I am a North Bergen resident, but a considerable amount of my work with the New Jersey Veteran Support Alliance takes place in Sussex County. The air is cleaner, the pace is slower, and the natural landscape offers something that no prescription or clinic can fully replicate: peace.

Andover Township is a beautiful place. Its quiet woods, wetlands, and wildlife create the kind of environment where a veteran who has witnessed too much can finally hear themselves think again. That is not a luxury. That is a critical component of healing.

Unfortunately, Andover Township is now considering allowing an artificial intelligence data center to be built directly in the middle of some of the most pristine and tranquil natural areas we have left. An AI data center. The irony is not lost on us. We are being asked to trade silence for servers, and healing for hardware.

Why nature matters to veterans

I have personally witnessed veterans who could barely leave their own homes sit beside a stream in Sussex County and finally breathe again. Not a forced breath. Not a shallow one. A full, deep, unguarded breath. That is what nature does. It does not judge. It does not demand. It simply receives our veterans and offers them a space to rest.

Research and lived experience both confirm that time in natural settings reduces symptoms of post traumatic stress, lowers anxiety, and helps regulate the nervous system. For many veterans, the woods and wetlands of Sussex County have become an informal but essential part of their recovery. You cannot put a price on that. And you cannot replace it with a server farm.

“As a person of faith, I also feel a deep responsibility to steward and preserve the natural environment that remains in our state,”

Eric Crafton

Progress versus preservation

The New Jersey Veteran Support Alliance is not against progress. We understand that technology has a place in our communities. However, we are firmly against taking away the very thing that is saving lives right now. Our veterans come to Sussex County to heal. Let us not pave that healing over.

I was recently interviewed by America Magazine on this topic, and I invite you to read the full discussion here:

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How you can help

The Andover Township Town Committee will meet on Thursday, May 28th at 7:00 PM to vote on a proposed ban that would stop this data center from moving forward. If you live in or near Sussex County, please attend the meeting and share your voice. Our veterans have fought for this country. Now we need to fight for the places that help them heal.

We keep our promises. No veteran is left behind.