Soldiers Re built
by Amanda Hinds
For centuries, brave men and women have served this country, expecting nothing in return. To no avail, soldiers are left wounded both physically and mentally with no help in sight. Until recently, mental issues such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) were pushed aside. Instead of addressing these problems, service members were told to buck up and act like soldiers. Act like soldiers? Throughout the hardest and most intimidating of situations soldiers do not hide; they stand strong against all odds. So telling them to oppress something that will cause them future distress seems a radical overhaul to say the least.
26-year-old veteran Rick Collier was one such soldier, left behind, abandoned. Collier served in the Marines, First Light Armored Reconnaissance (LAR) Battalion Infantry from 2003 to 2007. He was there for the initial Iraq invasion, and throughout his years experienced severe trauma, mentally and physically. Among his injuries were PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), a blown out shoulder, and a compressed spinal injury. Upon returning from deployment, Collier explained that normal protocols were not met, such as debriefing, a span of therapist visits, and appropriate paperwork. “We didn’t have that,” Collier explains about the lack of help that was offered. “We came home, set up our gear, took leave, and then you just return to work. So none of the therapy was there.”
At the time of Collier’s return he had never even heard of PTSD. It wasn’t until he was discharged that he learned the term. “So, PTSD was not an issue for us when we returned from Iraq,” says Collier. Collier was struggling with depression, alcohol addiction, and insomnia; even his unit was aware of these very apparent issues. “It felt horrible,” Collier explains. “When they don’t offer programs and then when you reach out, you don’t get help, that is what really pushes you to the edge, thinking, ‘Wow, I am alone.’”
This lack of support and the loss of his good friend who was Killed In Action (KIA) in Iraq eventually led Collier to his suicide attempt. Instead of helping Collier attain psychiatric treatment to assist in his readjustment process, his Commanding Officer discharged him from the Marine Corps and proceeded by putting him in the brig for two months. So, instead of lending him a helping hand, his Commanding Officer thought it appropriate to throw him into a military prison.
Receiving a bad conduct discharge, Collier was unable to utilize any of the Veterans of Foreign War benefits. “Nobody will help you unless you have an honorable discharge,” Collier explains. It wasn’t until seven years later that Collier found a Veteran Service Officer in Oregon City that would help him. His claim was put in and the proper paperwork was completed, requesting his benefits back based on his service. Collier explained that any Veteran Service Officer could have helped him, but no one did. “I walked into dozens of VA Hospitals all over California asking for help, and they told me they couldn’t help because I was discharged,” Collier says. Within six months after he filed, Collier had his benefits back and was finally able to start his mental health treatment.
Collier’s life after war was still a battle. Not only was he struggling with emotional and mental issues due to combat, but his job status was shaky and he had lost his newborn girl. “I have been married for seven years, so not only did I lose out, my family, did too,” says Collier.
Due to his firsthand experiences and the pure satisfaction of attaining betterment, Collier founded No Soldier Left Behind. As a nonprofit organization based out of Oregon City, No Soldier Left Behind (NSLB) is dedicated to providing financial resources, assisting veterans through donations made to NSLB for financial hardships, mentor programs, physical recreation, and homeless veteran assistance, along with guiding veterans discharged with less than honorable discharge for discharge upgrades, VA benefits, and disability claims. “I am here to walk them through all of these processes,” Collier says. “I fully believe, despite of a veteran’s situation, if he or she was a combat veteran and comes home with PTSD, it must be addressed regardless of discharge.”
This organization is a huge healing aspect for Collier, which is another reason he started NSLB. “To help a comrade, well, there is no greater feeling,” he says. Currently Collier is running NSLB out of his home. The organization’s goal for next year is to have an office and a recreation center where veterans can come relax, play pool, or read a book. Their five-year goal includes opening 10 locations across the United States and a 10-year goal of 25 offices. NSLB is run by combat veterans, so when branching out, they plan to keep the veteran staff. “This gives them a sense of purpose in life and gives them healing and moving forward and being successful,” Collier says. “That’s what our mission is, to promote success and healing within the veteran community.”
NSLB is also focusing on building programs such as health programs, addiction recovery programs, and their mental program, Project Phoenix, which is scheduled to kick off July 1, 2011. Collier is also looking forward to Comrade Camp this summer, where NSLB will take veterans on camping trips. “We will hike out to the location, just like in the military, camp out, conduct therapy sessions around the fire, and get these guys back into what they use to do,” says Collier, “getting them motivated and back into society.”
Along with the many exciting happenings within NSLB, Collier recently began participating in the Wounded Warrior Project’s Soldier Ride. “I have looked up to the Wounded Warrior Project. I look up to them to take direction,” he says. “A lot of my success is because of their success.”
The Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) is a nonprofit organization founded in 2003 and headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida with several locations throughout the United States. According to their Web site, WWP began when several veterans and friends, greatly moved by the stories of the first wounded service members returning home from Afghanistan and Iraq, took action to help others in need. The program started providing comfort items to wounded service members and grew into a complete rehabilitative effort to assist warriors as they recover and transition back to civilian life.
Through the WWP, Soldier Ride was started in 2004 by Chris Carney, Nick Kraus, Peter Honerkamp, Reggie Cornelia, and Tek Vakalaloma. Like the founders of the WWP, these men wanted to help injured soldiers. What began as concert fundraiser grew into cycling across country. After raising $10,000, Carney began the ride, with Honerkamp and Kraus in charge of logistics. While trekking across country, Carney was recognized by two soldiers stationed at Fort Carson in Colorado—Heath Calhoun and Ryan Kelly—who, with one leg between them, joined the efforts. “It was really inspiring,” Kraus says. “It showed the newly wounded in hospitals that you can lose both your legs and still go out and ride mountains in Colorado on a bicycle or handcycle.”
This spread so much awareness and by the next year all three men, two soldiers, one civilian, rode 4,600 miles together across the country, joined in different cities by groups of other wounded veterans. “It just took off from there,” explains Kraus. “We raised millions of dollars and started giving it to the WWP, which at that time was a small operation.” Eventually the two melded together, now spreading awareness wherever they go.
Soldier Ride has gone across the country three times and has completed approximately 100 regional rides. “We have done hundreds of rides,” Kraus explains in regards to program rides and registered rides. Program rides will not be found on their Web site, for they are available for the warriors only. These rides focus on the rehabilitation of the soldiers, letting them bond with one another, get out of the hospital, and see what they can still do now that things are different. “You can still do the same things, you just do them differently,” Kraus says. “As one warrior put it, ‘It’s the new normal.’”
Collier was introduced to the WWP Soldier Ride by another veteran nonprofit. “I thought, this would help me break out of my shell and get me comfortable with my service, my discharge, and what I am doing now,” he says. Collier admits to not being too involved in ‘fun’ situations since his return from Iraq in 2003. “This was a breaking moment for me,” he said. After arriving at the race, Collier met Kraus. “The next morning I get out there and Nick Kraus introduced himself, thanked me for my service, and we shared a few stories,” Collier says. “What blew my mind is that Nick, who is not even a veteran, started Soldier Ride to help raise funds for Wounded Warriors, and create events for guys like me to come out, get healthy and motivated again.” “I told him, ‘Wow, you did all of this for me.’”
25-year-old Dave Smith, former Marine, who served with Alpha Company, First Battalion, Forth Marine Regiment in Iraq from 2003 to 2007, was also empowered by the WWP Soldier Ride. Former Marine, Clay Hunt, who committed suicide March 31, 2011, was responsible for getting Smith involved in the San Diego WWP, along with the San Diego Soldier Ride. “I was trying to help him get readjusted to civilian life and he actually ended up helping me out more than I was helping him,” Smith says of his relationship with Hunt.
Upon his return home, Smith, like many soldiers, thought little of any issues that needed to be dealt with. “People don’t really realize they have issue to take care of,” he says. “When they come home they are angry or upset, they can’t hold relationships together, they have depression, anxiety, or they can’t sleep at night. They think it’s normal, which is what I thought for a longest time.” These reactions are normal, but dealing with them immediately, before they escalate, is a must. This is where the WWP can help.
“What I see, is that the biggest way to really get help, get things off your chest, and become comfortable talking to people, is to be around other veterans and other people who understand,” Smith says, referring to the WWP Soldier Ride. “I was able to go on the ride and meet a lot of great people and make a lot of friends. These people, since the ride, have called and e-mailed me asking how I was, offering help.”
Kraus became speechless and somewhat emotional when touching on how the WWP actually affects soldiers. “Whether it’s a 72-hour trip or a week-long trip together, you can see the difference within the day,” says Kraus. “I have seen people that didn’t smile for the first five hours they were there and you couldn’t take the grin off their face by day two.” The WWP Soldier Ride helps soldiers reclaim their confidence and strength through the rapture of cycling. “When I finished the ride I felt amazing,” Smith says. “I was actually able to sit down and talk to my girlfriend for the first time about Iraq.”
According to Kraus, the WWP Soldier Ride is trying to do something that has never been done before: run a program that is rehabilitative; raise awareness; and also do fundraising. Wounded Warrior, Soldier Ride, and No Soldier Left Behind are advocates for helping soldiers mentally, physically, and even financially gain their lives back and readjust within society.
Most will never know the horrors soldiers have known, will never feel the pain they have felt, and will never be able to relate to the agonies they have gone through, but listening and raising money can make a difference in their lives.
For more information on how to get involved in any of these inspiring organizations, check out Soldier Ride at www.sr.woundedwarriorproject.org, Wounded Warrior at www.woundedwarriorproject.org, and No Soldier Left Behind at www.no-soldier-left-behind.org.
Amanda Hinds Doyle is a graduate from Kent State University with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications. She is currently a staff writer for Vision Magazine and the Go Green blogger for Examiner.com. Contact her at 330.858.0445 or amandahinds@visionmagazine.com.