Warriors of Camp Southern Ground

JAMES CHAVEZ

James is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and Warrior PATHH alum from Fayetteville, Georgia. This is his story.

I joined the United States Marine Corps at the age of 18. I was an 0311 Infantry man attached to 3/3 Kilo company, stationed at MCBH in Kaneohe Bay, HI. I served in Fallujah, Iraq in 2007, and Ramadi, Iraq in 2009. My 2007 deployment was more kinetic than 2009. We help secure and rebuild the community of Karma, Iraq which is just outside of Fallujah. Helped rebuild school, provided jobs while fighting & apprehending insurgents throughout the area.

Are there any interesting facts about your time served?
I joined the Marines as an 0311 Infantry man. I served in Fallujah Iraq in 2007, and Ramadi Iraq in 2009. My 2007 deployment was more kinetic than 2009. We help secure and rebuild the community of Karma, Iraq which is just outside the city if Fallujah. Helped rebuild school, provided jobs while fighting & apprehending insurgents throughout the area.

In Ramadi our Company was tasked on a recovery mission to find the remains of Naval pilot Captain Speicher. Captain Speicher was the first casualty of The Gulf War. We were able to find a jawbone to identify him and bring closure to his family. We utilized intelligence, interviews with locals who were still alive in the area from that time and literally were out digging in areas with tools looking for any remains. The commandant and Sgt.Maj. of the Marine Corps flew to Al Asad Iraq to congratulate our company.

Tell us about the time you served.

In Ramadi, our Company was tasked on a recovery mission to find the remains of Naval pilot Captain Speicher. Captain Speicher was the first casualty of The Gulf War. We were able to find a jawbone to identify him and bring closure to his family. We utilized intelligence, interviews with locals who were still alive in the area from that time and literally were out digging in areas with tools looking for any remains. The commandant and Sgt.Maj. of the Marine Corps flew to Al Asad Iraq to congratulate our company.

How did your transition out of the military go?
My transition out of the military was very difficult. When I was in PTSD was only talked about with little to no direct help. The motivate was to essentially toughen up and move on to re-deploy and to EAS without any issues. When I got out, that mindset of figuring it out on my own and pushing forward followed me. It wasn’t until later in life I brought myself to get help from the VA. I suffered a lot of depression, anxiety, insomnia, addiction with Alcohol, anger, paranoia and marital issues. I used alcohol to fix all the problems I had instead of facing them head on.

How are you doing now? What worked best for you? How did Warrior Week and/or Warrior PATHH impact your journey?
Today I’m in a much better place mentally, spiritually, and physically. I still struggle, and I recognize that my struggles from combat will never go away, but now I understand and have better resources in how I struggle. To understand I am not alone and there’s a huge support system out there.
PATHH taught me how to release all that I was holding in. Taught me the importance of reminding myself that I am in control of my life and decisions and that past traumas are exactly that, in the past. PATHH was tough, its hard work and helped identify how to address my internal struggles. The level of commitment from our PATHH Guides was unreal. Their experiences and compassion to help other vets throughout the course was amazing. They made me feel so comfortable in opening up and addressing issues and ultimately learning how to sustain the behaviors in my life. I’m forever grateful for my experience at Warrior PATHH, it’s a shame the VA does not provide a program like this. My time there really motivated me to continue to better myself and to help others who struggle.

Are there any positive quotes and/or lessons learned you can share?
“Struggle Well.” PATHH taught me if I am going to struggle, then I can struggle well. Reminding me that again I am not alone, that I have these tools whether it be breathing techniques, meditation, Journaling, and knowing I have a community to reach out to. We all need each other in this journey.
“It’s not what’s wrong, it’s about what happened.” This one had the biggest impact for me. Forever I was my biggest critic. And would always shame myself for my actions, and problems I created. But hearing this, and deep diving into the traumatic events that altered my life. Hearing this, allowed me to deep dive into those events, and evaluate how it made me feel, and why it made me re act the way I did for nearly 20 years. It reminded me again that I’m in control of who I am, and how I choose to live my life and not to repeat my behavior which led me down a dark path.