“Veterans Voices” airs at 7 p.m. Nov. 11 on WOOD TV8.

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EDEN TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — Deep in the woods of the Huron-Manistee National Forests, you won’t find a good internet signal, but what you will find is a peace that can only be felt in the quiet of nature.

“When we’re up here, it’s just so quiet. And how can you not just let things go and listen and look and get out and walk in the woods and just see things that you wouldn’t see if you’re in a hurry?” Barbara Miller said.

“It’s so serene, it’s quiet, it’s beautiful,” her husband Duane Miller echoed.

The Millers are full-time caretakers at Wilwin Lodge, which has been offering solitude and sanctuary for veterans since 2010. The veteran retreat was founded in Trout Lake in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

“A very generous man gave us 600 acres, and in 2015 a mining company came along and found out there was high-quality limestone in that area. So they wanted it so badly, they purchased (the current) property from an individual and we just traded deeds,” Duane Miller explained.

Wilwin Lodge at Cygnet Cove now sits on close to 1,200 acres near Custer, about 15 miles east of Ludington. Any veteran from any branch of the military can stay at the retreat for up to five nights at no cost. They can come by themselves or with immediate family.

There are eight cabins, a lake, boats, kayaks, pontoons, a swimming area, fire pits, around 10 miles of trails, golf carts, and plenty of wild animals.

“We don’t have any structured programs or any doctors or counselors or anything that are here. So I think they feel this is one of their things that’s just meant for them,” Duane Miller said. “Here, they can do as they want. If they want to just sit on the porch and read a book or if they want to walk in the woods or they want to go in the water, we let them do whatever they want to do and I think that means a lot to them to get away from whatever it is that’s going on in their life.”

Wilwin Lodge is owned by the American Legion of Michigan. There are hundreds of posts in Michigan — most of which, Duane Miller explained, donate to the facility to help cover operation costs. That includes electricity, garbage, heat, gas for the mowers and any maintenance. The lodge is operational from May through October.

“The favorite part about it is that when (veterans) get here, you can just see the change in their persona, their overall look, even because they’re just so relaxed,” Barbara Miller said. “It makes us feel good. It makes me feel good to know that we’re here for them and that we do really provide a good place for them to come and relax.”

The Millers said it’s in their blood. Duane Miller, a U.S. Army veteran himself, knows the importance of having a place of refuge.

“I retired from the military with 30 years in, so it’s kind of fitting that we do this,” he reflected. “We can give back to lots of folks that come up and would like to be here.”

It’s an opportunity to escape the everyday stress of work, family and anything else that might be weighing visitors down.

“A lot of them will say they have not slept as well as they do here in a while, because the ones that have just had some terrible experiences in the military, they don’t get to do that very often,” Duane Miller said.

The conversations that the Millers have had with those who stay have proven to them that Wilwin is making a difference.

“We had a gentleman that came here the first year and he was kind of lost,” Barbara Miller recalled. “He had just gotten out of the military, lost his wife, and he came up here with the intentions of not going home and his family was really worried about him, but he sat on the porch and just read and was walking a lot, and then he left and we didn’t really say much when he left. The next year, he came back and he did tell us that we actually saved his life because he could come up here and he reflected on things that you can’t really do at home.”

The Millers plan to continue offering that same opportunity for reflection completely free to any veteran who needs it.

“It makes us feel good. It makes me feel good to know that we’re here for them,” Barbara Miller said. “They have a place.”

Though the lodge does not charge veterans or their family members who stay, donations are accepted to help cover operating costs and are tax deductible. If you’d like to support the retreat, you can find more information on how to do so here. If you are a veteran or know one who would benefit from this facility, you can learn more about how to make a reservation here.

The facility also provides scouting programs a variety of outdoor adventures. More information on that can be found here.