Fng: Combat Wounded & Advocate

[Spock]

Warriors ~ Nice site, well done! Career Military, OIF, mTBI+++++, Harassed final 12 mos by SES Civilian supervisors, Spent final 6 mos in Trauma Recovery Program @ Walter Reed, Retired last year, Still waiting on VA claim 365+, Attend Group with battle buddies that are family. Now I'm focused on being an advocate & sharing lessons learned. Too many warriors have to learn the same lessons others already suffered through mostly because priorities prevent Crats (bureaucrats) from effort & committment of support. My Goal: Network with combat wounded, prevent as many suicides & broken families as possible and educate supervisors & caregivers of wounded warriors.
<Col~A>

 

[Zipperhead]

The sad part about this is that we seem oblivious to the Lessons Learned. It seems we all have to suffer through these lessons ourselves before we can accept we need help. Welcome to the forum

 

[JarHed]

Hey Col

Welcome to the forums. I have to say that I agree with Zip, although it's sad that that's the way of it. It's great to be an advocate for and help vets. If you can help one person, you've done a good job.

JarHed

 

[Sarg]

Welcome, Col! Your goals and mine are very alike. I'm a Nam Vet and pretty much fumbled my way through life trying to smile to my friends while the beast was clawing my insides apart. I now know what works for me. I'm reaching out to younger troops like your self to offer up what I've learned and if it works for them, it's all gravy.

We have a "stand down" this May 18th and I'm trying to get in on helping out. Yes, 22 per day slices through me like a blade. Absolutely, outrageous, unwarranted and senseless.

If I can help, hollar.

Sarg

 

[Spock]

Thanks Gents: I concur it does seem learning lessons the hard way is part of the beast. Still, there are some key items of the process to share. We share tons of leassons learned in group, like a 10-headed learning machine. There's a lot of good, useful info on here...has the feel of a gold mine

 

[Spock]

Thanks Sarg ~ I know the first thing I'm gonna do is push folks this way as a priority stop. I can't even process 22 a day, one more every 80 minutes. I've stopped 3 suicides myself, including mine (the other 2 were in the past month)

 

[reddevil1111]

Welcome.

 

[JennyMac]

Welcome, glad you found us.

 

[19DAWGS91]

It took me Seven Years to figure out that the beast in was worse then I thought it was, Countless fights, and a divorce caused me to rethink my emotional and physical state. I was in denial for years and thought that everybody else was messed up. The Beast eats at you from inside out. Once it consumes your soul it takes its tole on you physically. When you put that together with the combat injuries you have issue's. Seek help!!!! Quick!!!!!

19dawg91

 

[Jimmy1]

Col A, first of all welcome. Spreading the word is the best thing you can do, and then helping those suffering. The biggest problem still out there today is the stigma attached to PTSD. Nobody wants admit they have a problem and by the time they do it's already taken its toll on either the veteran, the veterans family, or both. Worse still, its gone too far and the veteran has chosen suicide as the option.

I think it needs a few high and low ranking serving members to stand up and be counted and tell it how it is. The higher ranks suffer just as much, but it's the lowly old private who is generally ostracized by his peers. After all we all know weakness is not an option in whatever force we serve. If they can see their non-coms and their officers stand up in front of them and give the blurb on what PTSD is and that there is no shame in it, shit if they can tell them that not all will face discharge it might make a difference.

I personally was Warrant Officer in the Australian Army, when I was discharged, everything was handed to me on a platter, and I have seen too many lower ranks struggle through the bureaucratic bullshit out there just to get help.

Good luck in your plight mate and if you have any questions by all means put it out there. The guys on this forum go back as far as Nam and are from all around the world. The collective knowledge is here to help.

Jimmy

 

[Ned]

The more awareness and guidance there is from credible sources the better. One of the ways we learn to deal with it is accepting it as a fact of life, not something weird or abnormal.
Good luck with the Goal, and welcome.

 

[Sludge]

Funny how none of us ever pull over check to see if the tire is flat and the shocks are busted until the front-end starts bouncing.

Welcome Aboard!