I just want to call your attention to a wonderful new article written by our dear friend, advisor, adventure filmmaker extraordinaire Michael Brown.
This article is its own reward and touches to many of the same themes we often address in our workshops for veterans coping with service-related stress. This passage, in particular, struck me deeply: “Twenty or more veterans decide to kill themselves every day – almost one every hour. If someone listened to them, if they could tell their stories and if they thought someone was paying attention this would not be the case. Once they discover and embrace storytelling, many, probably most would work through the pain and soon discover that they have the ability to take charge of their own future.”
In the end, Michael understands that giving a veteran an opportunity to share his or her story with others who care is about a lot of things: Friendship, community, empowerment. It’s also about hope – and the abiding belief that the life experiences of the brave men and women who have served this country in uniform matter, and that their stories deserve to be shared and understood – for themselves, and for us. Read this article today.
https://www.culturalweekly.com/
Ben Patton