Warriors of Camp Southern Ground

Daniel Mauricio Vargas

Daniel is a USMC veteran and Warrior PATHH alum from Long Island. This is his story.

“The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.” – Joseph Campbell

I grew up in Long Island, New York and joined the United States Marine Corps at the age of 25. I served four years from 2007 to 2011.

Before the 9/11 attacks in New York City, joining the military had never crossed my mind. I grew up in Long Island, New York, and watching the tragic events of that day unfold on live TV, seeing the towers fall, the chaos, and the lives lost, it lit something inside me. I felt this deep urge to serve and be part of the fight. The only thing stopping me was that I didn’t have my permanent resident card yet.

I waited five long years for it. Then, on December 4, 2006, it finally arrived in the mail. The very next day, I walked into my local recruiting office, and on January 22, 2007, I stood on the yellow footprints at Parris Island. The Marine Corps assigned me a logistics MOS, and I was stationed at Camp Lejeune.

I volunteered to deploy to Iraq in 2008 as a gunner with a security company that was part of a Combat Logistic Battalion. My Iraq deployment was mostly quiet, but I got to experience a whole new culture and convoyed through sacred places I had only read about in the Bible.

My second deployment to Afghanistan in 2010 was a whole different story. I was part of the personal security detail team in charge of protecting our battalion commander. That deployment was intense; every mission felt like Russian roulette. You never knew when it would be your turn to get blown up, or worse. My Afghanistan deployment in 2010 changed me, and it’s something I still carry with me today. But as hard as it was, I wouldn’t trade the brotherhood or the experience for anything.

Getting out of the military wasn’t just hard; it was a mess. I got divorced almost immediately after I was discharged, and just like that, everything I had built during my time in the Marines was gone. No support system, no direction, just me trying to figure out what comes next.

To make things worse, I didn’t receive any help from the VA for the first four years after I was honorably discharged. I didn’t know what benefits I qualified for, and honestly, no one explained anything to me. I felt forgotten. I was dealing with things I couldn’t even put into words—headaches, memory problems, anger, anxiety, and depression—and I was trying to pretend I was fine. But I was not.

The hardest part wasn’t just transitioning out of the military; it was losing the structure, the brotherhood, and the purpose that came with it. I didn’t fit in anywhere. Holding down a job, being around people, and even getting out of bed some days felt impossible.

It took years before I finally started getting the support I needed. Programs like Warrior PATHH helped me see that I wasn’t alone and that what I was feeling was valid. I’m still working through a lot of it, but at least now I have tools, community, and a path forward.

After years of carrying the invisible weight of combat trauma, I didn’t know how much I truly needed help until I experienced Warrior PATHH at Camp Southern Ground. This wasn’t just another program. It was the first time I felt genuinely seen, heard, and understood without judgment.

As a combat veteran living with the lasting effects of TBI and PTSD, I had grown used to surviving instead of living. Warrior PATHH gave me tools, structure, and space to start truly healing, not just coping. The PATHH team created a safe, brotherhood-driven environment where I could break down walls I didn’t even know I had built. For the first time in years, I felt connected to myself, to others, and to a purpose greater than my pain.

Camp Southern Ground gave me more than a program. It gave me perspective. It reminded me that I’m not alone and that post-traumatic growth is possible. I walked in tired, angry, and numb. I walked out hopeful, focused, and empowered to continue the work. If you’re a warrior struggling in silence, Warrior PATHH isn’t just something to consider; it’s something you deserve.