Page 380 - Total War on PTSD

2018 was going to bring us. However, the beginning of 2018 wasn’t very kind, I was notified Brent Myers had committed suicide on January 20th.
Once back in Georgia, I knew I need to do something to help Veterans regain a sense of purpose and give them a path to health and happiness. I knew how I was going to do it too...mountain biking. I knew how riding my bike turned things around for me and I knew it could for other Veterans as well. I reached out to Shawn Brunner and pitched my idea to him and he was thinking the same thing. For five months I was working on a name, getting all the legal documents together, applying for non-profit status, getting insurance, applying for grants, and purchasing bikes. And then on June 6, 2018, MTB Vets, LTD, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization became reality. Why June 6th? That is a date that’s synonymous in military history...”D-Day”. On that day in history, all branches of our armed forces along with our allies came together with one common goal and that goal was to crush the Nazi War machine. For MTB Vets, it’s the day that Veteran Mountain bikers along with our avid civilian mountain bikers set out to help our Veterans who are dealing with PTSD. Our message is simple, suicide is not the answer and we’re here for you.
MTB Vets mission statement is simple, MTB Vets exists exclusively for our Veterans. It’s an honor and privilege to provide our Veterans an outlet to seek health, happiness, and purpose through a mountain biking community of comrades. We Ride – We Thrive! MTB Vets provides a mountain biking outlet and community for Veterans. But more importantly, we are Veterans who understand the potential challenges of transitioning into and thriving within the civilian community — the lack of purpose, the flashbacks to dark days and memories of good days, the longing for brotherhood camaraderie, and
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