Army veteran helps Airmen build resiliency

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Chad Thompson
  • 341st Missile Wing Public Affairs
MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. --  Eds. note: subjects name has been changed to protect his identity

In 2013, on his last deployment, a U.S. Army veteran was in an explosion that nearly killed him. After struggling through more than two years of therapy and countless surgeries he is still here today to share his journey.

Michael shared his story with Malmstrom Airmen and it was one of courage, strength and resiliency.

For nearly 21 years, Michael served this country and said his body is riddled with scars, some can be seen and others are invisible wounds that have evolved after years of combat stress.

“I have lived it,” said the recipient of three Bronze Stars and five Purple Hearts. Michael has been on more than 20 deployments in his career and said each one changed him.

“I don’t care how tough you are … (a deployment) is going to affect you,” he said.

Divorce, deaths in the family, and financial problems are all daily stressors people cope with. For service members who deploy, dealing with war on a daily basis is a different kind of stress, Michael said.

Managing stress is different for everyone, some might hit a golf ball or take a walk where others might turn to violence, alcohol or breaking the law and getting arrested.

When handling stress turns toward destructive behavior it becomes a bigger concern and seeking the help one needs is not always as easy as it might seem, Michael said.

In some cases there is a stigma that comes with seeking help and Micheal said he fought his medical diagnosis of having post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury for almost 19 years before he really reached out for help.

It wasn’t until his near-death experience when he was “forced” to talk to therapists about his years of trauma.

He underwent almost 10 months of recovery after numerous surgeries he had after the 2013 explosion, during this time he said he was finally able to walk again for the first time in almost two years.

He said doctors were baffled he was walking again and thinks it’s due to his strong will and mental toughness. Michael also credited his successful recovery to the recommendations from his doctors to start going through group therapy.

Despite his negative feelings toward talking about his issues in a group setting he decided to do it.

“I was forced to go to group sessions and I knew it wasn’t something I was going to deal very well with,” he said. “But I also thought it might be good for me and couldn’t help think, ‘What am I going to get out of this?’”

After his initial skepticism he started to see improvements.

“Even though I was forced into (therapy) it was actually helping me,” he said. “What I had realized was more than 16 years of war took a toll on me.

“We all need those people in our lives who help build us up when we are on a destructive path,” he added. “There should be some filter in your brain that says, ‘Dude, you can’t do this!’”

Getting that help was one of the strongest things he could do for himself at that time, he said. It was something he had to revisit once he retired from the military.

“When you are having a bad day and dealing with destructive behavior it’s kind of hard to see it in yourself,” he said. “What triggers your issues may not trigger mine.”

Knowing and understanding those triggers and learning how to sense when those things are bubbling up could be the difference between life and death.

“At the end of the day … you have to use the resources available to you,” Michael said.

*name has been changed