.

Through the eyes of retired military veterans like Danny Archer and and his co-starter Mike Pinatiello, they share that exiting the military is one of the hardest transitions veterans make. They say, the feeling of loneliness and lack of purpose, can cause dark thoughts to emerge.

According to the Veteran Affair website, in 2021 Georgia lost 226 veterans to suicide. Nearly 7,000 died by suicide nationally in 2021. These are numbers both men take personally.

“Whether it’s good, whether it’s bad, you are going to search for something, and that’s why we started this, so when they search, they found us,” said Mike Pinatiello.

The story of how the non-profit, the Equine Valor Project, started is the perfect example of right person, right time, right mission.

Danny Archer says his first interaction with a horse was during post-military service through his daughter. He said he left the stable feeling something he never had before.

“We have had a lot of steps to get to where we are standing at today, but the goal always was to work with veterans, to reduce veteran suicide,” said Pinatiello.

And they did. When Danny ran into a friend from his past unit, Kevin Purdum, that’s when he said the pieces of the puzzle started to snap into place.

“If it wasn’t for Kevin and Charlene and 3 Notch Farm, we may not have been able to see the full vision,” said Archer.

After catching up, Danny opened up to Kevin about the thoughts and plans both he and Pinatiello had. To his surprise, Kevin was already one step ahead. He had 10 horses.

“When they say, once you’re heading in the right direction, things start to fall into place, they aren’t kidding,” says Archer.

It was then that the two knew their program had to be by veterans, with veterans and for veterans.

“We don’t want to limit it just to veterans of the military, but veterans of first responders and their families,” said Pinatiello. “Because behind every struggling veteran there is a struggling spose, a struggling family.”

Their goal as they move forward is to connect veterans with other veterans and use the teachings of horsemanship to help ease the transition from military life to civilian life. The two organizers say that veterans know and understand other veterans. They can recognize in each other the struggles and the mental anguish that come along with years of embracing it.

They say they realize that all veterans and first responders have different stories and experiences, but they still have the same core belief. They all raised their hand and swore to protect their country and communities.

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