“I went to Iraq believing in the mission, and now I realize we were lied to,” Juan Beltran says in this video “We can’t be dependent on oil.” When Juan was deployed to Iraq, departing from his wife and daughter, it was with a wholehearted belief in the good of serving his country. Tragically, a helicopter crash broke Beltran’s neck, leaving him quadriplegic. Now, back home, he views the war in a much different light. Wanting to move toward a sustainable future for his family, and set an example others can follow, Beltran has enlisted the help of generous volunteers to turn his Chino, California property into an eco-friendly, self-sufficient farm.
The home is being remodeled with the likes of solar panels, LED lighting and a more efficient design. The Beltran’s have goats that keep the grass short and provide fertilizer, hens that provide a free daily breakfast, and a vegetable garden.
Beltran is a beacon of inspiration and hope, expressing that he harbors no bitterness about what happened to him: “I’m happy with my wife and my daughter, and this beautiful house that I have, even if I’m in this condition — It doesn’t matter.”