Owatonna High School graduate and U.S. Army veteran Justin Matejcek will get a unique view of the family farm when he parachutes down to it Saturday, June 11.

Matejcek, a 2006 OHS grad, is the founder and president of the Veterans Adventure Group. The nonprofit organization builds teams of veterans, providing them with the equipment and training to accomplish challenging missions. One group is climbing Mount Rainier, another is hiking across the canyons of Texas and a group will get their skydiving license later this fall.

Saturday's event at the family farm is a chance to raise awareness locally and thank southern Minnesota for being a supporter of the Veterans Adventure Group. The Matejcek farm is at 5174 64th Ave. N.E., Owatonna. Activities run from 11AM to 4PM with a skydiving entrance about 1PM. They will be offering paintball, rappelling and general yard games. It is planned as a family friendly day. There are some age restrictions for some games and people can bring their own paintball gear if they have it.

Matejcek, who went on two overseas deployments and served five years in the Army, told KRFO radio he saw a need for veterans to get together with others who have had the same experience as members of the military and do activities they can enjoy together. He said talking to a counselor only goes so far in dealing with life after the military. He invites veterans to reach out to him about forming a local group. Interested people can check their website or go to Facebook.

Their headquarters run out of Nashville, Tenn. It is a completely volunteer-run organization with all donations going toward the teams.

veterans adventure
Courtesy of Veterans Adventure Group
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