WEBVTT 1 00:00:05.160 --> 00:00:09.000 Multiple people in my family clean my father, are veterans. 2 00:00:08.839 --> 00:00:11.039 Troops that have been to war and now they're back 3 00:00:11.080 --> 00:00:13.919 and think and be grateful for their service. 4 00:00:13.880 --> 00:00:18.039 Sacrifice, love for their country, just unselfishness, all that they 5 00:00:18.079 --> 00:00:20.480 do for us. There are some people in this country 6 00:00:20.519 --> 00:00:25.199 who take extraordinary steps to provide for the freedom and security. 7 00:00:25.440 --> 00:00:26.879 We forget that those people exist. 8 00:00:27.640 --> 00:00:30.879 We know them as the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, 9 00:00:30.960 --> 00:00:38.920 and Coast Guard. They call themselves soldiers, seals, rangers, airmen, sailors, devil. 10 00:00:38.640 --> 00:00:40.560 Dogs, and so much more. 11 00:00:41.840 --> 00:00:47.320 We call them fathers, brothers, sons and husbands, mothers, daughters, 12 00:00:47.359 --> 00:00:52.759 sisters and wives. We call them friend and neighbor. These 13 00:00:52.840 --> 00:01:00.920 veterans answered the call. Now we answer Theirs are the 14 00:01:00.960 --> 00:01:03.840 best our country has to offer, and we love them. 15 00:01:05.359 --> 00:01:12.760 Today we honor them and we start this. David Malsby 16 00:01:13.120 --> 00:01:16.439 is your host, and he welcomes you to this community 17 00:01:16.439 --> 00:01:23.079 of veterans. As together we are building the road to hope. 18 00:01:23.799 --> 00:01:25.640 And indeed we are glad to have you along. On 19 00:01:25.680 --> 00:01:28.640 a Sunday afternoon on the nine to five o the 20 00:01:28.719 --> 00:01:31.200 AM dial in Houston, Texas, thank you for joining us 21 00:01:31.280 --> 00:01:34.439 wherever you are, if you're listening, to the magic and podcast. 22 00:01:34.519 --> 00:01:37.159 Thank you so very much for listening. Wherever you look 23 00:01:37.280 --> 00:01:39.799 for or listen to your podcast, just look for Road 24 00:01:39.799 --> 00:01:42.719 to Hope Radio. They were, by the way, this week 25 00:01:42.840 --> 00:01:47.640 marks eight years May the seventh, twenty seventeen. I think 26 00:01:47.680 --> 00:01:51.719 the maths right that eight years ago, twenty seventeen, eight 27 00:01:51.799 --> 00:01:54.439 years of Road to Hope Radio. It's been a minute, 28 00:01:54.879 --> 00:01:57.640 so here we are. But wherever you listen to podcasts, 29 00:01:57.680 --> 00:01:59.959 look for Road to Hope Radio. There's eight years of show. 30 00:02:00.200 --> 00:02:04.200 There so a lot of stories for you to listen to, 31 00:02:04.599 --> 00:02:07.439 and we appreciate it when you do, and also especially 32 00:02:08.120 --> 00:02:13.400 when you share the show with your friends, enemies, neighbors, 33 00:02:13.520 --> 00:02:19.919 ex neighbors, whoever. Thank you for sharing. It's absolutely zero cost. 34 00:02:20.039 --> 00:02:22.479 When you go to the app and you look for 35 00:02:22.520 --> 00:02:26.840 Road to Hope, you just hit the subscribe button automatic download. 36 00:02:26.879 --> 00:02:30.879 It will download each and every week, cost you nothing 37 00:02:30.919 --> 00:02:36.000 and get a chance to share share some hope with somebody, 38 00:02:36.120 --> 00:02:37.759 and if you get to be a part of that, 39 00:02:37.759 --> 00:02:40.039 that's a pretty good deal. So thank you for doing that, 40 00:02:40.759 --> 00:02:43.840 and thanks to our show sponsors allows us opportunity to 41 00:02:43.879 --> 00:02:46.080 spend a little time with you each and every week. 42 00:02:47.000 --> 00:02:50.080 Great friends, Billy and Connie Stagner at a Corey Diamond 43 00:02:50.120 --> 00:02:53.240 and Design as aco ri I two eight one four 44 00:02:53.280 --> 00:02:57.159 eight two forty seven fifty five. That special something for 45 00:02:57.240 --> 00:02:59.719 that special someone two eight one four eight two forty 46 00:02:59.759 --> 00:03:03.719 seven fifty five. Do business with people that you trust 47 00:03:03.840 --> 00:03:07.319 and two that share your values. That's a Corey Diamond 48 00:03:07.360 --> 00:03:11.560 and Design. Then oopsteam dot com because wepe we all 49 00:03:11.560 --> 00:03:14.280 have those moments. Oops steam dot com two at one 50 00:03:14.360 --> 00:03:18.120 eight two two zero five six one. We keep them 51 00:03:18.159 --> 00:03:20.360 on the speed dollar around our place. Use them a lot, 52 00:03:20.800 --> 00:03:25.400 oopsteam dot com. And when you're ready to to buy 53 00:03:25.479 --> 00:03:29.479 that piece of Texas where you're gonna build your dream home, 54 00:03:29.879 --> 00:03:34.120 Republic Grand Ranch dot com. It's not enough just to 55 00:03:34.159 --> 00:03:37.479 have the right home, but the right location. And you're 56 00:03:37.479 --> 00:03:41.199 not gonna find a better spot than Republic Grand Ranch 57 00:03:41.360 --> 00:03:44.400 dot com. All right, we got a couple of guys 58 00:03:44.520 --> 00:03:48.840 in the studio with us today. Glad to have you back, sir, 59 00:03:49.879 --> 00:03:57.120 h other than the Yankee cap. Uh feel special, Huh? 60 00:03:57.159 --> 00:03:59.439 I feel specially when you acknowledge that. That's why I 61 00:03:59.520 --> 00:03:59.879 wear it. 62 00:04:00.479 --> 00:04:02.520 You spell that makes you feel special? 63 00:04:02.599 --> 00:04:03.560 Yeah, that's why we're it. 64 00:04:04.080 --> 00:04:07.840 I like the special needs kids at school. So what 65 00:04:08.000 --> 00:04:08.960 we're talking about here. 66 00:04:09.120 --> 00:04:10.240 Don't mess with my handicap. 67 00:04:13.039 --> 00:04:13.199 Uh. 68 00:04:13.319 --> 00:04:15.479 We want to give the world the grand reintroduction. 69 00:04:16.560 --> 00:04:19.079 UH, good afternoon. Once again. This is our Robert McLean. 70 00:04:19.120 --> 00:04:22.040 I'm called Mac at the cap Hope. I'm lead leading 71 00:04:22.040 --> 00:04:25.319 mentor there for from Bravo Bay. I know that's a 72 00:04:25.360 --> 00:04:28.160 lot right there, but we'll get into more as. 73 00:04:28.079 --> 00:04:31.199 We go along. Indeed, we also have one of the 74 00:04:31.199 --> 00:04:35.079 guys that's in our program currently. Want to introduce yourself. 75 00:04:35.079 --> 00:04:37.160 Tell us where you're from, where you serve that counting. 76 00:04:38.000 --> 00:04:41.800 I am Michael Lee Walker Junior. I'm formerly part of 77 00:04:41.839 --> 00:04:47.399 the Army National Guard in Gainesville, Georgia, UH, part of 78 00:04:48.439 --> 00:04:55.879 the forty eighth Brigade Infantry UH deployed to Afghanistan. Went 79 00:04:55.920 --> 00:05:01.000 to Republic of Georgia for a little while in Uh yeah. 80 00:05:00.439 --> 00:05:02.959 What'd you do in Georgia if Republic of Georgia. 81 00:05:03.079 --> 00:05:07.000 Actually, somehow or another, I ended up got lucky and 82 00:05:07.160 --> 00:05:09.639 got volunteld to be a postal clerk. 83 00:05:10.279 --> 00:05:14.759 As okay, all right, not the worst job in the world. No, 84 00:05:14.800 --> 00:05:17.879 it's actually a pretty good yeah, absolutely nice. 85 00:05:17.879 --> 00:05:22.839 Very different from the infantry life. 86 00:05:22.399 --> 00:05:25.639 I would think. So, yeah, we'll get into a little 87 00:05:25.639 --> 00:05:27.800 bit that though we're not. You know, tell folks all 88 00:05:27.800 --> 00:05:29.360 the time, we're not the worst story show. But we 89 00:05:29.399 --> 00:05:32.399 will get into that just a little bit. Quick reminder 90 00:05:32.439 --> 00:05:35.519 as we go through the course of the show, our 91 00:05:36.040 --> 00:05:41.720 Combat Trauma Support Line answered twenty four to seven by 92 00:05:41.720 --> 00:05:46.240 a combat vet. And I cannot overstress how important that is. 93 00:05:46.279 --> 00:05:48.639 It's a combat vet that's going to answer the phone. 94 00:05:49.360 --> 00:05:52.519 It's not a psych or someone just reading answers off 95 00:05:52.519 --> 00:05:55.959 a screen. It's someone who's been there, experienced it, come back, 96 00:05:56.399 --> 00:05:59.759 dealt with it, grown from it, also gone through a 97 00:05:59.800 --> 00:06:03.560 great deal of training to have the responsibility of answering 98 00:06:03.600 --> 00:06:06.319 that phone. But I wish everyone would put this number 99 00:06:06.319 --> 00:06:08.240 in your phone, whether it's for you or for someone 100 00:06:08.279 --> 00:06:10.639 that you come across that might need our services at 101 00:06:10.639 --> 00:06:14.519 some point in time. Eight seven seven seven one seven 102 00:06:14.600 --> 00:06:18.160 seventy eight seventy three that number again eight seven seven 103 00:06:19.000 --> 00:06:23.920 seven one seven PTSD or seventy eight seventy three. A 104 00:06:24.040 --> 00:06:28.759 combat vet will answer that phone for information about Camp Hope, 105 00:06:29.439 --> 00:06:31.920 which Michael is a part of that program right now. 106 00:06:32.879 --> 00:06:33.360 Mac is. 107 00:06:35.680 --> 00:06:39.040 Staff at the program at Camp Hope. All that is 108 00:06:39.079 --> 00:06:42.079 at no charge to our veteran or their family. The 109 00:06:42.160 --> 00:06:44.720 information about that as well as our support groups, which 110 00:06:44.759 --> 00:06:46.800 I'm gonna guess. I don't know your whole story, but 111 00:06:46.800 --> 00:06:50.639 I'm gonna guess somehow are you. We routed to us 112 00:06:50.720 --> 00:06:56.000 through our Atlanta outreach chapter actually Gangzill, Yeah, there's a 113 00:06:56.079 --> 00:06:59.839 chapter right there in right. Yeah. All that information is 114 00:07:00.000 --> 00:07:04.040 available at our website PTSD so Post Traumatic Stress Disorder 115 00:07:04.120 --> 00:07:10.160 ptsdusa dot org. Information about our support groups different cities 116 00:07:10.199 --> 00:07:14.279 across the country, as well as the virtual so you 117 00:07:14.279 --> 00:07:16.639 can jump on anywhere where you've got access to the 118 00:07:16.639 --> 00:07:20.920 internet ptsdusa dot org about all of our groups, all 119 00:07:20.920 --> 00:07:24.240 the support groups for our families, as well as the 120 00:07:24.319 --> 00:07:27.079 program that we run at Camp Hope, the Internet housing 121 00:07:27.120 --> 00:07:31.160 program designed to be six to nine months in length, 122 00:07:31.720 --> 00:07:35.879 sometimes a little longer. This depends on multiple factors, but 123 00:07:36.040 --> 00:07:41.560 again all at zero charge PTSD usa dot org and 124 00:07:42.000 --> 00:07:44.279 we appreciate you checking that out. You can also follow 125 00:07:44.279 --> 00:07:46.000 along see the things that are going on in our 126 00:07:46.079 --> 00:07:52.199 organization through our social media ptsd USA on the X 127 00:07:52.240 --> 00:08:13.120 and Facebook ptsd USA. We'll be right back. Hey, We're 128 00:08:13.120 --> 00:08:15.680 welcome back Road to Hope Radio. Glad to have you 129 00:08:15.720 --> 00:08:19.439 along on this Sunday afternoon or wherever you're listening to 130 00:08:19.560 --> 00:08:23.800 the podcast. Thank you for joining us. Going to dip 131 00:08:23.800 --> 00:08:26.600 into the mail bag. It's been a couple of weeks 132 00:08:26.639 --> 00:08:33.440 since we've done this. Shared a message that a veteran 133 00:08:33.799 --> 00:08:37.000 had written to me a couple of weeks ago, and 134 00:08:37.759 --> 00:08:41.519 when he did that, shared it on our social media, 135 00:08:41.679 --> 00:08:45.200 and then we've got some other vets wanted to chime 136 00:08:45.240 --> 00:08:50.200 in as well. So this message actually came in. This 137 00:08:50.279 --> 00:08:53.480 came in this week. So this is from a veteran 138 00:08:53.559 --> 00:08:57.639 named Mark, and he said, been watching your videos lately. 139 00:08:57.679 --> 00:08:59.559 I'm going to jump in on this action. When I 140 00:08:59.600 --> 00:09:03.879 came into Camp Hope in twenty nineteen, I was outfitted 141 00:09:03.919 --> 00:09:06.960 with an ankle monitor. We've had several of those. Have 142 00:09:07.120 --> 00:09:10.720 we met guys coming in they're they've got the monitor there, 143 00:09:11.080 --> 00:09:16.080 they're on probation, they're their court ordered per se. I 144 00:09:16.080 --> 00:09:20.399 guess I don't know if say, yeah, this is your 145 00:09:20.480 --> 00:09:25.080 option other than jail. Anyway, he says, came in in 146 00:09:25.200 --> 00:09:28.320 Camp Hope at twenty nineteen, I was outfitted with an 147 00:09:28.320 --> 00:09:32.000 ankle monitor, and I was facing a life sentence thirty 148 00:09:32.080 --> 00:09:39.519 years in federal prison. Oh that's not that's not good. 149 00:09:40.759 --> 00:09:47.200 Camp Hope was my sixteenth, good Gracious, sixteenth residential treatment 150 00:09:47.399 --> 00:09:54.200 program and my last I like that, He goes on 151 00:09:54.240 --> 00:09:59.080 to say. I graduated the program December twenty nineteen, and 152 00:09:59.159 --> 00:10:01.879 that same month I returned to court for my sentencing. 153 00:10:02.559 --> 00:10:06.600 In the transcript, which I recently read again, the judge 154 00:10:06.600 --> 00:10:11.360 sites of my extraordinary progress that I made while at 155 00:10:11.360 --> 00:10:16.720 Camp Hope. Instead of thirty years, he gave me three 156 00:10:16.799 --> 00:10:23.720 years probation. How's that from thirty years federal prison sentence 157 00:10:23.799 --> 00:10:29.600 to three years probation and time served a miracle. I 158 00:10:29.679 --> 00:10:34.720 went on back to Ohio, where I re enrolled in college. 159 00:10:34.840 --> 00:10:38.679 I got off my probation a year early, only doing 160 00:10:38.720 --> 00:10:42.759 two of the three years. I earned my bachelor's degree 161 00:10:42.799 --> 00:10:48.120 in Education and Addictions Counseling. And in two weeks from now, 162 00:10:48.200 --> 00:10:53.159 I will walk across the stage to receive my master's 163 00:10:53.159 --> 00:10:58.720 degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. I will be six 164 00:10:58.799 --> 00:11:02.919 years sober this May thirteenth. Today I am a licensed 165 00:11:03.080 --> 00:11:08.279 professional counselor and a licensed chemical dependency counselor. I'm also 166 00:11:08.399 --> 00:11:13.679 getting married in October. God is good all the time. 167 00:11:14.399 --> 00:11:18.440 Camp Hope helped me to save myself from my own 168 00:11:18.559 --> 00:11:20.960 self destruction. Thank you, Camp Hope. 169 00:11:21.039 --> 00:11:23.600 About that, says stories. 170 00:11:23.679 --> 00:11:26.039 Yeah, and we didn't even ask for anybody to do anything. 171 00:11:26.080 --> 00:11:28.639 They're just hey, I want you to know. This is 172 00:11:28.639 --> 00:11:30.960 what's going on, this is what I've been through, this 173 00:11:31.000 --> 00:11:34.159 is where I'm at today. That beautiful Yeah, and what 174 00:11:34.759 --> 00:11:37.879 was in the middle a little place called Camp Hope 175 00:11:38.919 --> 00:11:44.399 five acre campus in North Houston. It's it's a unique 176 00:11:44.399 --> 00:11:45.759 place in a unique program. 177 00:11:45.840 --> 00:11:49.480 It works. It works. I'm glad to say. 178 00:11:49.519 --> 00:11:50.960 You've been a part of it for how long now, 179 00:11:50.960 --> 00:11:55.320 I'm that four years? Four years a firmative. That's awesome. 180 00:11:55.840 --> 00:11:58.559 You know, Justin was in here last week and it 181 00:11:58.600 --> 00:12:01.279 was he's on four years too, So you guys must 182 00:12:01.320 --> 00:12:04.919 have come about the same time we graduated Saint John, gotcha. Yeah, 183 00:12:04.960 --> 00:12:08.279 that's awesome. For folks who don't know or understand what 184 00:12:08.320 --> 00:12:13.159 Camp Hope is, I can't really appreciate just how special 185 00:12:13.200 --> 00:12:17.639 that is because it's well we hear stories like we 186 00:12:17.799 --> 00:12:22.639 just shared with you from Mark. Uh. It's not an 187 00:12:22.639 --> 00:12:29.240 easy job. No, it's not carry a lot of heavyweight 188 00:12:31.480 --> 00:12:35.919 doing that job. So someone uh In doing that for 189 00:12:35.960 --> 00:12:38.600 four years, that's Uh, that's quite an achievement. 190 00:12:39.600 --> 00:12:43.279 I appreciate that, especially where I come from. I mean, 191 00:12:43.360 --> 00:12:47.639 I came I came here broken, but somebody prayed for 192 00:12:47.759 --> 00:12:50.000 me and that's what happens. 193 00:12:51.200 --> 00:12:55.519 Yeah, and you know, some of our guys, uh get 194 00:12:55.559 --> 00:12:58.080 we give tours all the time of our campus. People 195 00:12:58.080 --> 00:12:59.519 coming out to hear about us. They want to see 196 00:12:59.559 --> 00:13:01.000 what we're doing and see how they can be a 197 00:13:01.000 --> 00:13:04.840 part of it. We love those opportunities to get people 198 00:13:04.879 --> 00:13:07.679 a tour, a camp, hope and see what's going on there. 199 00:13:07.679 --> 00:13:12.720 And some of our guys we'll talk about what happens 200 00:13:12.759 --> 00:13:16.639 there in terms of miracles, and this is so many 201 00:13:16.720 --> 00:13:21.919 miracles walking around. And well, I don't necessarily disagree with him. 202 00:13:21.960 --> 00:13:24.039 I don't want to, you know, parse words with him, 203 00:13:25.600 --> 00:13:30.480 but yes, there's some miraculous things that do take place there, 204 00:13:30.600 --> 00:13:34.279 no question. But what I like when I think of you, 205 00:13:35.440 --> 00:13:39.759 for instance, Mac, like a true miracle God does without 206 00:13:39.960 --> 00:13:44.639 our participation. He doesn't need our help. Uh, He's able. 207 00:13:45.039 --> 00:13:48.080 He can do whatever he wants to do with or 208 00:13:48.120 --> 00:13:52.559 without my assistance. I think he wants our assistance, but 209 00:13:52.759 --> 00:13:56.279 he doesn't need it. He wants our participation. I guess 210 00:13:56.320 --> 00:14:01.080 you say, but the life changes to taking place in 211 00:14:01.159 --> 00:14:05.440 your life required an awful lot of work on your part. 212 00:14:06.639 --> 00:14:10.159 I would say, so, sir, you gotta be you gotta 213 00:14:10.159 --> 00:14:12.120 get to that point. You get tired of being tired 214 00:14:12.159 --> 00:14:16.000 one and it's just not gonna happen overnight. I came 215 00:14:16.039 --> 00:14:21.480 and kicking and screaming, didn't want it. But in the 216 00:14:21.519 --> 00:14:23.720 course of time, that miracle you got. Just got to 217 00:14:23.720 --> 00:14:26.440 wait for that, that miracle. Once you get that miracle, 218 00:14:27.480 --> 00:14:30.840 it's like an epiphany. It wakes you up to reality 219 00:14:30.879 --> 00:14:35.480 and then you're all in. It's nothing that can be 220 00:14:35.559 --> 00:14:38.240 taken away from you in your past. That's what it is, 221 00:14:38.279 --> 00:14:42.639 your past, because all you can see is guys, blue, 222 00:14:42.679 --> 00:14:45.879 guys ahead of you. It's beautiful and it's a story. 223 00:14:45.919 --> 00:14:49.360 It's a new testimony rather than the negative testimony and 224 00:14:50.519 --> 00:14:57.440 thousand people that cried for you. It's it's amazing. It's amazing, and. 225 00:14:57.399 --> 00:14:59.759 It's like anything else. I mean, it doesn't mean everything's 226 00:15:01.679 --> 00:15:06.960 roses after that miracle. It's it's just it's a constant work. 227 00:15:07.840 --> 00:15:08.759 Continue to work on something. 228 00:15:08.840 --> 00:15:11.559 Yeah, and and life still happens. We still have our 229 00:15:11.600 --> 00:15:13.759 wins and our losses in our personal life. There's no 230 00:15:14.159 --> 00:15:16.320 escaping that. We don't just walk into some kind of 231 00:15:16.759 --> 00:15:21.879 euphoria that uh, you know, there's no trouble or no 232 00:15:22.039 --> 00:15:25.120 thorns in our life. That that's still there, but we 233 00:15:25.240 --> 00:15:29.240 know how better to cope with it exactly and handle 234 00:15:29.240 --> 00:15:30.399 those things as we move. 235 00:15:30.240 --> 00:15:32.440 Forward exactly exactly. 236 00:15:32.759 --> 00:15:36.639 But not always not always pleasant to walk through those times. 237 00:15:37.279 --> 00:15:40.240 Some of the hardest lessons I've learned in my life. 238 00:15:40.440 --> 00:15:44.600 I think you can identify with this Mac. I would 239 00:15:44.639 --> 00:15:46.720 never ever want to have to go back through those, 240 00:15:48.120 --> 00:15:50.879 but I would also never change what I learned from those, 241 00:15:52.440 --> 00:15:55.840 and I think that's what we see at Campellot HM. 242 00:15:56.320 --> 00:15:58.120 That's where that's where we get our testimonies from. That's 243 00:15:58.159 --> 00:16:01.039 where we are able to share to next person, because 244 00:16:01.039 --> 00:16:03.679 if we don't go through it, then we can't be 245 00:16:03.759 --> 00:16:06.799 genuine what we're sharing, you know. So that means it's 246 00:16:06.799 --> 00:16:09.519 hope you got through. I got the way you can 247 00:16:09.519 --> 00:16:10.679 get through it because I've been there. 248 00:16:10.799 --> 00:16:15.879 It's the power of the peer to peer. Amen, Michael. 249 00:16:15.919 --> 00:16:19.600 So you uh, did you join the army right out 250 00:16:19.639 --> 00:16:22.159 of high school? Or was there an in between? What happened? 251 00:16:22.480 --> 00:16:27.159 There was actually in between. I didn't actually decide to join. Well, 252 00:16:27.320 --> 00:16:31.360 I had an epiphany at about twenty seven eight that 253 00:16:31.480 --> 00:16:35.519 was I was actually during that time I was going 254 00:16:35.559 --> 00:16:42.600 through like a personal drug rehab in a way. Gotcha 255 00:16:42.639 --> 00:16:45.080 and I was trying to find purpose, and it took 256 00:16:45.120 --> 00:16:50.120 me about a year and a half to finally bite 257 00:16:50.159 --> 00:16:53.759 the bullet, so to speak, at twenty nine, to take 258 00:16:53.799 --> 00:16:54.480 the oath. 259 00:16:54.240 --> 00:16:58.600 And join the army. When was that, uh, twenty nine 260 00:16:58.639 --> 00:16:59.559 when I was twenty nine? 261 00:17:00.159 --> 00:17:03.240 Was oh when you joined? You see, I was. 262 00:17:03.159 --> 00:17:05.039 Born in seventy seven, so. 263 00:17:05.599 --> 00:17:09.759 We're gonna do math. So I was six It sounds. 264 00:17:10.440 --> 00:17:14.519 No, that was six. Yeah, September twenty seventh, two thousand 265 00:17:14.519 --> 00:17:16.160 and six, is when I took my oath. 266 00:17:16.319 --> 00:17:22.599 Okay, actually, all right, very good. So you knew even 267 00:17:22.640 --> 00:17:24.279 though it was a National Guard, you still had a 268 00:17:24.279 --> 00:17:26.920 pretty good idea you're gonna likely get deployed. 269 00:17:27.039 --> 00:17:30.359 Oh yeah, that was already And that was that I 270 00:17:30.519 --> 00:17:33.200 knew I was going. I knew I was that that 271 00:17:33.359 --> 00:17:35.039 was going to happen. That was a possibility. 272 00:17:35.759 --> 00:17:37.440 All Right, We're coming up on a break. Those of 273 00:17:37.440 --> 00:17:39.559 you listening on the nine to five, Oh, we're gonna 274 00:17:39.559 --> 00:17:41.880 take a quick news break at the bottom of the goer. 275 00:17:42.319 --> 00:17:44.480 Those of you listen to podcasts, hang on just second. 276 00:17:44.480 --> 00:17:46.200 Guy has some really cool music, and then we'll be 277 00:17:46.279 --> 00:18:12.039 right back with more Road to Hope Radio and welcome 278 00:18:12.079 --> 00:18:16.480 back Road to Hope Radio. David Malsby here got Robert, 279 00:18:16.480 --> 00:18:24.480 who he lovingly call mac our Yankee brother. We only 280 00:18:24.480 --> 00:18:28.680 allow so many at a time. We got to kind of, 281 00:18:28.759 --> 00:18:29.960 you know, hold the fort there. 282 00:18:30.799 --> 00:18:35.240 Jesas is used to it four years. I think I'm 283 00:18:35.240 --> 00:18:36.119 the only one to allow. 284 00:18:38.200 --> 00:18:43.759 Uh, we've got a few Scranton guys Pennsylvania. Yeah, we've 285 00:18:43.799 --> 00:18:46.880 got to build a housing unit just for the guys 286 00:18:46.920 --> 00:18:48.119 to come from Granton. 287 00:18:48.119 --> 00:18:49.319 It's crazy, like. 288 00:18:49.319 --> 00:18:52.000 How in the world. Uh, there's a there's a judge 289 00:18:52.079 --> 00:18:55.759 up there that likes us, and he keeps he sees 290 00:18:55.799 --> 00:18:57.839 what's going on down here, and he keeps sending to 291 00:18:57.880 --> 00:19:00.240 the vets, which is great. That's the whole point, right, 292 00:19:00.279 --> 00:19:02.559 Like we want to help. But yeah, it's just odd 293 00:19:02.640 --> 00:19:06.200 like Scranton, Pennsylvania. Really, like we just keep getting guys 294 00:19:06.200 --> 00:19:13.160 from there's great. Yes, Uh so we've got Mac and here, 295 00:19:13.200 --> 00:19:17.359 we've got Michael. I'd say it's Army National Guard from Georgia. 296 00:19:18.599 --> 00:19:23.240 All right, So two deployments in Afghanistan, No, just one 297 00:19:23.480 --> 00:19:26.400 at one one there and one to Republican Georgiana. 298 00:19:27.000 --> 00:19:31.680 Republica Georgia, but don't don't say Republica Georgia in that country. 299 00:19:31.960 --> 00:19:33.400 I found that out while I was there. 300 00:19:33.440 --> 00:19:35.960 Oh it's country at Georgia, the country of Georgia, but 301 00:19:36.119 --> 00:19:38.359 on the map it says Republican. Well you're in Texas 302 00:19:38.400 --> 00:19:40.559 and they like to call it the Republic of Texas 303 00:19:40.799 --> 00:19:42.119 Texans kind of you know. 304 00:19:42.720 --> 00:19:44.440 Yeah, it's a little opposite. 305 00:19:44.640 --> 00:19:50.359 Yeah, yeah, don't do it. What was your When was 306 00:19:50.400 --> 00:19:52.240 your deployment to Afghanistan. 307 00:19:52.079 --> 00:19:53.799 Two thousand and nine to twenty ten? 308 00:19:54.160 --> 00:19:55.000 And what were you doing? 309 00:19:55.559 --> 00:19:59.559 I was actually part of I've done all kinds of stuff, 310 00:20:00.039 --> 00:20:02.799 foot patrols, convoys. 311 00:20:03.039 --> 00:20:03.160 Uh. 312 00:20:05.039 --> 00:20:09.359 I actually trained, uh worked on training Afghan soldiers too, 313 00:20:09.640 --> 00:20:14.480 on how to properly you know dude, road clearing, building clearing, 314 00:20:14.519 --> 00:20:20.519 you know, like on hand hands on training on infantry skills. 315 00:20:20.920 --> 00:20:26.759 So that was on nine, Yes, sir, all right, so 316 00:20:27.240 --> 00:20:32.000 you're at Camp Hope. So clearly m PTSD's part of 317 00:20:32.000 --> 00:20:32.359 your life. 318 00:20:32.680 --> 00:20:37.000 Yes, I got. It's a little bit of complex PTSD 319 00:20:37.079 --> 00:20:43.720 and complex PTSD and combat TSD. It's kind of a 320 00:20:43.799 --> 00:20:46.319 double double edged thing. 321 00:20:46.880 --> 00:20:49.559 When did you become a where something was not right? 322 00:20:50.119 --> 00:20:50.559 Uh? 323 00:20:50.599 --> 00:20:56.839 Shoot, probably I would say about twenty eighteen. 324 00:20:58.480 --> 00:21:00.319 So it was a while several years. 325 00:21:00.680 --> 00:21:06.000 Yeah, like struggling with it and like I knew I 326 00:21:06.079 --> 00:21:14.519 had it, but I didn't know necessarily what to do 327 00:21:14.599 --> 00:21:16.720 with it. I mean, I knew I needed to get 328 00:21:17.000 --> 00:21:19.039 some kind of help, and I would speak to people 329 00:21:19.079 --> 00:21:23.680 about my problems, but as far as like actually a 330 00:21:23.799 --> 00:21:25.319 treatment for it. 331 00:21:25.720 --> 00:21:27.200 I was I was kind of lost. 332 00:21:28.680 --> 00:21:29.960 Did the VA diagnose you? 333 00:21:30.720 --> 00:21:33.880 Uh? Kind of nonchalantly? 334 00:21:35.000 --> 00:21:39.240 Yeah, I mean I mean it's like, yeah, there's definitely 335 00:21:39.279 --> 00:21:41.839 something up with you, but you seem like you're dealing 336 00:21:41.839 --> 00:21:48.680 with it, okay, But that was I struggled with intellectualizing things, 337 00:21:48.839 --> 00:21:53.519 so I kinda I shut off the emotion aspect of it, 338 00:21:53.559 --> 00:21:59.839 which is pretty common, yes, and uh kind of come 339 00:21:59.880 --> 00:22:02.599 up put my own mental understanding of it, and then 340 00:22:03.000 --> 00:22:06.200 it just kind of bottles up for a while, then 341 00:22:06.240 --> 00:22:08.200 it comes out, bottles up for a little while, then 342 00:22:08.240 --> 00:22:08.759 comes out. 343 00:22:10.680 --> 00:22:14.400 Nothing really unusual about that, right, Mike, No, that it. 344 00:22:14.400 --> 00:22:15.559 Isn't there isn't. 345 00:22:15.720 --> 00:22:20.200 We hear that a lot. Yeah, sinks a choir shutting 346 00:22:20.200 --> 00:22:22.480 down the emotions, because that's what you got to do, 347 00:22:22.599 --> 00:22:25.480 really the function and a lot of the guys that 348 00:22:25.559 --> 00:22:28.559 have come through that I've had, you know, linked the 349 00:22:28.599 --> 00:22:32.519 conversations with like that was what they had to do 350 00:22:32.680 --> 00:22:38.839 to be able to fulfill their job. And I'm gonna 351 00:22:38.839 --> 00:22:42.559 say probably this might be a slight exaggeration, but not 352 00:22:43.759 --> 00:22:50.279 one hundred percent of medics and Corman would tell me 353 00:22:50.319 --> 00:22:55.920 that they had to shut down emotionally to deal with 354 00:22:55.960 --> 00:22:58.720 what they were seeing. And it wasn't so much about 355 00:22:59.039 --> 00:23:03.519 the carnage of war as it was about what the 356 00:23:03.559 --> 00:23:08.960 citizens were doing to their own children. I heard that 357 00:23:09.039 --> 00:23:12.640 over and over again. So the only way you can 358 00:23:12.680 --> 00:23:15.200 cope with that having a moral compass. 359 00:23:15.640 --> 00:23:19.160 Well, it's kind of like not necessarily even you know, 360 00:23:19.359 --> 00:23:24.200 the locals doing that, just purely a human being doing 361 00:23:24.240 --> 00:23:25.559 that to another human being. 362 00:23:26.640 --> 00:23:29.559 Yeah, the value of life, Like some of those folks 363 00:23:29.559 --> 00:23:35.119 that we were encountering in war had zero value for life. Right, 364 00:23:36.119 --> 00:23:38.119 So when you see that and you do have a 365 00:23:38.200 --> 00:23:42.160 value for life, that's hard to to manage that. 366 00:23:43.440 --> 00:23:45.440 Well, then you have other aspects of it. Two, you 367 00:23:45.480 --> 00:23:49.279 have to kind of shut off your own moral of 368 00:23:49.359 --> 00:23:55.279 life too to protect another life. It's a really complex thing. 369 00:23:56.559 --> 00:23:58.200 To even try to understand. 370 00:23:59.000 --> 00:24:03.000 Yeah, exactly, So when you come home, and this is 371 00:24:03.039 --> 00:24:07.519 the deal about PTSD that I in my experience, there's 372 00:24:07.559 --> 00:24:09.079 a lot more to it than what I know. But 373 00:24:09.640 --> 00:24:11.400 I'm not a doctor. I don't claim to be. But 374 00:24:11.440 --> 00:24:14.599 I've talked with an awful lot of awful lot of 375 00:24:14.680 --> 00:24:18.839 veterans deal with combat related PTSD and some folks who 376 00:24:18.960 --> 00:24:23.759 know their PTSD is not combat related. Uh, But the 377 00:24:23.799 --> 00:24:31.119 whole concept of you know, going to war, doing what 378 00:24:31.160 --> 00:24:36.000 you have to do day in and day out, and 379 00:24:36.119 --> 00:24:41.039 you know, the whole concept of it's more about it's 380 00:24:41.039 --> 00:24:45.240 more about those of you are serving with and deploying with, 381 00:24:45.440 --> 00:24:47.839 and it is even you know, for flag and country 382 00:24:47.880 --> 00:24:50.880 and patriotism and all that. That's just you're there doing 383 00:24:50.920 --> 00:24:54.440 your job. But the number one job is making sure 384 00:24:56.039 --> 00:24:58.720 you protect your brother, of course, guide to you left 385 00:24:58.720 --> 00:25:02.960 and to your right, of course. And when you're doing 386 00:25:03.000 --> 00:25:06.440 that all day, every day in you know, life or 387 00:25:06.480 --> 00:25:11.039 death circumstances, and then you come home and everything about 388 00:25:11.079 --> 00:25:15.400 that is gone. But the brain doesn't rewire itself to 389 00:25:16.559 --> 00:25:23.720 I'm home now, and that child over there is not 390 00:25:23.880 --> 00:25:28.839 a threat to me or to my family. A child 391 00:25:28.920 --> 00:25:31.480 over there might have been may or may not have been, 392 00:25:31.480 --> 00:25:35.279 but it may have been, child here is not, and 393 00:25:35.359 --> 00:25:38.279 the brain just doesn't rewire itself back to here's where 394 00:25:38.279 --> 00:25:41.519 I'm at, and it's different now my own. 395 00:25:42.279 --> 00:25:44.480 Yeah, pretty much, we can't lay all go, well, we 396 00:25:44.519 --> 00:25:47.200 don't lay our guard now, you know, we pick up 397 00:25:47.240 --> 00:25:49.319 that can't sit. You know what our back to the 398 00:25:49.359 --> 00:25:52.480 door is like, you know, we still wire, We still waiting. 399 00:25:52.960 --> 00:25:55.279 You know, Will was on the wait moment. You know 400 00:25:56.240 --> 00:25:57.200 it's going to something to happen. 401 00:25:58.200 --> 00:26:00.720