JAVARIS TURNER, Mid-City, MBA candidate

Javaris Turner, 42, comes from a large military family. He went to the Naval Academy for college and served as an officer in the Marine Corps after graduation.

When he moved to L.A. in April 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, he found developing authentic friendships to be difficult. When he saw a flier for a veterans organization on a public bulletin board, it only felt natural to sign up.

He is now a member of a handful of military groups such as Paradox Sports and Higher Ground, which meet weekly or monthly to rock climb, scuba dive, surf and hike. The groups have given Turner some of his most meaningful L.A. friendships.

“With other veterans, there’s a certain level of familiarity with some of the struggles and also a kind of camaraderie that’s really comforting,” he says.

One woman Turner met through these groups has become like an aunt to him. They FaceTime regularly and have hosted a number of events together.

With these friends, Turner has hiked everywhere from Joshua Tree to Yosemite National Park. In the next two months, he plans to go on two weeklong trips with military organizations.

“Some of the relationships I’ve made have become closer than my familial relationships,” Turner says.

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