Page 392 - Total War on PTSD

Everybody is coming home from some pretty chaotic events that they don't fully know or recognize just how intense things really are over there. When I got out I didn't really have a plan. When I finally came home for good, something had changed inside me. We lost, you know, a good number of guys in Afghanistan. That was rough. Just for the fact of having that, and knowing that your brothers laid down their lives for you...and you would have done the same for them...it's kind of a huge motivation, once you are out of the military, to continue to pursue and push yourself and make life worth living. Like many Veterans, I struggled to find my place, and I felt aimless. I was drinking, partying and getting into fights. Eventually I found a healthier outlet through kayaking, mountain biking, rock climbing, skiing, and snowboarding. I was born and raised in Pocatello, Idaho and when I came home that is where I went back to before moving, at 23, to White Sacomp, WA where I started kayaking competitively. I've kayaked all over the U.S. as well as in Chile, New Zealand and Thailand.
When I returned home from service, I struggled from the chaos of war and trying to find what else life had in store for me. I happened to see a video of kayakers running waterfalls; something that I had no idea was even possible. After witnessing that, a fire was lit. I started charging hard and discovered a community which was very similar to that of the military. Everyone looked out for one another. You are required to place your life in another's hands. You must devise a plan, and similar to my experience in the military, even with a plan, things can turn to chaos in a moment.
I turned my attention toward the whitewater kayaking because it allowed me to move on with a new found passion in life. Kayaking allowed me to travel the world and let go of
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