Stories of Veteran Strength and Resilience

Stories of Veteran Strength and Resilience

Speaker 1:

When I came back at 22, I didn't feel 22 anymore.

Speaker 2:

Been through three combat deployments, seen friends go. Had a lot of close calls myself.

Speaker 3:

Dealing with other people, I got frustrated easily.

Speaker 4:

Everything sounded like a freight train. Just the hyper-vigilance.

Speaker 5:

It takes a long time to shed that alertness.

Speaker 6:

I still had a lot of trouble sleeping.

Speaker 7:

It got to the point where it was almost impossible to deal with.

Speaker 2:

Oftentimes in the military, it's that go it alone attitude.

Speaker 8:

There's no way to do it by yourself. I've tried that road, and it doesn't work.

Speaker 9:

I felt that I was the only one. Until I started connecting with other Veterans.

Speaker 10:

Eventually one day I just walked into the mental health unit at the VA Hospital and said I'd like to see somebody.

Speaker 4:

It takes true strength to ask for help. It's OK to go get help. It's OK to talk to people.

Speaker 2:

Just as you would take care of your weapon or take care of your vehicle, your mission now is to take care of yourself.

Speaker 11:

For the guys who couldn't come back, you owe it to them, because they're not here with their families. And so you owe it to them to live well.