The annual runup to Memorial Day, the holiday that honors the service and sacrifice of America's armed forces, is traditionally accompanied by a wave of special offers for troops and veterans.
Most are quite mainstream — freebies or discounts on restaurant meals, amusement park tickets, store merchandise and the like.
But an outfit in Scranton, Kan., just south of Topeka, seeks to honor troops and veterans in a rather unusual way — it's a nudist colony that is waiving all admission fees over the three-day holiday weekend to any guest who shows a military ID card or proof of military service.
Yes, the 30-acre Prairie Haven nudist colony and campground, which features tent and RV sites as well as cabins, wants to give troops and vets a free opportunity to soak up more sun than perhaps they've ever soaked up in their lives.
Brenda Hatfield, Prairie Haven's office manager, said this will be the second year that the resort has offered free admission to troops and vets, after the staff realized that a few soldiers from Fort Riley, less than an hour's drive away, had begun visiting.
"They enjoyed themselves," Hatfield said. "We told them that if they wanted to spread the word, go right ahead."
In the same vein, the Prairie Haven staff has put a finely targeted spin on its sales pitch to the military and veteran demographics: They say the calm, soothing, relaxed environment just may help ease the emotional anxiety and turmoil of post-traumatic stress disorder.
While freely acknowledging that there is no hard evidence of nudism's beneficial effects on PTSD sufferers, a Prairie Haven press release carrying the headline "Nudists to salute military in and out of uniform" offers some anecdotal information.
For example, a 2013 report by WFTS, a television station in Tampa, Fla., featured former Army officer Max Sanchez, who said his regular visits to a local nudist colony in that state has helped him cope with behavioral disorders — flashbacks, nightmares, sleep problems — that he said were lingering souvenirs from a yearlong combat tour in Vietnam.
"This place ... gives me tranquility," Sanchez — filmed only from the chest up — said in the report.
The Prairie Haven staff also notes that the American Association for Nude Recreation, an advocacy organization for nudism in the US and Canada, has a section of its website devoted to testimonials from veterans extolling the positive aspects of nudism.
In one, "Adrian F.," a self-described disabled Navy combat veteran, said he finds that when he visits his local nudist resort, his PTSD gets "90% better."
"I am comforted and relieved of all the daily stresses and problems I encounter. My PTSD goes into hiding and I find my happy place," he wrote.
Similarly, a "USMC Gunny" says he believes that "a weekend at a nice nudist resort should be prescribed as treatment for any vet with PTSD. As each stitch of clothing is removed, a little stress falls away. I think all nudist establishments ought to offer discounted or free admission for the first year to vets. I am sure once they visit, they'll be hooked and be members for life."
For the curious, the Prairie Haven website has complete information, as well as a FAQ page that seeks to drive home the maxim that nudity at the resort is "not sexually oriented, but instead a natural expression of our humanity."
Other points of note:
Will you feel self-conscious? "Most first-timers adjust to social nudity in a matter of minutes and discover it's not nearly as big a deal as they thought it would be. Some feel self-conscious before they undress since they're likely to be the only ones not nude."
What if I receive unwelcome advances? "This rarely happens. If it does, simply report it to resort management and steps will be taken to ensure it does not happen again. Everyone should feel comfortable. Behavior requiring an apology is not tolerated."
