Fly-fishing is my yoga. I constantly say that to my friends, because they're always asking me, "Where are you going?" And I'm like, "I got to go fly-fishing." Even if I don't catch a fish, it's worth it, because it makes me feel a million times better.
My name is Austin. I was a 19 Delta Cavalry Scout. I served in the Army National Guard from 2009 to 2014. Being in Afghanistan was probably the scariest thing of my life, but at the same time, eye-opening. Changed my life forever. I was in the closet, well, 2009 to 2011, when I finally got deployed. We were all brought into a tent, hear this briefing. High-ranking officials came in and other officers, and they described that Don't Ask, Don't Tell has just been appealed, and gay was okay. We went back to our hooch. My guys, there's like 16 of us, and they kind of wanted a coming out story out of me. And they decided to tell me that it's going to be okay.
7,000 miles away from home, I realized that I had a whole new family. So, leaving the military was quite a challenge. I would've never thought that coming home from such a difficult and challenging place, like Afghanistan, I thought that was going to be the hardest part. And in fact, it was coming home and realizing some of the things that happened there stay with you. If I wouldn't have sought out VA healthcare and mental health treatment, I would not be here today.
My official diagnosis for mental health was post-traumatic stress disorder. It was keeping me from being a soldier. It was keeping me from being a friend. Different materials we used in therapy really helped me a lot. There was using a tape recorder to record times where you felt like you had a flashback. And so, I'd have it in my pocket all the time, or I'd have it on my belt loop, and I'd pull it out and I'd be like, this is how I feel. I'd just had an episode, I had a flashback. I had a traumatic event happen. It is in fact all in your head, but now you're going to understand what's going on in your head. It changed my life forever. Getting treatment has helped me out quite a lot with family and friends, as well as my partner. I can only imagine what it would've been like if I didn't get treatment. With my community and my mental health, it's allowed me to open up and learn a lot. What I want to have happen is to have someone else see this and realize, "Oh, I'm not the only one. It is possible to get help. It is possible to get connected."
