Your Not Alone

You Are Not Alone

WWP Warriors Share Their Journeys to Help Others Heal from Invisible Wounds

James Rivera spent six months in Iraq with the Marines, driving convoys for 120 to 150 miles each day.

When he returned home, James isolated himself and felt depressed. He used to spend days and weeks on his couch.

“Living with PTSD is like a rollercoaster, but thanks to Wounded Warrior Project my roller coaster is flatter,” James said. “When I first got out of the Marine Corps, the first few years were pretty rough.”

James moved from New Jersey to Houston, eventually finding his way to support via Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP). A VA counselor gave him a WWP brochure. Through WWP, James learned how to manage his PTSD.

“Before being connected with Wounded Warrior Project, my tough days consisted of sitting on the couch all day, thinking about what I wanted to do, flipping through the channels,” James recalled. “It was hard to hold down a job, and I felt depressed and listless.

“I didn’t understand – I didn’t have any missing limbs, I was physically fine from my combat experience, but it turns out I wasn’t emotionally fine. It was the toughest thing to deal with. When I got connected with Wounded Warrior Project, it gave me the tools to cope with PTSD.

“I was able to recognize what I was feeling and why I was feeling that way. I learned to recognize the problem when it was happening.” James began to experience better moments, and that led to better days, weeks, and months.

“If I could go back 10 years, I would tell myself to get help,” James said. “Try to get as much help as you can sooner than when you think you need it.” James said he realized how much help he needed only after he started to receive help.

The Hard Facts

In WWP’s 2020 Annual Warrior Survey, the largest and most comprehensive survey of post-9/11 veterans, one-third of veterans served by WWP report having had suicidal thoughts in the two weeks leading up to their taking the survey. Just as many veterans report struggling to get mental health care, putting off getting that care, or not getting the care they need.

Adding to this concern, a June 2021 study released by Brown University showed that more than 30,000 post-9/11 active-duty personnel and veterans have been lost to suicide. That rate is 1.5 times the rate of suicide in the general population, when adjusted for age and sex. The same study notes that the actual number of suicides among post-9/11 service members could be much higher than the records would indicate.

WWP stands ready to provide support through its many programs and services. The organization takes a comprehensive approach to mental health, meeting warriors and their families where they are in their recoveries. Through emotional support programs, adventure-based workshops, clinical care, and connection opportunities, warriors and their families can build the resilience they need to overcome mental health challenges, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), TBI, and more.

WWP also works with other organizations in the veterans services and military service community to provide opportunities for connection and mental health support. And WWP’s Resource Center team is ready to help connect veterans with a suite of services and is available from 9 am to 9 pm ET Monday through Friday at 888.WWP.ALUM (997.2586).

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Giving Back

Marine veteran Dan Hanson was doing his best to make a smooth transition out of the military when his brother’s suicide sent him on a downward spiral.

He credits his sisters and parents with intervening to help him reconnect and find new purpose. He now works for WWP and helps other veterans stay connected. He volunteers with suicide prevention organizations and is on the board of the Minnesota Center of Suicidology. He considers all forms of intervention beneficial in saving lives.

“Being more intentional about upstream prevention -- while increasing wellness and resilience can help reduce the number of people who get to a crisis point.” Dan said.

“Increasing a veteran’s support system goes a long way to reinforce protective factors against suicide.”

Finding Purpose

Marine veteran JessicaRose H. Johnson sort of fell through the cracks. A Veterans Administration (VA) coding error left her with no pay, no medical benefits, and no home. She was 22 years old at the time. She slept in her car while awaiting the resolution of her military separation documents.

She remembers being in physical and emotional pain. She sustained boot camp injuries that took more than two years to get treated, and she subsequently got in a car wreck that caused traumatic brain injury (TBI) and broken vertebrae. In a short time, JessicaRose went from healthy to living with debilitating headaches to not being able to tie her own shoes.

Had it not been for her parents, JessicaRose might have stayed on the streets longer, suffered with chronic pain, and eventually become a statistic. But thanks to her parents, and the unconditional support she received from them, she found a path to healing and to serving others through veteran service organizations like WWP.

“I had a good support system; I relied on my parents to get back on my feet,” JessicaRose said. Now, 10 years later, she helps other veterans who might feel they have no one to turn to. Her message is simple: You are not alone.

“I want veterans and their family members to know there’s help available,” JessicaRose said. “Let’s get them connected and let’s do it proactively. I believe that by connecting veterans early in their healing journeys and addressing gaps in services, we can save lives.”

She began working with the Oklahoma Army National Guard, the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health, and eventually the federal government to reduce risk of suicide through awareness campaigns. She participated in programs to make gun locks and opioid overdose kits more accessible, and she speaks to groups about ways to reach out to veterans in need.

“The biggest struggle is rewriting the narrative surrounding mental health and suicide,” JessicaRose said.

“That’s the good thing about Wounded Warrior Project – it addresses both pillars: prevention to keep people connected and engaged, and crisis intervention to provide mental health services at many levels, from telephonic help to outpatient intensive services.”

WWP is available to connect veterans and their families to programs, services, and resources that can help.

About Wounded Warrior Project

Since 2003, Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) has been meeting the growing needs of warriors, their families, and caregivers — helping them achieve their highest ambition.

www.woundedwarriorproject.org.