Warriors of Camp Southern Ground

KEVIN V.

Kevin is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and a Warrior PATHH alum. This is his story.

I am from Oregon. I grew up in a small rural community and in a tight knit but poor family. I was fortunate to earn a military scholarship and after college, I served as a USMC Infantry officer for five years with duty in the Gulf War, Japan and Latin America. I left the military to work as a Police Officer in the community I grew up in. I left the service after many traumatic events, including the tragic death of another police officer in a training accident.

I went on to serve as a federal civilian but for over 20 years struggled with untreated PTSD and alcohol abuse due to my service. Much of this was an effort to process the trauma I experienced. In that era, discussions about your struggles and mental health were heavily stigmatized and jeopardized your reputation and your job.

This silent suffering was difficult for my family who often found me isolated, prone to overreact to daily stress, and abusing alcohol. I was eventually arrested while driving my two young sons. It was a humiliating event to be handcuffed in front of them. How could endanger the ones I loved most like that? I knew something had to change but did not know where to turn until a veteran friend recommended PATTH.

I remember arriving on that shuttle bus to the ranch, it felt like my legs were full of lead. Here I was, this decorated veteran and police officer, who had faced enemy tanks and armed criminals, more afraid to face his own ghosts. But it became one of the most important weeks of my life. There are not many things you can say are transformational, but this truly was. I consider Camp Southern Ground to be holy ground because it has consecrated many ghosts and saved many lives.

A lot of people say they support veterans and first responders, but I had no idea there were people like those at PATHH who genuinely cared so much and were willing to share their own struggles. This was the first time I spoke about my experiences in a way I had never discussed with anyone, including my spouse and colleagues I have known for decades. It literally felt like 50 pounds had been lifted off my back.

PATHH has improved the quality of life for me and my entire family, from merely surviving to starting to thrive. It has taught me much about the power of the stories we tell ourselves. And how the antidote to shame is empathy and disclosure. It is like the Japanese art of Kintsugi where broken bowls are repaired with lacquer and gold. Like those bowls, I have become stronger because I was broken and restored to my original purpose.