How can you help a veteran with PTSD?

Not just a face in a crowd
PTSD Patrol
Kathie Costos
January 16, 2018

How can you help a veteran with PTSD? The same way they were wounded in the first place. Whenever you see pictures of a wounded service member, you do not see massive crowds surrounding them. You see a few of the members of their own unit coming to help help. And that is how it needs to be done when the wound is cut deeply into their soul.

That is what Point Man International Ministries figured out over 3 decades ago. Treat them like a member of your family unit, know them like a brother or sister and then help them by standing by their side. Then they'll know they really matter.

It isn't good enough to say you understand what they are going through if you do not have a story to tell of your own. You need to be able to share your own struggles with the veteran you are trying to help. In a large group, it seems that everyone is competing to tell their tales as if it is a contest to win as the most miserable.

In small groups, it is more about sharing and caring on a personal level. You can share what caused your heartache and then share with them how you ended up feeling better about your life.

You can be an example of not giving up on yourself as much as you prove you will not give up on them as long as they do everything possible to heal themselves.

You can make sure you stay in contact with them, encourage them to take the steps they need to get where they need to be. 
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Sailor saved from attempted suicide by crewmates

If the sailor was wondering how much his life was worth, the crew just let him know how much he does matter!

Sailor’s suicide attempt prompts heroic response by sub crew
NAVY Times
By: Geoff Ziezulewicz
January 17, 2018

“From gunshot to ambulance took about 7 hours,” Robinson said in the post. “We drove up the river in dense fog, in the dark of night, with intense rain and wind. It was the worst weather I’ve ever seen for something like this.”

The crew of the submarine North Dakota leapt into action after a petty officer attempted suicide by shooting himself in the chest. (Chief Mass Communication Specialist Peter D. Lawlor/Navy)

The crew of the submarine North Dakota raced through bad weather to save a shipmate’s life after an unidentified petty officer shot himself in the chest with his military-issued rifle while the vessel was underway, according to Navy officials and a post on the boat’s Facebook page.

Cmdr. Mark Robinson, the boat’s captain, praised his crew in the post for their feverish efforts on Friday to get the sailor back to land.

Corpsmen leapt into action to treat and stabilize the man’s injuries, while radiomen kept communications open in bad weather, allowing trauma doctors to remotely lend assistance, according to the post.
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'Valhalla' PTSD relief in pro wrestling

'Valhalla' documentary shows vets finding PTSD relief in pro wrestling
WACo Tribune Herald
Carl Hoover
January 17, 2019

Professional wrestling means more than an evening’s entertainment for three Texas wrestlers, who say the sport and the physical training it demands keep them functioning despite post-traumatic stress disorder from their time in combat.

Three professional wrestlers and Army veterans share their story of how wrestling helps them cope with post-traumatic stress disorder in the film “Valhalla Club.” “Valhalla Club” photo

The three — Army veterans and wrestlers Jan Ohrstrom, John Brazier and Eddie Wittern — tell their story in the film “Valhalla Club” that makes its debut at 8 p.m. Thursday at the Waco Hippodrome.

The documentary, written and directed by Waco filmmaker R. Bradley Morris, evolved from a discussion between Ohrstrom and Wittern a few years ago, when both men shared their struggles with PTSD and how wrestling helped them cope with the stresses of dealing with their combat experiences in Iraq.

“It hit me: This is a story that needs to be told,” said Ohrstrom, 36.
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PTSD facility in Aurora VA not happening now?

Veterans react to news of no PTSD facility when new Aurora VA opens
KDVR News FOX 31
Kristin Haubrich
January 17, 2018

"The hardest wound to overcome that I battle every day is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder."  Ian Newland

DENVER -- Department of Veterans Affairs officials announced on Wednesday their new Aurora hospital will no longer have a post-traumatic stress disorder facility when they first open their doors.

FOX31 talked to veterans who are directly affected by the lack of a PTSD facility at the new campus and the delayed opening of the new VA.

“I was in the trail Humvee and an enemy insurgent threw a hand grenade through the top,” combat Army Veteran, Ian Newland said.

Newland’s body is full of shrapnel. He was nearly killed in Iraq in a grenade attack. Over the past decade, he’s overcome several physical wounds, but there’s one not so easy to heal.

“The hardest wound to overcome that I battle every day is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder."

At his lowest point, Newland attempted to take his own life. He said his treatment for PTSD at the Denver VA, only worsened his situation.

“It reminds me of a grade school program. This is what PTSD is, this is how you suffer with it and this is what our text books say how you can overcome it. It did nothing for me. It actually exacerbated my PTSD and made it worse,” Newland said.

Newland traveled more than 300 miles to South Dakota where he received six months of cognitive therapy. He was told that same program would be offered at the new Aurora VA, but it turns out that program won’t be available when they first open.
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Reporter did something good and out popped a miracle

Generous donation allows former service member to bury his wife in accordance to his faith

“One of our members saw the original news clip concerning Mr. Gordon and was very moved,” Goldman said.

Goldman started making some calls. Next thing you know the Dorsey Earl Smith Memory Gardens Funeral Home and Cemetery in Lake Worth made a generous donation.

and now go here for the rest of the article you really have to read for yourself. Great example of what happens when the press does something for the sake of helping...and out pops a miracle!