Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Multiple people in my family clean my father are veterans.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
And the troops that have been to war and now
they're back and think and be grateful for their service.
Speaker 3 (00:13):
Sacrifice, love for their country, just unselfishness, all that they
do for us. There are some people in this country
who take extraordinary steps to provide for the freedom and security.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
We forget that those people exist. We know them as
the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard. They
call themselves soldiers, seals, rangers, airmen, sailors, devil dogs, and
so much more. We call them fathers, brothers, sons and husbands, mothers, daughters,
(00:47):
sisters and wives. We call them friend and neighbor. These
veterans answered the call. Now we answer theirs, and they
are the best our country has to offer, and we
love them. Today, we honor them and we serve them.
(01:11):
David Malsby is your host, and he welcomes you to
this community of veterans, as together we are building the
road to hope.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
And indeed we are glad to have you along. Those
of you listening on the KPRC, the nine to five,
OH and the A and DAL thank you for joining us.
Those of you listening through the Magic Podcast. Thank you
for not only listening but sharing share it liberally. That's
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(01:44):
with PTSD Foundation of America all at no costs. So
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(02:08):
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Great people, great location outside of Harris County. Those of
(02:32):
you who live inside Harris County, you understand how that means.
Republic Grand Ranch dot Com. Okay, we're gonna jump into
it because we've got a full studio here. Uh three
veterans here with us today. It's a couple of staff
and one is currently in a program at Camp Hope. Uh, Justin,
we'll start with you and work away around the room,
or by introduce chef.
Speaker 4 (02:53):
Good afternoon. My name is Justin Lewis. I'm the lead
Resident of Liaison at the PTSD Foundation of America Camp Hope,
and I'm an Army veteran and i served two tours
in Iraq seven oh nine. I did a fifteen month
tour and then pretty much we came right back and
we got right back out there. Twenty ten, twenty eleven,
(03:16):
I went back right back to Iraq again for Operation
Iraqi Freedom and a little bit of Operation New Dawn.
But yeah, I've been at Camp Hope for about four
and a half years now and twenty twenty when I
got there September twenty nine, twenty twenty, and then i
graduated the program April the end of April twenty twenty one,
(03:40):
and I've been working there ever since.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
And I'm just.
Speaker 4 (03:42):
Grateful to be here today, and I'm grateful to be
a part of the program.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
Derek, Camp Hope, grateful for what you do.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
Brother Miname's Christopher P. D. Peters. I am a Camp
Hope graduate. I graduated in April. I currently am filling
a role as a mentor in training at Camp. I'm
an Army veteran. I did a tour in Afghanistan in
(04:11):
two thousand and one and two tours in Iraq the
invasion and seven and eight. It's route clearance. Happy to
be here today, Thank.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
You, glad you are. You're up.
Speaker 5 (04:27):
William Kerr, a resident of Camp Hope, US Army veteran,
two tourist to Afghanistan, first one in twenty ten to
twenty eleven, second one in twenty thirteen to twenty fourteen,
doing route clearance as well. Glad to be here today.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
Glad you are so all three of you two deployment
seats right, that would have heard good three. There's a
lot of deployments in this room right now. Oh man, Sir.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
Peter.
Speaker 2 (04:59):
Why'd you doin the army? Why did you choose the army?
Speaker 3 (05:03):
I took college level classes for architecture, doing computer aided design,
and I thought maybe I could do it for the army.
And when I met with the career counselor, he said, oh,
you want to be an engineer, how about a combat engineer,
and I was like, so I designed tanks and planes
(05:23):
and stuff, right, He's like sure, oh gosh, but originally
for college money, you know, and then it turned into
serving something greater than myself.
Speaker 2 (05:36):
What year did you join? Two thousand? Two thousand? Okay,
so if you deployed in one, that was fast first
year in Yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
So I joined something they called the delayed Entry program
in November. My first day of basic training was my birthday,
January twelfth of two thousand and one. Made it to
my unit about April. Then September eleventh happened, and uh,
it's funny story. We were actually slated to do the
(06:08):
Multi Force National Observer Mission mission on the Sinai Peninsula
between Egypt and Israel. And we were slated for that mission.
They were like, oh, yeah, on R and R you
can you know, go scuba diving in the Red Sea.
And then nine to eleven happened and they were like, nope,
that mission scratched. And I was part of the hundred
(06:31):
and first Airborne And with a name like the hundred
and first Airborne, you know you're getting deployed.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
Yeah goodness, Uh, well when did you join it?
Speaker 5 (06:42):
I joined December two thousand and five. Five, Yes, sir,
what what prompted you to do that? I grew up
an army brat. Okay, my dad went to Vietnam, he
had gotten out, became a minister, and then joined the
Army reserves and became a chaplain of the Army. I'm so.
Our first duty station we lived at was in Fort Sill.
(07:04):
Moved from California to there, and so I just kind
of grew up around the military.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
And there's a move to Fort sil Yeah. Oh goodness,
uh yeah, uh. Just a quick reminder for all information
about our foundation. That's our outreach programs, Camp Hope, our
Interim Housing Program for Combat related PTSD ptsd usa dot
(07:30):
org is the website ptsd usa dot org. On social
media would be Facebook x and YouTube PTSD USA PTSD USA.
And our combat Trauma Support line is eight seven seven
seven one seven seventy eight seventy three. Please put that
in your phone. Eight seven seven seven one seven seventy
(07:51):
eight seventy three. We were back more of road to
Hope and welcome back Rode to Hope. Brady got three
(08:20):
Army that's in the studio with us today. Let's see
four seven combat deployments between the three, so you guys
kept punching the frequent flyer card. How long were you
in petie? How long are you in the Army?
Speaker 3 (08:40):
I did four years active and then five years.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
In the reserves. What'd you do your reserves?
Speaker 3 (08:45):
Well, actually between a drill sergeant unit in Philadelphia and
a mechanized engineer unit in Kentucky, which the mechanized in
engineer unit in Kentucky gots which to a route clearance
company and we worked in a bar province under the
Marines because they were short route clearance packages.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
Gotcha, justin I forget. How long were you an Army?
Speaker 4 (09:12):
I was in the Army for six and a half years.
I joined in two thousand and five. I did a
late entry program as well. In two thousand and four.
I was just like man. I went to school for
a little bit and then went to school for about
a year and a half after I got out of
high school. But then I just worked a couple of
jobs like home depot and stuff. And then I was
(09:33):
around with nine to eleven.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
Happened.
Speaker 4 (09:35):
I had just graduated from high school in May, and
then I started going to Peyview University in August and
then nine to eleven happened, and I was very kind
of like, man, that was very traumatic situation that happened,
and I just thought I just kept seeing all the
(09:55):
good guys on TV fighting and going to war, and
I was just like, I think I can do this.
But I've always wanted to do something with aviation, so
I chose aviation. I thought about the Air Force, and
then I thought a little bit about the Marines because
my dad's a marine, and then and then overall, I
was just like, the Army had the best kind of
aviation that I was thinking about doing. So six and
(10:18):
a half years in and then I could have did more.
But I thought I was ready to get out, but
I really wasn't ready to get out come to find out.
But I finally made it to Camp Hope. And it
took a little while because I got out in two
thousand and eleven August around August twenty eleven, and then
from August twenty eleven all the way to September twenty ninth,
(10:41):
twenty twenty, that's how long it took me to figure
out the place that that could help me the way
I needed to help to get on my feet and
get back go in the right direction.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
What was the first time I guess that you really
remember something's not right, something, something's messed up here. It
didn't take long after I got out, so was after
you got out?
Speaker 4 (11:06):
Yeah, it was right immediately because I was like, well,
nobody can tell me where to do no more, so
I'm gonna just sit around for a little while and
go on a long vacation. And then I went from
drinking some corpse lights to smoking a little bit of
marijuana to I got in a motorcycle accident. Then they
gave me some hydro coaton, so I was mixing all
(11:26):
three of those, and I was up in Kansas, and
then I for a Raleigh, Kansas area and then I said, well,
I think I need to go back home to Houston.
And I come back home to Houston thinking things didn't change,
but it actually got a lot worse with the people
that I knew from two thousand and five and then
so I kind of fell back into.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
Whatever they had going on.
Speaker 4 (11:45):
And it was just a long journey about six and
a half years of being homeless, and the first about
three years I was just kind of like keeping my
head above water, you know, I was paying my bills,
but I wasn't you know how that goes, and for
I knew what I got. I had to go to
a mental health facility to get some help. And then
(12:06):
when I came back to my apartment, they had a
padlock on the door because I couldn't pay the rent.
And that was the first time I experienced homelessness. But
it took a while, and finally just being at Camp Hope,
I didn't know how it was gonna go because I've
never been in a program. I had never did naaa,
I never did anything like the program itself. For being
in the military, that was the only program. And then
(12:28):
my mom always makes a joke where it's like you
grew up like the military as well, So you military
wasn't very hard for me, you know, because my dad's Marine.
And then my mom the way she grew up and
where her family is, she kind of like get about
that bit, you know, And so I mean, Camp Hope
kind of put me back into mind state of I
need to, you know, wake up at a certain time,
(12:50):
get up, read, write, have some goals, and lead a
little bit when I can, you know, I asked, asked
for help when I needed not to be afraid to
talk about the things I got going on. So I
still live by those those values too right now, and
I gotta keep keep doing that.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
Yeah. Uh, Well for you, when when did you start
recognizing something someone right?
Speaker 5 (13:18):
Probably during the first deployment, if not immediately after, Like
I guess the old term for it was like shell shops.
So my first tour, uh, we took over an area
that was surrounded the three Taliban commanders.
Speaker 1 (13:34):
Uh.
Speaker 5 (13:34):
The villages were named after him, and so we used
to we built that little combat outpost. We used to
get moordered a lot and rocketed a lot.
Speaker 2 (13:41):
They try to.
Speaker 5 (13:42):
Overrun us, so loud noises would startle us. And like
we returned back from the from the line back to
Bograam to you know, process out and go back out
of country. Like even just a dunk truck driving down
Disney Boulevard, second main road on the air base there,
it hit a pothole or something that loud little of
(14:02):
noise like our whole platoony like jump. So he kind
of knew like we had a little bit of something
going on, but we weren't really sure what exactly, you know,
came along with it. And then when I got back
my dad, you know, being in Vietnam. But he used
to be like, man, you got PTSD. I was like, nah,
I don't have that, And I guess he's seen it
may before I really started to recognize some of the
(14:23):
problems with it.
Speaker 2 (14:26):
How was he from his time in combat?
Speaker 5 (14:32):
He's gotten a little bit better about some things, but
like even now he has like a sleep avenue machine,
and my mom says, like he starts fighting with it
like it's a snake in the jungle and stuff like that.
I know he's still he's still suffering with that all
the way. You know, however many years later it is.
And so I think he got out in nineteen seventy
(14:53):
from Vietnam and he's still dealing with stuff from then.
Speaker 2 (14:58):
Yeah, well Vietnam in particular. Just about any time you
ask one of them, when did you? When did you
leave Vietnam? And the typical responses last night, that's just
the way it is. Okay, so your dad mentioned something,
(15:19):
you're not really into all that, But when did you
finally start looking for some help or didn't help have
to come find you.
Speaker 5 (15:27):
After my second deployment, I started knowing there's really some
bad changes because I became like a deploy what they
call a deployment jumper, Like I would find a unit
that was deployed and I would transfer to that unit.
So some of my time back wasn't very long, and
I was just staying deployed. So like I was noticing
(15:48):
I was having some issues, and I was like, man,
things are kind of get out of control. So I
went to the chaplain and asked him for help, because
that's what they said one of our resources were there.
So we got to the VA and he tried to
turn to an impatient like substance abuse thing. I said, man,
I asked for mental help. And so I kind of
that's what kind of got me pross out to the
(16:08):
military because I flipped out on them. They try to
threaten tak an the MP's and police to come get me.
I told him I'd do what I did overseas.
Speaker 1 (16:17):
You know.
Speaker 5 (16:18):
They're like, yeah, are you armed. I'm like, I'm armed
and all this stuff, and so they kind of backed
off of me and just kind of labeled me a
wall and stuff. I kind of just told my sidy,
I can't come and talk to y'all right now. I'm
not gonna hold military bearing very well. I felt like
I had been betrayed and stuff like that, and I
asked for help and I'm not getting helped, and I
was kind of frustrated. I didn't know where to go
(16:38):
for help at that point.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
So after you're out, what happened.
Speaker 5 (16:48):
That as I was processing out, a lot of stuff
would kind of happened, like end up losing my job
because injury I got on my second deployment and I
do us stuff all my time off and stuff. I
lost a relationship, just like a lot of personal stuff
was happening compound on top of just coming back from
a rotation. So I kind of just went out there
(17:12):
and I defaulted back to a lifestyle I used to
know before I joined the military, and I went back
to selling drugs to try to make ends me since
I didn't have a job, and thats been a long
road in and out of jail in prison for probably
the last ten years because of that, being homeless and
everything else going along with it.
Speaker 2 (17:32):
All Right, We're gonna have to take a news break
for those of you on the U nine to five
O and the AM dial here in Houston. When I
take that quick break, we'll be right back get more
into all three guys stories of what brought you to
Camp Hope and for you, how it's going. How long
have you been at Camp Hope, by the way, how
long since Junie thirty? Oh? Okay, all right, so month
(17:55):
and a half. All right, we're gonna take a quick break,
be right back road to Hope Radio and were welcomed
(18:18):
back David Malsby hero I would hope. We've got Justin,
got Peter, you got Will, all three United States Army
combat veterans. Well, how did you first hear about Camp Hope?
First heard about it?
Speaker 5 (18:36):
I was incarcerated in Gwinnett County, see like late October
twenty twenty four. The guys from the Foundation was doing,
I guess, like a warrior group, which was new when
I was rested there previously in twenty twenty three. They
(18:57):
didn't have all that stuff, but they had a veterans pod.
I got released on prob, went back to South Carolina,
ended up getting a violation, so I had to go
back down there to address that. And he was kind
of breezing through it and he's like, anybody want to
hear about Camp Hope?
Speaker 2 (19:11):
And I was like, what is that?
Speaker 5 (19:12):
So he showed us kind of like a YouTube video,
like the introduction video showing the campus and stuff, and
you know, spoke to us about it and stuff like that.
And what really spoke to me, I guess was he
was also another route clearance guy. He was a combat engineer,
military brat, went through a lot of similar stuff, you know,
(19:32):
got blown up overseas. Life kind of just went to
crap after the military, especially when you're not ready to
get out. So I thought I was gonna be a
career guy. That's all I wanted to do. Is the
only thing that ever fell right, like the right fifth life.
And I was like, well, man, if he went through
something like that too, and he went to this place
and said it changed the trajectory of his life and
(19:54):
helped him out, you know, I'd be willing to check
it out see see what kind of help I could
get from it. End up having to go to Georgia
Department at Corrections finish up my time, and then stayed
in contact with James and contacted him when I was
getting ready to get out, and kind about about two
and a half weeks and made a decision to pull
(20:16):
the trigger on it and come out here and see
if I can get some hope.
Speaker 2 (20:20):
James does great work, great work over there. Yeah, he
does really good work. And we talked so much about
Camp Hope. We should address what we do outside of
Camp Hope a little more than we do. But we
run outreach groups for instance there in the Atlanta area,
Tampa Bay, we're in Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex, San Antonio.
(20:43):
Of course, we're in groups all across the Houston area,
and then we have a virtual couple of virtual groups
also support groups for the family members. It's imperative for
that long term success that we're looking for in our
veterans general with PTSD, that you've got to help the
(21:04):
family understand of what's going on and how they can
help and not make it worse. So those support groups
are run all again no charge, and all that information
is available on the website PTSD USA dot org. But
just it's interesting to me because we get so many
guys from veterans courts across the country and that's part
(21:30):
of what you handle, right.
Speaker 4 (21:32):
Yes, sir, definitely, me being the lead resident liaison, you know,
trying to break this down as as quick as I can.
Speaker 2 (21:41):
But a lot it's a different day every day.
Speaker 4 (21:45):
In it, so I have to meet guys, what are
at and so many different situations every day. But like
when they told me about the job that they wanted
me to become the lead resident liaison, it was like,
I just remember this I have to do help out
was illegal, the financial and the medical concerns of the residents,
you know, and those If I just remember those three things,
(22:08):
then I could be I would be okay. So when
something happens, like maybe it's a child support, maybe it's
a guy just having the traffic ticket, maybe it's a
guy dealing with financial issues he never had addressed in
about ten years, you know, kind of like all these
are my situations. So I kind of like to say
(22:31):
pass on the blessings I've received. I have to live
by that too, and just meet guys where are at
and and just talk to them and listen active listening,
and like Veterans Court, Harrison County Veterans Court, that's a
big one.
Speaker 2 (22:46):
There's one in Atlanta.
Speaker 4 (22:47):
We have a lot of guys with that court out there,
Montgomery County, Galveston County. But we really do just help
all over the nation. And then we've helped out guys.
That's coming from, you know, in taking out of the Philippines, Brazil.
So we definitely can just meet guys wherever they are
at and we will get you here free of charge.
(23:08):
And we've reunited families that haven't seen each other in
twenty thirty years. So that's about I think those are
some good bullet points about how we help with the
intake and the legal department, but we always are here
to help, like everyone. We all kind of like Romans twelve.
(23:28):
That's like one of my favorite parts of the Bible.
It just says, be good at what you are good at.
You know, some good guys are good at listening, some
guys are good at talking, some guys are good at
just driving. Guys places, they got good driving skills, so
we put them guys in those positions and we just
try to do our best. Be the best version of yourself.
(23:50):
I've learned all this at Camp Hope. Everything I'm saying
I wouldn't be able to say if I hadn't come
to Camp Ope and just hear these things over and over.
Progress is not perfection, the best version of yourself, you know,
and one day at a time, these are just things, Yeah,
I learned each and every day. How long were you
(24:11):
in the program at Camp? I got there September twenty nine,
twenty twenty. So I was just like like these guys
when they say, man, I've been here four months, I
need to go to Yellow.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
I was thinking the same way.
Speaker 4 (24:24):
I stayed in Alphabet for five months, and I thought
I was gonna be four months. But then we got
here with COVID in twenty twenty, we had COVID going on.
Twenty twenty one, we had COVID going on. So I
did seven months in the program Camp Hope, and then
like my last couple of weeks, they were already talking
(24:45):
to me about what's your plans next. I'll say, I'm
not going nowhere. I can't go nowhere right now. I
still got tickets I need to pay for. I still
got My percentage was at ten percent and I was
trying to get you know, and I'm at one hundred percent.
So I know that how guys feel when they coming
there's that guy zero. You can do it. You just
got to just keep at it and keep asking questions,
(25:08):
keep listening, keep your eyes and ears open, and you know,
take a little bit from each person like you might
take a little bit from me, take a little bit
for pet, take a little bit from passor Mosby, take
a little bit from everybody, and then just form your
own program that where it works towards you and your goals.
And I can keep on going on about it, but
I think that's we got a little more time left.
Speaker 2 (25:29):
Right Well, you know, when I think about though, seven months,
it's pretty remarkable understanding what you came through because you
touched on the homeless department. When it's that long and
you're in that mindset for that long, it's pretty impressive
to get through the program. And certainly where you're at today,
(25:53):
thank you. That's seven months. That's pretty it's pretty good.
Speaker 4 (25:57):
It wasn't easy at times, like I could relate it's been.
It was a couple of times where I'll even give
career Brendan Harsberg like we were in the same base.
Let's go take a walk to the cross and we talked,
and I've had that happen where it'd be people that
you don't really think it's gonna be that person to
help you that it comes to your aid. Let's pray
about it, Let's let's read the AA book or in
(26:18):
a book, let's let's talk about this, you know, and
it's a peer to peer support program, definitely.
Speaker 2 (26:23):
So Petie, how long did it take you could go
through the program?
Speaker 3 (26:28):
It took me eight months, and then I did a
Green phase for two months before I actually applied to
the MIT position. So I was already doing mental health
peer support training in a part of my Green phase
and a mentor came to me and said, you know,
(26:48):
hypothetically there was a position open. Would you be interested?
And the first thing I said, well, hypothetically, yes I would,
and I mean to give back to the place that
help me save my own life.
Speaker 2 (27:06):
When you look back on that time, the eight months
in the program and then two in green, what's the
most What's the thing that stands out the most to
you about that time?
Speaker 3 (27:19):
Learning to be honest with myself. That was a big
thing I had to deal with. Learning to be honest
with myself made it possible for me to be honest
with everybody else. That was a really big deal for me.
Speaker 2 (27:36):
Okay, so how long you've been in my Tina?
Speaker 3 (27:42):
I am about to round out two months and it's
a three month program.
Speaker 4 (27:48):
So all right, he's doing a great job. He was
on weekend duty with me this past weekend. Yeah, I
did him a shout out right now. He did a
great job of being available and just being the best
version of him and that's what we try to allow
guys to do.
Speaker 2 (28:03):
It's uh, it's a wild ride at camp uh both
as it either as a resident or on the staff side.
Either way, but on the staff side that's rough. It's
a rough job and it's not for everybody. But between
weekend duty, do you guys share the bat phone some
(28:24):
or is that all outreach we share? You are sharing? Okay,
so I.
Speaker 3 (28:29):
Haven't been put on that yet.
Speaker 2 (28:31):
Get ready. It's another eye opener. You get a little
bit of everything on that phone. Reminder. PTSD us a
dot org for all things PTSD Foundation of America and
Camp Hope. Big thank you to everybody here that supports
what we do in some way form or other. Lot
(28:51):
of church groups, a lot of businesses come out and
do a lot of volunteer projects. Sometimes they come out
and provide a meal for the guys. However you wherever
it works for you and your company, We love to
have you. PTSD USA dot org. Right, we canna take
a quick break and we'll be back with more of
road to hope right here? All right, Well, taking pretty
(29:30):
easy on you so far. Let me hold you guys. Carry.
We're gonna talk about you for a minute, right all right.
So you were in a court system when you heard
about us, right, Okay, after you're done and you're out
a couple of weeks, you make the decision to come
to camp. Mhm, what's happened so far? I mean you
(29:57):
still have long ways to go. What's happened so far?
Speaker 1 (30:00):
For you?
Speaker 5 (30:04):
We've got to learn some things from these classes, some
different coping skills, like grounding techniques, things like that.
Speaker 2 (30:13):
What's your go to usually walking? What about you? PETI?
Speaker 3 (30:18):
I'm a rock marker, Yes you are, so I with
everything on my rock mark.
Speaker 2 (30:26):
What's yours?
Speaker 4 (30:26):
Justin Well, I got a lot of tools in my
tool bag and toolbox and I do need them all.
So it might go from reading, it goes a little
bit of going outside mindfulness, like being with my dog, walking,
just writing, talking. I found somebody to talk to about
(30:48):
my safe people. I find them and we just have
a conversation and just it comes kind of like muscle memory.
Speaker 2 (30:54):
Now.
Speaker 4 (30:54):
But during the program, I think it was mostly like
going down to that cross and maybe looking at my
seats HM and working on that book and my AA
big book and twelve and twelve, so those like things
in the program. That's what I did, kind of like
you will walk and yep, that's about it for right now.
But I got more to keep going, try to keep
(31:17):
it short.
Speaker 2 (31:23):
Well, not an easy way to bring this up, but
the you had at least one attempt at your own life, right,
I've done it five O my life? Five? Yeah? Wow?
When was the first?
Speaker 5 (31:45):
When I was in the fourth grade?
Speaker 3 (31:48):
Oh? My yeah?
Speaker 5 (31:49):
My first two attempts were in the fourth grade. The
third one was in the seventh grade.
Speaker 2 (31:54):
And two of them.
Speaker 5 (31:58):
One was in between the deployment and one was after
the last deployment.
Speaker 2 (32:03):
Did anyone know the one in between at the army? No? Okay,
your last one was how long ago?
Speaker 5 (32:19):
Probably about two thousand and nineteen.
Speaker 2 (32:23):
I think. What do you think was the driving force
behind that?
Speaker 5 (32:31):
Just a lot of stuff from the Deployment's also like
the depression about not being in and against you know,
some lack of some more felonies and stuff like that.
So it's getting harder to get in. I've been trying
to re enlist and stuff like that, just it's still
really not ready to be out.
Speaker 1 (32:51):
You know.
Speaker 5 (32:52):
That was actually a harder transition that I do more,
have more trible to dealing with that than I do
most anything else. Like the employments, for the most heart
didn't bother me a whole lot. It was not being
able to be in anymore, losing like that sense of purpose,
sure that that brotherhood that I had and stuff like that,
(33:13):
and then just ruining my life. I'll call them drugs.
Just kind of was sick of the way I was living.
How's a relationship with your family? It's on the mend.
It's been a couple of years really since we had talked.
(33:33):
I was locked up in Georgia though, started speaking with
my mom. I'd call her once a week, so we
started speaking again. And then before flying out here, Uh,
me and my dad hadn't spoken at all. Was not
good last time we talked, and I kind of asked
because I had to take a Greyhound up there to
get my last court case under control and finished up
(33:56):
for me to fly out here. I was like, Hey,
we'll be okay if I hung out at the house
until I could, you know, check into a hotel. Sometimes
they got laid check ins and she was like, well,
it's coming from your dad. He says, you can't stay
here the night, We'll get you to court the next
day and all that. So that was a big step.
I was able to call them my Father's Day this
year and say Happy Father's Day. It's been the first
(34:17):
time in several years because we just hadn't been on
speaking terms with each other. I think the more they
got looking at this place and researching about it and
seeing it, they were at first night, we're on board
with it. I think they were thinking it was like
another cop out of me trying to make it look
like I'm doing the right thing, because I've seen me
do well before and then you know, relapse or something
(34:40):
like that. But they're brilliant pressed with Camp Hope. They're like, yeah,
they're kind of start getting all on board for it,
and I think they're seeing the changes and they're actually
wanting to switch where they're donating with all of our
gospel mission to start donating to Camp Hope. Now tell
about CA Hope help out o their veterans. When you
(35:06):
look in the mirror today, what do you see see
myself working on trying to be the best version I
can be. You know, I heard his saying some time back.
You know every setbacks that set up for a comeback,
(35:27):
make this my last comeback. I don't want any more setbacks.
I know there's stole meat bumps in the road ahead,
but oh yes, you can use those as jumps, maybe
make them a little fun or.
Speaker 2 (35:35):
Some sure, nothing wrong with that, man. Uh yeah. We
don't talk about this very often on the show, but
I think every now and then it probably a good
reset for people listening. Maybe this is the first time
you heard the show, maybe it's the hundredths of time.
But studies tell us we're losing up to forty four
(36:00):
veterans every single day to their own hands. That's suicide,
it's addiction, it's it's a problem, and we're trying to
do everything can to put a stop to that. So
there's a reason we do what we do and the
way we do it. Petie, talk to the guy out
(36:23):
there that's struggling and a little too pride prideful, what
would you tell him?
Speaker 3 (36:30):
Ask yourself one question, It is your way working? Because
I know what brought me to camp was my way
wasn't working. So you need to ask yourself is your
way working. And I didn't know anything about Camp Hope
until a fellow veteran told me about it. He was
(36:52):
actually my platoon leader in Iraq. I didn't know a
place like Camp Hope existed. And I think it was
God's plan for me to be told about Camp Hope.
It was God's purpose for me to be there and
get the help that I needed.
Speaker 2 (37:13):
I'm glad you did, and glad for what you're doing
today because now you're going to have the opportunity. I
hear this quite a bit from some of our staff,
and the first time I heard it's kind of set
me back a little bit, like are you pulling my leg?
You're just trying to, you know, make me feel good,
or what are you doing? But I've heard many of
them say a couple of things that were shocking to me.
(37:36):
One was choosing to go to Camp Hope was scarier
than going to war. I had many say that to me.
I've also had many say that their job as a
mentor or whatever I Camp Hope it was more purposeful
(37:57):
to them than their time when they were interact Rafghans.
And I've heard that many many times, and again both
times I kind of like are you are you serious
and they're like, oh, absolutely, absolutely, Well we just got
a little bit of time left, but again you got
a little ways to go still in the program. What
(38:19):
are you hoping to get out of this? Learning?
Speaker 5 (38:24):
Learning better tea techniques to deal with my triggers, which
majority of those are like auditory triggers, some smells, things
like that.
Speaker 2 (38:36):
Learn how to.
Speaker 3 (38:38):
Use better behavior.
Speaker 5 (38:39):
I guess a better reaction when I'm dealing with it,
or recognizing when I'm getting out of control, re acting
out of just kind of what comes with is sometimes
I wouldn't say instinct, it's not really an instinct, but
I guess I'll learned behavior.
Speaker 2 (38:55):
Well, I know there's always a thousand reasons to leave,
and you're doing what you're doing as you see around
our place all the time. It does pay off in
the end. Ptsd us A dot Org. Ptsd us A
dot org Crisis Line eight seven seven seven one seven
seventy eight seventy three. Thanks for joining us. With you
again next week for more of Road to Hope Radio
Multiple people in my family clean my father are veterans.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
And the troops that have been to war and now
they're back and think and be grateful for their service.
Speaker 3 (00:13):
Sacrifice, love for their country, just unselfishness, all that they
do for us. There are some people in this country
who take extraordinary steps to provide for the freedom and security.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
We forget that those people exist. We know them as
the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard. They
call themselves soldiers, seals, rangers, airmen, sailors, devil dogs, and
so much more. We call them fathers, brothers, sons and husbands, mothers, daughters,
(00:47):
sisters and wives. We call them friend and neighbor. These
veterans answered the call. Now we answer theirs, and they
are the best our country has to offer, and we
love them. Today, we honor them and we serve them.
(01:11):
David Malsby is your host, and he welcomes you to
this community of veterans, as together we are building the
road to hope.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
And indeed we are glad to have you along. Those
of you listening on the KPRC, the nine to five,
OH and the A and DAL thank you for joining us.
Those of you listening through the Magic Podcast. Thank you
for not only listening but sharing share it liberally. That's
something you want to do liberally, Just share it with everybody.
Wherever you listen to podcasts, just look for Road to
Hope Radio. It's all free. It's like everything we do
(01:44):
with PTSD Foundation of America all at no costs. So
we do greatly appreciate you listening and sharing. Big thank
you to our sponsors that allow us spend a little
time with you each and every week. A great friends
Billy and Connie Stagner at A Cory Diamond and Design,
ac O ri I Corey Diamond Design and Friends with
two eight one two forty seven fifty five. And because
(02:08):
we all have those oops moments Oops Steam dot com
two A one eight two two zero five six one,
we keep them on speed dial oops Steam dot com.
And then when they are ready to buy your piece
of Texas for your dream home. Republic Grand Ranch dot Com.
Great people, great location outside of Harris County. Those of
(02:32):
you who live inside Harris County, you understand how that means.
Republic Grand Ranch dot Com. Okay, we're gonna jump into
it because we've got a full studio here. Uh three
veterans here with us today. It's a couple of staff
and one is currently in a program at Camp Hope. Uh, Justin,
we'll start with you and work away around the room,
or by introduce chef.
Speaker 4 (02:53):
Good afternoon. My name is Justin Lewis. I'm the lead
Resident of Liaison at the PTSD Foundation of America Camp Hope,
and I'm an Army veteran and i served two tours
in Iraq seven oh nine. I did a fifteen month
tour and then pretty much we came right back and
we got right back out there. Twenty ten, twenty eleven,
(03:16):
I went back right back to Iraq again for Operation
Iraqi Freedom and a little bit of Operation New Dawn.
But yeah, I've been at Camp Hope for about four
and a half years now and twenty twenty when I
got there September twenty nine, twenty twenty, and then i
graduated the program April the end of April twenty twenty one,
(03:40):
and I've been working there ever since.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
And I'm just.
Speaker 4 (03:42):
Grateful to be here today, and I'm grateful to be
a part of the program.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
Derek, Camp Hope, grateful for what you do.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
Brother Miname's Christopher P. D. Peters. I am a Camp
Hope graduate. I graduated in April. I currently am filling
a role as a mentor in training at Camp. I'm
an Army veteran. I did a tour in Afghanistan in
(04:11):
two thousand and one and two tours in Iraq the
invasion and seven and eight. It's route clearance. Happy to
be here today, Thank.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
You, glad you are. You're up.
Speaker 5 (04:27):
William Kerr, a resident of Camp Hope, US Army veteran,
two tourist to Afghanistan, first one in twenty ten to
twenty eleven, second one in twenty thirteen to twenty fourteen,
doing route clearance as well. Glad to be here today.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
Glad you are so all three of you two deployment
seats right, that would have heard good three. There's a
lot of deployments in this room right now. Oh man, Sir.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
Peter.
Speaker 2 (04:59):
Why'd you doin the army? Why did you choose the army?
Speaker 3 (05:03):
I took college level classes for architecture, doing computer aided design,
and I thought maybe I could do it for the army.
And when I met with the career counselor, he said, oh,
you want to be an engineer, how about a combat engineer,
and I was like, so I designed tanks and planes
(05:23):
and stuff, right, He's like sure, oh gosh, but originally
for college money, you know, and then it turned into
serving something greater than myself.
Speaker 2 (05:36):
What year did you join? Two thousand? Two thousand? Okay,
so if you deployed in one, that was fast first
year in Yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
So I joined something they called the delayed Entry program
in November. My first day of basic training was my birthday,
January twelfth of two thousand and one. Made it to
my unit about April. Then September eleventh happened, and uh,
it's funny story. We were actually slated to do the
(06:08):
Multi Force National Observer Mission mission on the Sinai Peninsula
between Egypt and Israel. And we were slated for that mission.
They were like, oh, yeah, on R and R you
can you know, go scuba diving in the Red Sea.
And then nine to eleven happened and they were like, nope,
that mission scratched. And I was part of the hundred
(06:31):
and first Airborne And with a name like the hundred
and first Airborne, you know you're getting deployed.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
Yeah goodness, Uh, well when did you join it?
Speaker 5 (06:42):
I joined December two thousand and five. Five, Yes, sir,
what what prompted you to do that? I grew up
an army brat. Okay, my dad went to Vietnam, he
had gotten out, became a minister, and then joined the
Army reserves and became a chaplain of the Army. I'm so.
Our first duty station we lived at was in Fort Sill.
(07:04):
Moved from California to there, and so I just kind
of grew up around the military.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
And there's a move to Fort sil Yeah. Oh goodness,
uh yeah, uh. Just a quick reminder for all information
about our foundation. That's our outreach programs, Camp Hope, our
Interim Housing Program for Combat related PTSD ptsd usa dot
(07:30):
org is the website ptsd usa dot org. On social
media would be Facebook x and YouTube PTSD USA PTSD USA.
And our combat Trauma Support line is eight seven seven
seven one seven seventy eight seventy three. Please put that
in your phone. Eight seven seven seven one seven seventy
(07:51):
eight seventy three. We were back more of road to
Hope and welcome back Rode to Hope. Brady got three
(08:20):
Army that's in the studio with us today. Let's see
four seven combat deployments between the three, so you guys
kept punching the frequent flyer card. How long were you
in petie? How long are you in the Army?
Speaker 3 (08:40):
I did four years active and then five years.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
In the reserves. What'd you do your reserves?
Speaker 3 (08:45):
Well, actually between a drill sergeant unit in Philadelphia and
a mechanized engineer unit in Kentucky, which the mechanized in
engineer unit in Kentucky gots which to a route clearance
company and we worked in a bar province under the
Marines because they were short route clearance packages.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
Gotcha, justin I forget. How long were you an Army?
Speaker 4 (09:12):
I was in the Army for six and a half years.
I joined in two thousand and five. I did a
late entry program as well. In two thousand and four.
I was just like man. I went to school for
a little bit and then went to school for about
a year and a half after I got out of
high school. But then I just worked a couple of
jobs like home depot and stuff. And then I was
(09:33):
around with nine to eleven.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
Happened.
Speaker 4 (09:35):
I had just graduated from high school in May, and
then I started going to Peyview University in August and
then nine to eleven happened, and I was very kind
of like, man, that was very traumatic situation that happened,
and I just thought I just kept seeing all the
(09:55):
good guys on TV fighting and going to war, and
I was just like, I think I can do this.
But I've always wanted to do something with aviation, so
I chose aviation. I thought about the Air Force, and
then I thought a little bit about the Marines because
my dad's a marine, and then and then overall, I
was just like, the Army had the best kind of
aviation that I was thinking about doing. So six and
(10:18):
a half years in and then I could have did more.
But I thought I was ready to get out, but
I really wasn't ready to get out come to find out.
But I finally made it to Camp Hope. And it
took a little while because I got out in two
thousand and eleven August around August twenty eleven, and then
from August twenty eleven all the way to September twenty ninth,
(10:41):
twenty twenty, that's how long it took me to figure
out the place that that could help me the way
I needed to help to get on my feet and
get back go in the right direction.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
What was the first time I guess that you really
remember something's not right, something, something's messed up here. It
didn't take long after I got out, so was after
you got out?
Speaker 4 (11:06):
Yeah, it was right immediately because I was like, well,
nobody can tell me where to do no more, so
I'm gonna just sit around for a little while and
go on a long vacation. And then I went from
drinking some corpse lights to smoking a little bit of
marijuana to I got in a motorcycle accident. Then they
gave me some hydro coaton, so I was mixing all
(11:26):
three of those, and I was up in Kansas, and
then I for a Raleigh, Kansas area and then I said, well,
I think I need to go back home to Houston.
And I come back home to Houston thinking things didn't change,
but it actually got a lot worse with the people
that I knew from two thousand and five and then
so I kind of fell back into.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
Whatever they had going on.
Speaker 4 (11:45):
And it was just a long journey about six and
a half years of being homeless, and the first about
three years I was just kind of like keeping my
head above water, you know, I was paying my bills,
but I wasn't you know how that goes, and for
I knew what I got. I had to go to
a mental health facility to get some help. And then
(12:06):
when I came back to my apartment, they had a
padlock on the door because I couldn't pay the rent.
And that was the first time I experienced homelessness. But
it took a while, and finally just being at Camp Hope,
I didn't know how it was gonna go because I've
never been in a program. I had never did naaa,
I never did anything like the program itself. For being
in the military, that was the only program. And then
(12:28):
my mom always makes a joke where it's like you
grew up like the military as well, So you military
wasn't very hard for me, you know, because my dad's Marine.
And then my mom the way she grew up and
where her family is, she kind of like get about
that bit, you know, And so I mean, Camp Hope
kind of put me back into mind state of I
need to, you know, wake up at a certain time,
(12:50):
get up, read, write, have some goals, and lead a
little bit when I can, you know, I asked, asked
for help when I needed not to be afraid to
talk about the things I got going on. So I
still live by those those values too right now, and
I gotta keep keep doing that.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
Yeah. Uh, Well for you, when when did you start
recognizing something someone right?
Speaker 5 (13:18):
Probably during the first deployment, if not immediately after, Like
I guess the old term for it was like shell shops.
So my first tour, uh, we took over an area
that was surrounded the three Taliban commanders.
Speaker 1 (13:34):
Uh.
Speaker 5 (13:34):
The villages were named after him, and so we used
to we built that little combat outpost. We used to
get moordered a lot and rocketed a lot.
Speaker 2 (13:41):
They try to.
Speaker 5 (13:42):
Overrun us, so loud noises would startle us. And like
we returned back from the from the line back to
Bograam to you know, process out and go back out
of country. Like even just a dunk truck driving down
Disney Boulevard, second main road on the air base there,
it hit a pothole or something that loud little of
(14:02):
noise like our whole platoony like jump. So he kind
of knew like we had a little bit of something
going on, but we weren't really sure what exactly, you know,
came along with it. And then when I got back
my dad, you know, being in Vietnam. But he used
to be like, man, you got PTSD. I was like, nah,
I don't have that, And I guess he's seen it
may before I really started to recognize some of the
(14:23):
problems with it.
Speaker 2 (14:26):
How was he from his time in combat?
Speaker 5 (14:32):
He's gotten a little bit better about some things, but
like even now he has like a sleep avenue machine,
and my mom says, like he starts fighting with it
like it's a snake in the jungle and stuff like that.
I know he's still he's still suffering with that all
the way. You know, however many years later it is.
And so I think he got out in nineteen seventy
(14:53):
from Vietnam and he's still dealing with stuff from then.
Speaker 2 (14:58):
Yeah, well Vietnam in particular. Just about any time you
ask one of them, when did you? When did you
leave Vietnam? And the typical responses last night, that's just
the way it is. Okay, so your dad mentioned something,
(15:19):
you're not really into all that, But when did you
finally start looking for some help or didn't help have
to come find you.
Speaker 5 (15:27):
After my second deployment, I started knowing there's really some
bad changes because I became like a deploy what they
call a deployment jumper, Like I would find a unit
that was deployed and I would transfer to that unit.
So some of my time back wasn't very long, and
I was just staying deployed. So like I was noticing
(15:48):
I was having some issues, and I was like, man,
things are kind of get out of control. So I
went to the chaplain and asked him for help, because
that's what they said one of our resources were there.
So we got to the VA and he tried to
turn to an impatient like substance abuse thing. I said, man,
I asked for mental help. And so I kind of
that's what kind of got me pross out to the
(16:08):
military because I flipped out on them. They try to
threaten tak an the MP's and police to come get me.
I told him I'd do what I did overseas.
Speaker 1 (16:17):
You know.
Speaker 5 (16:18):
They're like, yeah, are you armed. I'm like, I'm armed
and all this stuff, and so they kind of backed
off of me and just kind of labeled me a
wall and stuff. I kind of just told my sidy,
I can't come and talk to y'all right now. I'm
not gonna hold military bearing very well. I felt like
I had been betrayed and stuff like that, and I
asked for help and I'm not getting helped, and I
was kind of frustrated. I didn't know where to go
(16:38):
for help at that point.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
So after you're out, what happened.
Speaker 5 (16:48):
That as I was processing out, a lot of stuff
would kind of happened, like end up losing my job
because injury I got on my second deployment and I
do us stuff all my time off and stuff. I
lost a relationship, just like a lot of personal stuff
was happening compound on top of just coming back from
a rotation. So I kind of just went out there
(17:12):
and I defaulted back to a lifestyle I used to
know before I joined the military, and I went back
to selling drugs to try to make ends me since
I didn't have a job, and thats been a long
road in and out of jail in prison for probably
the last ten years because of that, being homeless and
everything else going along with it.
Speaker 2 (17:32):
All Right, We're gonna have to take a news break
for those of you on the U nine to five
O and the AM dial here in Houston. When I
take that quick break, we'll be right back get more
into all three guys stories of what brought you to
Camp Hope and for you, how it's going. How long
have you been at Camp Hope, by the way, how
long since Junie thirty? Oh? Okay, all right, so month
(17:55):
and a half. All right, we're gonna take a quick break,
be right back road to Hope Radio and were welcomed
(18:18):
back David Malsby hero I would hope. We've got Justin,
got Peter, you got Will, all three United States Army
combat veterans. Well, how did you first hear about Camp Hope?
First heard about it?
Speaker 5 (18:36):
I was incarcerated in Gwinnett County, see like late October
twenty twenty four. The guys from the Foundation was doing,
I guess, like a warrior group, which was new when
I was rested there previously in twenty twenty three. They
(18:57):
didn't have all that stuff, but they had a veterans pod.
I got released on prob, went back to South Carolina,
ended up getting a violation, so I had to go
back down there to address that. And he was kind
of breezing through it and he's like, anybody want to
hear about Camp Hope?
Speaker 2 (19:11):
And I was like, what is that?
Speaker 5 (19:12):
So he showed us kind of like a YouTube video,
like the introduction video showing the campus and stuff, and
you know, spoke to us about it and stuff like that.
And what really spoke to me, I guess was he
was also another route clearance guy. He was a combat engineer,
military brat, went through a lot of similar stuff, you know,
(19:32):
got blown up overseas. Life kind of just went to
crap after the military, especially when you're not ready to
get out. So I thought I was gonna be a
career guy. That's all I wanted to do. Is the
only thing that ever fell right, like the right fifth life.
And I was like, well, man, if he went through
something like that too, and he went to this place
and said it changed the trajectory of his life and
(19:54):
helped him out, you know, I'd be willing to check
it out see see what kind of help I could
get from it. End up having to go to Georgia
Department at Corrections finish up my time, and then stayed
in contact with James and contacted him when I was
getting ready to get out, and kind about about two
and a half weeks and made a decision to pull
(20:16):
the trigger on it and come out here and see
if I can get some hope.
Speaker 2 (20:20):
James does great work, great work over there. Yeah, he
does really good work. And we talked so much about
Camp Hope. We should address what we do outside of
Camp Hope a little more than we do. But we
run outreach groups for instance there in the Atlanta area,
Tampa Bay, we're in Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex, San Antonio.
(20:43):
Of course, we're in groups all across the Houston area,
and then we have a virtual couple of virtual groups
also support groups for the family members. It's imperative for
that long term success that we're looking for in our
veterans general with PTSD, that you've got to help the
(21:04):
family understand of what's going on and how they can
help and not make it worse. So those support groups
are run all again no charge, and all that information
is available on the website PTSD USA dot org. But
just it's interesting to me because we get so many
guys from veterans courts across the country and that's part
(21:30):
of what you handle, right.
Speaker 4 (21:32):
Yes, sir, definitely, me being the lead resident liaison, you know,
trying to break this down as as quick as I can.
Speaker 2 (21:41):
But a lot it's a different day every day.
Speaker 4 (21:45):
In it, so I have to meet guys, what are
at and so many different situations every day. But like
when they told me about the job that they wanted
me to become the lead resident liaison, it was like,
I just remember this I have to do help out
was illegal, the financial and the medical concerns of the residents,
you know, and those If I just remember those three things,
(22:08):
then I could be I would be okay. So when
something happens, like maybe it's a child support, maybe it's
a guy just having the traffic ticket, maybe it's a
guy dealing with financial issues he never had addressed in
about ten years, you know, kind of like all these
are my situations. So I kind of like to say
(22:31):
pass on the blessings I've received. I have to live
by that too, and just meet guys where are at
and and just talk to them and listen active listening,
and like Veterans Court, Harrison County Veterans Court, that's a
big one.
Speaker 2 (22:46):
There's one in Atlanta.
Speaker 4 (22:47):
We have a lot of guys with that court out there,
Montgomery County, Galveston County. But we really do just help
all over the nation. And then we've helped out guys.
That's coming from, you know, in taking out of the Philippines, Brazil.
So we definitely can just meet guys wherever they are
at and we will get you here free of charge.
(23:08):
And we've reunited families that haven't seen each other in
twenty thirty years. So that's about I think those are
some good bullet points about how we help with the
intake and the legal department, but we always are here
to help, like everyone. We all kind of like Romans twelve.
(23:28):
That's like one of my favorite parts of the Bible.
It just says, be good at what you are good at.
You know, some good guys are good at listening, some
guys are good at talking, some guys are good at
just driving. Guys places, they got good driving skills, so
we put them guys in those positions and we just
try to do our best. Be the best version of yourself.
(23:50):
I've learned all this at Camp Hope. Everything I'm saying
I wouldn't be able to say if I hadn't come
to Camp Ope and just hear these things over and over.
Progress is not perfection, the best version of yourself, you know,
and one day at a time, these are just things, Yeah,
I learned each and every day. How long were you
(24:11):
in the program at Camp? I got there September twenty nine,
twenty twenty. So I was just like like these guys
when they say, man, I've been here four months, I
need to go to Yellow.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
I was thinking the same way.
Speaker 4 (24:24):
I stayed in Alphabet for five months, and I thought
I was gonna be four months. But then we got
here with COVID in twenty twenty, we had COVID going on.
Twenty twenty one, we had COVID going on. So I
did seven months in the program Camp Hope, and then
like my last couple of weeks, they were already talking
(24:45):
to me about what's your plans next. I'll say, I'm
not going nowhere. I can't go nowhere right now. I
still got tickets I need to pay for. I still
got My percentage was at ten percent and I was
trying to get you know, and I'm at one hundred percent.
So I know that how guys feel when they coming
there's that guy zero. You can do it. You just
got to just keep at it and keep asking questions,
(25:08):
keep listening, keep your eyes and ears open, and you know,
take a little bit from each person like you might
take a little bit from me, take a little bit
for pet, take a little bit from passor Mosby, take
a little bit from everybody, and then just form your
own program that where it works towards you and your goals.
And I can keep on going on about it, but
I think that's we got a little more time left.
Speaker 2 (25:29):
Right Well, you know, when I think about though, seven months,
it's pretty remarkable understanding what you came through because you
touched on the homeless department. When it's that long and
you're in that mindset for that long, it's pretty impressive
to get through the program. And certainly where you're at today,
(25:53):
thank you. That's seven months. That's pretty it's pretty good.
Speaker 4 (25:57):
It wasn't easy at times, like I could relate it's been.
It was a couple of times where I'll even give
career Brendan Harsberg like we were in the same base.
Let's go take a walk to the cross and we talked,
and I've had that happen where it'd be people that
you don't really think it's gonna be that person to
help you that it comes to your aid. Let's pray
about it, Let's let's read the AA book or in
(26:18):
a book, let's let's talk about this, you know, and
it's a peer to peer support program, definitely.
Speaker 2 (26:23):
So Petie, how long did it take you could go
through the program?
Speaker 3 (26:28):
It took me eight months, and then I did a
Green phase for two months before I actually applied to
the MIT position. So I was already doing mental health
peer support training in a part of my Green phase
and a mentor came to me and said, you know,
(26:48):
hypothetically there was a position open. Would you be interested?
And the first thing I said, well, hypothetically, yes I would,
and I mean to give back to the place that
help me save my own life.
Speaker 2 (27:06):
When you look back on that time, the eight months
in the program and then two in green, what's the
most What's the thing that stands out the most to
you about that time?
Speaker 3 (27:19):
Learning to be honest with myself. That was a big
thing I had to deal with. Learning to be honest
with myself made it possible for me to be honest
with everybody else. That was a really big deal for me.
Speaker 2 (27:36):
Okay, so how long you've been in my Tina?
Speaker 3 (27:42):
I am about to round out two months and it's
a three month program.
Speaker 4 (27:48):
So all right, he's doing a great job. He was
on weekend duty with me this past weekend. Yeah, I
did him a shout out right now. He did a
great job of being available and just being the best
version of him and that's what we try to allow
guys to do.
Speaker 2 (28:03):
It's uh, it's a wild ride at camp uh both
as it either as a resident or on the staff side.
Either way, but on the staff side that's rough. It's
a rough job and it's not for everybody. But between
weekend duty, do you guys share the bat phone some
(28:24):
or is that all outreach we share? You are sharing? Okay,
so I.
Speaker 3 (28:29):
Haven't been put on that yet.
Speaker 2 (28:31):
Get ready. It's another eye opener. You get a little
bit of everything on that phone. Reminder. PTSD us a
dot org for all things PTSD Foundation of America and
Camp Hope. Big thank you to everybody here that supports
what we do in some way form or other. Lot
(28:51):
of church groups, a lot of businesses come out and
do a lot of volunteer projects. Sometimes they come out
and provide a meal for the guys. However you wherever
it works for you and your company, We love to
have you. PTSD USA dot org. Right, we canna take
a quick break and we'll be back with more of
road to hope right here? All right, Well, taking pretty
(29:30):
easy on you so far. Let me hold you guys. Carry.
We're gonna talk about you for a minute, right all right.
So you were in a court system when you heard
about us, right, Okay, after you're done and you're out
a couple of weeks, you make the decision to come
to camp. Mhm, what's happened so far? I mean you
(29:57):
still have long ways to go. What's happened so far?
Speaker 1 (30:00):
For you?
Speaker 5 (30:04):
We've got to learn some things from these classes, some
different coping skills, like grounding techniques, things like that.
Speaker 2 (30:13):
What's your go to usually walking? What about you? PETI?
Speaker 3 (30:18):
I'm a rock marker, Yes you are, so I with
everything on my rock mark.
Speaker 2 (30:26):
What's yours?
Speaker 4 (30:26):
Justin Well, I got a lot of tools in my
tool bag and toolbox and I do need them all.
So it might go from reading, it goes a little
bit of going outside mindfulness, like being with my dog, walking,
just writing, talking. I found somebody to talk to about
(30:48):
my safe people. I find them and we just have
a conversation and just it comes kind of like muscle memory.
Speaker 2 (30:54):
Now.
Speaker 4 (30:54):
But during the program, I think it was mostly like
going down to that cross and maybe looking at my
seats HM and working on that book and my AA
big book and twelve and twelve, so those like things
in the program. That's what I did, kind of like
you will walk and yep, that's about it for right now.
But I got more to keep going, try to keep
(31:17):
it short.
Speaker 2 (31:23):
Well, not an easy way to bring this up, but
the you had at least one attempt at your own life, right,
I've done it five O my life? Five? Yeah? Wow?
When was the first?
Speaker 5 (31:45):
When I was in the fourth grade?
Speaker 3 (31:48):
Oh? My yeah?
Speaker 5 (31:49):
My first two attempts were in the fourth grade. The
third one was in the seventh grade.
Speaker 2 (31:54):
And two of them.
Speaker 5 (31:58):
One was in between the deployment and one was after
the last deployment.
Speaker 2 (32:03):
Did anyone know the one in between at the army? No? Okay,
your last one was how long ago?
Speaker 5 (32:19):
Probably about two thousand and nineteen.
Speaker 2 (32:23):
I think. What do you think was the driving force
behind that?
Speaker 5 (32:31):
Just a lot of stuff from the Deployment's also like
the depression about not being in and against you know,
some lack of some more felonies and stuff like that.
So it's getting harder to get in. I've been trying
to re enlist and stuff like that, just it's still
really not ready to be out.
Speaker 1 (32:51):
You know.
Speaker 5 (32:52):
That was actually a harder transition that I do more,
have more trible to dealing with that than I do
most anything else. Like the employments, for the most heart
didn't bother me a whole lot. It was not being
able to be in anymore, losing like that sense of purpose,
sure that that brotherhood that I had and stuff like that,
(33:13):
and then just ruining my life. I'll call them drugs.
Just kind of was sick of the way I was living.
How's a relationship with your family? It's on the mend.
It's been a couple of years really since we had talked.
(33:33):
I was locked up in Georgia though, started speaking with
my mom. I'd call her once a week, so we
started speaking again. And then before flying out here, Uh,
me and my dad hadn't spoken at all. Was not
good last time we talked, and I kind of asked
because I had to take a Greyhound up there to
get my last court case under control and finished up
(33:56):
for me to fly out here. I was like, Hey,
we'll be okay if I hung out at the house
until I could, you know, check into a hotel. Sometimes
they got laid check ins and she was like, well,
it's coming from your dad. He says, you can't stay
here the night, We'll get you to court the next
day and all that. So that was a big step.
I was able to call them my Father's Day this
year and say Happy Father's Day. It's been the first
(34:17):
time in several years because we just hadn't been on
speaking terms with each other. I think the more they
got looking at this place and researching about it and
seeing it, they were at first night, we're on board
with it. I think they were thinking it was like
another cop out of me trying to make it look
like I'm doing the right thing, because I've seen me
do well before and then you know, relapse or something
(34:40):
like that. But they're brilliant pressed with Camp Hope. They're like, yeah,
they're kind of start getting all on board for it,
and I think they're seeing the changes and they're actually
wanting to switch where they're donating with all of our
gospel mission to start donating to Camp Hope. Now tell
about CA Hope help out o their veterans. When you
(35:06):
look in the mirror today, what do you see see
myself working on trying to be the best version I
can be. You know, I heard his saying some time back.
You know every setbacks that set up for a comeback,
(35:27):
make this my last comeback. I don't want any more setbacks.
I know there's stole meat bumps in the road ahead,
but oh yes, you can use those as jumps, maybe
make them a little fun or.
Speaker 2 (35:35):
Some sure, nothing wrong with that, man. Uh yeah. We
don't talk about this very often on the show, but
I think every now and then it probably a good
reset for people listening. Maybe this is the first time
you heard the show, maybe it's the hundredths of time.
But studies tell us we're losing up to forty four
(36:00):
veterans every single day to their own hands. That's suicide,
it's addiction, it's it's a problem, and we're trying to
do everything can to put a stop to that. So
there's a reason we do what we do and the
way we do it. Petie, talk to the guy out
(36:23):
there that's struggling and a little too pride prideful, what
would you tell him?
Speaker 3 (36:30):
Ask yourself one question, It is your way working? Because
I know what brought me to camp was my way
wasn't working. So you need to ask yourself is your
way working. And I didn't know anything about Camp Hope
until a fellow veteran told me about it. He was
(36:52):
actually my platoon leader in Iraq. I didn't know a
place like Camp Hope existed. And I think it was
God's plan for me to be told about Camp Hope.
It was God's purpose for me to be there and
get the help that I needed.
Speaker 2 (37:13):
I'm glad you did, and glad for what you're doing
today because now you're going to have the opportunity. I
hear this quite a bit from some of our staff,
and the first time I heard it's kind of set
me back a little bit, like are you pulling my leg?
You're just trying to, you know, make me feel good,
or what are you doing? But I've heard many of
them say a couple of things that were shocking to me.
(37:36):
One was choosing to go to Camp Hope was scarier
than going to war. I had many say that to me.
I've also had many say that their job as a
mentor or whatever I Camp Hope it was more purposeful
(37:57):
to them than their time when they were interact Rafghans.
And I've heard that many many times, and again both
times I kind of like are you are you serious
and they're like, oh, absolutely, absolutely, Well we just got
a little bit of time left, but again you got
a little ways to go still in the program. What
(38:19):
are you hoping to get out of this? Learning?
Speaker 5 (38:24):
Learning better tea techniques to deal with my triggers, which
majority of those are like auditory triggers, some smells, things
like that.
Speaker 2 (38:36):
Learn how to.
Speaker 3 (38:38):
Use better behavior.
Speaker 5 (38:39):
I guess a better reaction when I'm dealing with it,
or recognizing when I'm getting out of control, re acting
out of just kind of what comes with is sometimes
I wouldn't say instinct, it's not really an instinct, but
I guess I'll learned behavior.
Speaker 2 (38:55):
Well, I know there's always a thousand reasons to leave,
and you're doing what you're doing as you see around
our place all the time. It does pay off in
the end. Ptsd us A dot Org. Ptsd us A
dot org Crisis Line eight seven seven seven one seven
seventy eight seventy three. Thanks for joining us. With you
again next week for more of Road to Hope Radio
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