“Forty-six years. Buried deep down. An unrelenting pain that was unexplainable. Anger, hostility, isolation, disinterest. Going through life with short ups and deep downs. Some successes, many failures.
Who to talk to? Primary care at the VA, an introduction to the program that helped to give meaning to my life. P.O.S.T. The Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Service Team. Group therapy with brothers in arms from all branches of the service, combat veterans all, with doses of cognitive processing and prolonged exposure worked in. Weekly, 90 minutes of work that paid off in dividends.
POST has left the Los Angeles VA and taking control of its own destiny, morphed into Battle Buddies-A Combat PTSD Support Group; not on the VA campus and subject to VA regulations and bureaucracy. It exists in a newer, free form. We’ve moved to a civilian site, same guys, more guys, same facilitator, same results. No cost. Positive. Life changing. Enlightening.
If you’re a combat veteran from Afghanistan, Iraq, Vietnam or any other conflict and you’re dealing with PTSD, contact us. It will be life changing and you’ll be forever grateful. “
SRG
1LT, Infantry
Vietnam
“I returned to New York from Vietnam in the summer of 1969, spent some time with family and went to Monterey, California where I owned and operated a bookstore from 1970 to 1980, self-medicating daily to numb my wartime experiences. In 1980 I had a middle-age crisis, sold my store, sold my house and moved to Hollywood to become a bigshot movie producer. I continued to medicate and within three years I was broke and homeless living in the weeds alongside the 405 Freeway near the West LA Veterans facility where I bathed and ate once-a-week.
I hit bottom in 1984, stopped drugging and drinking and stumbled into a Tuesday night Vietnam veterans group meeting at the VA run by Jim Dwyer. It’s been 34 years and I still attend these group sessions now held off campus. I have been married for 30 years, I am productive, I have two adult children and I’m living a positive lifestyle which I owe almost 100% to the therapy of being part of a group of fellow Combat Vets who all share their experiences, their strengths and their hopes. And that allows me to realize that I am not alone, that I can stay positive and I can maximize my life.
This Group Therapy works… come visit, Tuesday night (6:00-7:30pm)”
DS
1LT, Infantry
5th Special Forces Group
Vietnam
“After returning from two combat deployments with two separate infantry divisions, I struggled with a host of issues both mentally and physically – in short, my life fell apart. With the assistance of mental health professionals, I slowly started putting my life back together but I was still struggling with being outside the civilian community, unable to connect with others and I felt extremely alone. I discovered our “group”, or as many of our members call it, our “band of brothers” and I was overwhelmingly welcomed and most importantly for the first time since combat, realized and felt that I was not alone.
The group challenges me each week to strive to make personal progress, to never give up on myself and to support those other vets in need. Seeing progress in myself and observing progress in others has given me renewed hope that I am more than what was left of me after my war time experience and that life really is worth living.
I can’t recommend the group enough for anyone affected by the trauma of combat. Having a true community and support like this is possibly the most effective way to fight the increasing veteran suicide epidemic, just as it’s helped me. In this incredible community, veterans are accepted just as they are, right where they are, for who they are and without judgement. The resulting support, community and positive life impact are second to none. “
PE
3rd ID and 1st ID
OIF/OEF