Life After Discharge
Hey Sports Fans! Sorry for the radio silence but OPSEC, haha. Life is always changing and presenting me with challenges. My core values keep me stable: Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage. Yes, LeaDeRSHIP!
What is Life After Discharge? There is no, one answer. I’ve been retired now for over 12 years and the one thing that keeps me going is staying connected to the military community I know and love so much. I belong to just about every veteran service organization that I’m eligible to join. I’m a member of the DAV, VFW, WWF, AMVETS, IAVA, and PVA. If that’s not enough, I’m a member of the SAR. I support all these organizations, but I’ve dedicated my focus and volunteerism to PVA. The PVA is a subset of a subset of a subset……..we’re a small veteran service organization with an important voice.
I’ve been humbled to meet and enjoy the comradery of many paralyzed veterans. Their stories range from wounded in combat, attempted suicide, wounded in a training accident, gunshot wounds, and motor vehicle accidents. That doesn’t even begin to describe spinal cord disease veterans and the impact of multiple sclerosis (MS) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) also called Lou Gehrig’s disease. So many lives have been altered and permanently changed at such early ages. These veterans have a passion for life and won’t give up! I’m often reminded of the Tim McGraw song “Live Like You Were Dying”.
It's their passion and thirst for activities to keep them busy, that keeps me going. I’m completely obsessed with finding new ways and new technology to make modifications or adapt activities for these veterans, not to mention the funding to provide these resources. I’ve lived with a spinal cord tumor for over 23 years now. I’ve rehabbed myself out of a wheelchair twice and like these veterans, I’m not done yet. Don’t stick me in a corner and write me off.
Join us, support us, and make a difference in the life of a paralyzed veteran today!
Signing off for now, Chief out!
