“We’re still comrades.” Army Veteran Describes His Systems of Support
Being outside is healing within itself. I get a lot of energy from nature. Helps keep us alive, helps keep us focused.
My name is Keith. I've been in the army 1981 until 2009. I was a 71 Lima, 75 Bravo, 91 Alpha, 76 Yankee, and a Fire Direction Chief. My expectations was to do well and I did that, but I had to pay the price. I deployed to Bosnia, Germany, Turkey, Honduras, Ecuador. I would come home on leave, and I just didn't feel right. Because while I was off doing my mission, the war was still turning.
The mental issues were in the military also, and from that, I got a medical discharge. I felt that I left when I left, and I didn't fit in anymore. I joined in Philly, the Veterans Empowerment Center. I suffer from MST, PTSD, major depression. The negative things were the symptoms from PTSD, MST and depression. Sleepless nights, hardiness, isolation.
I went through a four-month-long program, and it helped. There's a mental phase, there's a physical phase, there's a camaraderie phase. The best phase was the modalities. They had many modalities. They had many ways of doing things, and not being in particular with one way.
The Veterans Empowerment Center helped too. That's like-minded Veterans coming together for a cause. Because we were all comrades in the military, and we're still comrades.
I'm a nerd by trade, so being in the art museum sets me right. We'll pick a gallery, we'll pick a painting, and we paint our version of that painting. It helped me heal. It helped me forget certain things that are going on. Helps me stay focused. Helps me stay driven.
Taking the first step towards the unknown is the hardest step. The journey's going to be tough, but it gets easier as it goes along. You have to be surrounded by a team first. I got my family support system. I got my nurse practitioner. I got my primary care physician. I have many people to do what needs to be done. I couldn't find things all in one person, so I had many counselors in the military too. Whether it be the chaplain, or my favorite first sergeant. There was always an angel there to help you along the way. And I think I helped them also.
Man is not meant to be alone. We're all meant to love someone. Life is a school for angels and love is the teacher. So do your homework without fear, for death is merely graduation.
