Battle Buddies and NAMI, it's a good thing

I have to tell you that I am very proud of the work being done by NAMI and the Veteran's Council. They should be all over the news for all the work they are doing for the sake of veterans.

October 22, 2008

Battle Buddies to aid veterans

Motorcycles and the military have become good buddies over the years.

When the National Alliance of Mental Illness wanted to raise awareness about issues veterans confront daily when returning home, Bumpus Harley-Davidson in Jackson jumped on board.

Before noon Oct. 11, supporters gathered for a road trip to Lakeside Behavioral Health on Brunswick Road in Bartlett for a walk-a-thon. They included Bonita Molbert, Will Norrid, Lloyd Smith and Carol Roy, who all work in the mental health field.

Richard Webb of Milan is an Army and Air Force veteran and avid rider who learned about the group's efforts during a visit to the Jackson motorcycle dealership. "I was drafted in 1966," he said. For about three years, Webb has been back in West Tennessee from the West Coast to care for his parents.

A Jackson Sun article the morning of the Rev Up! event focused attention on 28-year-old mother Aimee Sherrod, who served two tours of duty in Iraq in the Air Force and has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Carol Roy, who is veterans liaison for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, said about 20 percent of service people returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder or depression.

NAMI is working to establish Battle Buddies, which will partner veterans with servicemen and women returning from overseas; and several other groups to address mental illness issues.

"There's the peer thing," Roy said. "They aren't going to tell peers, 'I'm having these nightmares.' It's all right to seek help. There's recovery support. There's help. There's hope."



http://www.marshalltribune.com/story/1471613.html