PTSD Patrol: It came on a pink scooter

Pink scooter fuel by love

PTSD Patrol
Kathie Costos
December 30, 2018

Every once in a while, I am inspired beyond what words I can add to a topic. In one of those moods, where words just did not come, I searched some of my older videos. It came on a pink scooter. 

I was thinking about a lot of miracles that still happen and remembered the story of a homeless veteran. It is one of those stories that you think cannot be true. But it is. I know because I was at his funeral.

Thursday, March 25, 2010


Vietnam Vet Andrew Elmer Wright found a home as a homeless vet
A simple casket with an American flag for Vietnam Veteran Andrew Elmer Wright.

A simple bouquet of flowers was placed with a simple photo a church member snapped.

By all accounts, Andrew was a simple man with simple needs but what was evident today is that Andrew was anything but a "simple" man.

A few days ago I received an email from Chaplain Lyle Schmeiser, DAV Chapter 16, asking for people to attend a funeral for a homeless Vietnam veteran. After posting about funerals for the forgotten for many years across the country, I felt compelled to attend.

As I drove to the Carey Hand Colonial Funeral Home, I imagined an empty room knowing how few people would show up for a funeral like this. All the other homeless veteran stories flooded my thoughts and this, I thought, would be just one more of them.

When I arrived, I discovered the funeral home was paying for the funeral. Pastor Joel Reif, of First United Church of Christ asked them if they could help out to bury this veteran and they did. They put together a beautiful service with Honor Guard and a 21 gun salute by the VFW post.

I asked a man there what he knew about Andrew and his eyes filled. He smiled and then told me how Andrew wouldn't drink the water from the tap. He'd send this man for bottled water, always insisting on paying for it. When the water was on sale, he'd buy Andrew an extra case of water but Andrew was upset because the man didn't use the extra money for gas.

Then Pastor Joel filled in more of Andrew's life. Andrew got back from Vietnam, got married and had children. His wife passed away and Andrew remarried. For some reason the marriage didn't work out. Soon the state came to take his children away. Andrew did all he could to get his children back, but after years of trying, he gave up and lost hope.

read more here 

Suicide awareness message you need to hear to heal!

Local Purple Heart recipient shares important message about suicide

KKTV 11 News
By Dianne Derby
Dec 28, 2018

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - A local veteran's message about suicide is now spreading around the world.

11 News viewers have shared Kenny Bower's story over and over again on social media. The three-time Purple Heart recipient and former Army Ranger has been through more than 600 combat missions overseas. On one mission he was blown up and left paralyzed. He even flatlined for 97 seconds. More than 150 surgeries later he's proving no obstacle is too big to overcome.

One of the first things you notice about Kenny Bower is his unstoppable smile and positivity.

"If you can accept that life isn't easy and it's hard, you can overcome anything. You can make it easy with a good mindset," Bower explained.

Behind Bower's bright smile is a man who once considered ending it all. Fourteen years ago his vehicle was blown up during a deployment to Iraq. Nine soldiers died, two survived. Kenny was left burned and paralyzed.

"I was told I would never walk again. I would be lucky to even get feeling back," Bower recalled.

Kenny credits a firefighter who stayed by his bedside, helping him to push forward.
read more here

"Little spark cuts through fog"

Spark out of the darkness

PTSD Patrol
Kathie Costos
December 16, 2018

Yesterday I attended a Wreath Laying ceremony at All Faiths Memorial Park. A large crowd gathered together on a rainy morning to remember veterans.

They did not know most of veterans, but they took their wreath, read the names their so they
would be remembered.

They were not all famous like Robert Miller, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for sacrificing his life to save others in Afghanistan. Some died many years after serving, yet each one mattered.
read more here

Police Officer saved suicidal woman by restoring hope

'There's hope for tomorrow,' DNR officer tells woman contemplating suicide on MacArthur Bridge

WXYZ 7 ABC News
Jennifer Wilson
December 9, 2018

"There's hope for tomorrow," he assured the woman. "It might be bad right now, but there's hope for tomorrow to be better."

DETROIT (WXYZ) - A DNR conservation officer is a hero after saving a young woman's life on Friday. It happened on the MacArthur Bridge, which connects Detroit to Belle Isle.

A 25-year-old woman in distress was saved by an officer who was there when she needed him the most.

Between the parties and the presents, we often focus on the joy and fun of the holidays, but there are a lot of people who really struggle this time of year.

Everywhere you look, messages of good cheer and hope abound but what you see doesn't always reflect what you feel.

"Holiday seasons are hard," says Ben Lasher, a conservation officer with the Department of Natural Resources. "A lot of people have strong feelings, good or bad, and this young lady was having a hard time. And I was able to be in the right place at the right time."
read more here

Lyrics

If you wake up and don't want to smileIf it takes just a little whileOpen your eyes and look at the dayYou'll see things in a different wayDon't stop thinking about tomorrowDon't stop, it'll soon be hereIt'll be, better than beforeYesterday's gone, yesterday's goneWhy not think about times to come?And not about the things that you've doneIf your life was bad to youJust think what tomorrow will doDon't stop thinking about tomorrowDon't stop, it'll soon be hereIt'll be, better than before,Yesterday's gone, yesterday's goneAll I want is to see you smileIf it takes just a little whileI know you don't believe that it's trueI never meant any harm to youDon't stop thinking about tomorrowDon't stop, it'll soon be hereIt'll be, better than before,Yesterday's gone, yesterday's goneDon't stop thinking about tomorrowDon't stop, it'll soon be hereIt'll be, better than beforeYesterday's gone, yesterday's goneOoh, don't you look backOoh, don't you look backOoh, don't you look backOoh, don't you look backSongwriters: Christine McVieDon't Stop lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

PTSD Patrol Hope TripTik

Finding hope to take the trip

PTSD Patrol
Kathie Costos
December 9, 2018


No matter how many different ways you can discover how to get to where you want to be, you will not look for them, unless you have hope that place exists. The road to heal is real! #CombatPTSD and #TakeBackYourLife

When I was going on a road trip, first I had to have the will to go, then get directions on how to get there from where I was. 

Back then, we went to the gas stations to get a road map. Not easy to read and really too large to hold it while sitting in a vehicle. Trying to refold it was nearly impossible!

AAA came out with TripTik planners. We'd go, tell them where we wanted get to, and they would plan out the entire trip. We'd flip the pages until we arrived. To get back home, we'd just flip the pages backwards.

Now we have GPS directions in our cars and on our cell phones. Makes getting where we want to go easier to find.

Where do you want to go? Sometimes find out how to get someplace is not your biggest problem. Sometimes, having the desire even think about changing where you are is the hardest thing to find.

When I was new on the road, it did not make much sense to look both ways before taking a right turn, because I assumed no one would be coming the other way.

That is, until I almost hit someone trying to cross in front of me. Then I understood there could always be something I am not seeing, because I did not look for it.


It is the same way with answers. First you need hope there is an answer to find for whatever you want to know, or change. If there is no hope, you will not look.

Hope is what gets us moving each morning. It causes us to open our eyes, but it is the desire to seek something better, that begins the search for what we hope for.

If you know there is a better road to take, then you will look for it. If you know that other people have been there, and can show you the way, you are not traveling alone.
read more here

PTSD Patrol Ending Friction

Avoiding Engine Friction

PTSD Patrol
Kathie Costos
December 2, 2018

When you neglect all the things that go into making your vehicle run properly, you get engine friction.

techflourish.com

Heat and Friction: Primary Enemies of Car Engines
Engines, Heat, and Friction
“Friction, according to its encyclopedia description, is the force that opposes the relative motion or tendency of such motion of two surfaces in contact. When it comes to engines and automobiles, the term holds a deeper relevance to car performance.“

Heat and friction results from the rubbing of the many parts of an internal combustion engine. (your mind)

A modern internal combustion engine is comprised of dozens of moving parts. Without proper oiling, these parts run against each other with tremendous speed, creating friction which then leads to heat. (anger) This heat can wear the mechanical parts of an engine and lead to bad performance under the hood.

Worn parts due to friction cause havoc with gas mileage and emissions since the engine is pushed to work harder. Wear on the engine’s vehicle is a primary known cause of less efficient burning of fuel.

When the engine that drives everything in you is neglected, you get more friction in your life too.

If you understand the basic fact of PTSD, it takes some friction away. That is the fact that PTSD hit you and happened because you survived what the event tried to do to you. So why let it win now?

Friction happens when you think it is your fault, or you were too weak to "get over it" but PTSD hits harder when you have a strong emotional core.  Just like when you feel good stuff really strongly, you feel bad stuff more. So why think there is anything wrong with you now that sadness hit if you do not feel wrong when love lives strongly?

Friction happens when you surround yourself with people who reenforce the negative actions you take, like drinking, doing drugs or taking risks. It happens when they add to the terrible thoughts you are already thinking.

Stay away from anything or anyone telling you about veterans committing suicide with their pushups, walks, stunts and events you are invited you to because they tell you what a good time you'll have.
read more here

Changing the suicide talk to actual prevention

Realignment

PTSD Patrol
Kathie Costos
November 25, 2018

I had to get new tires for my car. In the process, they put the car on a machine to do an alignment. 

WHAT IS TIRE ALIGNMENT?

Alignment refers to an adjustment of a vehicle’s suspension – the system that connects a vehicle to its wheels. It is not an adjustment of the tires or wheels themselves. The key to proper alignment is adjusting the angles of the tires which affects how they make contact with the road.

That got me thinking about how veterans can do an alignment of their lives. They can adjust the angles and make different contacts with other veterans on the road.

Right now the most powerful tool to prevent suicides if not being used. Too many have just jumped on the "suicide awareness" stunts while veterans are left wondering where hope is.

What is going on? We see so many groups talking about veterans killing themselves, but the outcome is more suffering and less healing.

Do these people really care? That is clear for most involved that they do. The problem is, they did not care enough to know what to do to change the outcome.

The answer was already inside of them. 
read more here

PTSD Patrol Switching Gears

Motion requires different gears

PTSD Patrol
Kathie Costos
November 18, 2018

The wheels turn, turn, turn and we move forward. Sometimes the road is smooth. Other times, it is a bumpy road we must travel on to get where we want to go.

There are times when we are alone on the road, but the passengers in our minds keep us company.

Sometimes the sun is shining and we can enjoy the drive. Sometimes it is snowing. The roads are dangerous to be on.

Sometimes we are the only ones on the road. Other times we are stuck in traffic.

What all of us must deal with, is, there are no guarantees any trip will be an easy one to take. 

To everything, there is a gear, that makes your wheels turn, turn, turn 

And a time to every purpose, under your hood 

A time to be move forward, a time to park 

A time to stay, a time to travel 

A time to reverse, a time for neutral 

A time to joy ride, a time to stop 

To everything, there is a gear. that makes your wheels turn, turn, turn.

There is a time to grieve, remember what is lost and then a time to remember with fondness. A time to cry and release the pain you feel. That makes room for a time to feel joy again.
read more here

What is your purpose now?

Types of vehicles have different purposes

PTSD Patrol
Kathie Costos
October 28, 2018

We choose vehicles based on what we like and what we need to do. If you need to clear snow, then you would want to have a snow plow. While a plow will clear snow, it would not be good to put one on a race track. That is, unless you plan on clearing other cars by shoving them out of the way.

On the other hand, a race car is meant for speed, and could clear snow very fast with a plow attached to it. The trouble is, it would not be able to do it very long.

When I was young, I wanted to be a writer. I always thought that I would be writing horror novels, instead of surviving horrors. Now I write about horrors in a much different way.

I could look at my life and think that it went off track, because while I wrote three books, I have not finished one of the several horror books I started. I am not sure what to even find the manuscripts now. I did not choose this work. My life did.

Most of us think we are supposed to do something and it sucks when we cannot do them, for one reason or another. You may think that because your job caused you to be invaded by PTSD, you cannot save anyone anymore.

That is because you are not looking at how many you can still save by letting them know there is hope for their lives too. 

Think about the group of veterans in TEAM RUBICON. They are no longer in the military, but used their training and desire to help by responding to disasters. They put their lives on the line all the time because they put others first, just like they did in the military.

Find what you do best and then find a different way to do it. Being of service to others comes in many different ways. You can still be true to the core of who you are, even though how you do it changed. #TakeBackYourLife
go here for more

How to clean your air filter

PTSD Patrol: Owners Manual and Your Air Filter
PTSD Patrol
Kathie Costos
October 14, 2018

The owner's manual frustrates me! I was looking up how to check the air filter. Sure enough, I found the page to tell me what to do with it, but it DID NOT TELL ME WHERE THE HECK TO FIND IT!

CARS.COM — The cabin air filter, a feature found on most late-model vehicles, cleans the air that comes into the interior through the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system. It catches dust, pollen and other airborne material that can make riding in a car unpleasant, particularly if you have allergies or other respiratory problems.

Some signs that you need a new cabin air filter are reduced air flow through your climate control system, such as when you crank up the fan too high and get more noise than results. Another is persistent bad odors. Even if you don't have these warnings, however, you should have the air filter checked at least once a year, and you may be able to do that yourself.

How can you fix anything if you do not know where it is? You cannot do it until you find it. Then again, how can you know fixing something is even possible unless someone figured out how to do it?

Have problems with your vehicle that you cannot fix yourself, you turn to a mechanic with more training and tools than you have. New cars go to owners with owners' manuals, so we can figure some things out on your own.

People are not born with owners' manuals. Well, that does not mean we cannot get our hands on one.
read more here

Ace Cafe got Cycle Fever Thursday night

Thursday night I was out at Ace Cafe in Orlando for a rare behind the scene recording of Cycle Fever TV because our buddy Sgt. Dave Matthews of Never Forgotten Memorials was their guest. Dave is also on KLRN Radio on, you guessed it, Thursday nights. 

Cycle Fever TV

To Keep Up To Date With Our Special Events, Check Out Our Podcast Every Thursday At 7:30pm EST sharp! We Are Live streaming on YouTube! Check Out Our Social As Well To Check Out What We Are Up To! See Us At Ace Cafe, Where We Regularly Stream!

And yes, bikers! Naturally, between bikers and veterans I felt right at home! 

(On a personal note, to the staff of Ace Cafe, you guys are awesome! Once I explained that basically I have a broken back and climbing stairs up to the tower was not good for me, you guys got me into the elevator! I didn't even know there was one there after being out there several times.)

In these videos it is clear to see that these guys are absolutely passionate about veterans and bikers!

These guys are awesome! I had to make sure I did not bust out laughing since I was standing right in front of them.

John of Cycle Fever and Rick of United States Motorcycle Corps Charities Inc and Hank do one of the funniest shows I've heard and on every other Thursday night.

This is Dave's show that was on when Dave was doing this show.

Remember the Fallen

Shadow Warrior Riders Fundraiser Krystal Parker
October 11, 2018•59 min
As we lose another Patriot "Krystal Parker" to the silent epidemic of 22 every day dying of suicide, we honor, remember and celebrate her life with a Fundraiser Memorial at the Ace Cafe with the assistance of Shadow Warrior Riders Motorcycle Club, LLC, Today's Veteran Organization, Never Forgotten Memorials, Inc. and Adam Martin from black Bird Anthem

Suicide Survivor "journey of happiness and celebration"

Suicide survivor sharing hope with Missoula students
KTVH NBC News
Anna Penner-Ray
September 13, 2018

MISSOULA – Willard Alternative High School in Missoula invited musician and suicide survivor David Simmons to host a three-day workshop as part of National Suicide Prevention Week.

Simmons says he’s been inspired to bring awareness and education to teenagers and says his message is a celebration of life in the wake of his 2009 suicide attempt.

Willard students will collaborate with Simmons during the workshop to write a song about a journey of happiness and celebration.

Simmons says it’s a natural fit to use his musical and educational background to reach the students, and the connection is tremendous.

“The reason music works for me is that it instantly gives kids a voice. The two things for me are never give up, tell your story — just keep those things going,” said Simmons who founded the UBU Project.

“If you plant that seed with someone young enough hopefully they don’t get to the point that I did in later years, because they will be in the habit of telling their stories and expressing themselves,” he added.
read more here

PTSD Patrol: You can get there from here

PTSD Patrol, directions to hope
Kathie Costos
September 9, 2018

This morning on PTSD Patrol, the topic was listening to your guide, in this case, a GPS trying to get you on the best road. 

That is, after all, what we are doing here every week.

PTSD is not new. It is as old as biblical days when the anguished cried out to God for either mercy or forgiveness. Anything had to be better than what they were going through.

It is the same way with you. When you are struggling to find hope, you need to know how to get there.

It is almost like saying you are going to drive out west. If you live in Florida, that can get tricky on your own. Out west is Tampa and the the Gulf of Mexico. You need to find out how to get out of Florida first.

If you are smart enough to figure out you need directions for a road trip, then why don't you use that same intelligence to know when to ask for directions to heal?

This is from PTSD Patrol

Whenever you want to go to a place you have never been before, you have to find out how to get there.

In my case, my daughter bought me a GPS after I got lost in Tiffin Ohio...for two hours circling corn fields. (Don't ask, long story) She said I get lost getting out of a paper bag!

Everyone can get lost but the folks who planned the road and loaded directions must have gotten lost too. 

When everything is going to hell, it is hard to believe in a place you have never been to. You are used to being stuck, most of the time feeling alone, and always being just too depressed to do much at all. 

But even though you may feel as if you are stuck, there is something inside of you trying to get you to notice you are the only one keeping you from getting to where it is so much better. You can live a better life if you look for directions how to find it.

This video is for anyone who is lost but refuses to pay attention to the easiest way to get to hope. No one is so lost they cannot be found and get your life turned around from grave to Hope Road.
go here for more hope

Trip to Peru with the PTSD Patrol T-Shirt

 PTSD Patrol looking out from peak in Peru!

My wonderful friend Erica took a trip to Peru with the PTSD Patrol T-Shirt in her bag. I had no idea she had it with her. Today she sent me these pictures and I almost fell off my chair! Just stunning to see it with that view and that message.

How can anyone look at God's creation and not see His love in those mountains?

You may think that your troubles are just too big when you are at the bottom. How can you get over them until you start to take one step ahead?

Standing there will not get you anywhere but when you have the courage to move forward, the view from the top is stunning!

Suicide Prevention Month...awareness of how to prevent them!

Combat PTSD Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
August 31, 2018

Tomorrow starts Suicide Prevention Month, but in this video, I used "awareness" instead for a reason. We are about to be seeing even more groups on TV and in the news papers, plus online for weeks! The awareness that needs to be raised is that the one thing that is needed is to be given back some hope and know they matter. Read down to the bottom and see what you can do to change the conversation too!

Yesterday my friend Dave Matthews and I went to the Vietnam Memorial park across from Lake Baldwin VA to do a video. Well, actually 2 of them. One was for PTSD Patrol and the other was for his radio show. Yep, multitasking again!

Anyway, sure enough we got into another argument on the need to stop raising awareness on the "22 a day" stunts. This has been going on between us for a long time.

During the video, Dave dropped down and did 22 push-ups. I called him an idiot! We had just talked about the fact that no one knows how many veterans are committing suicide and that the gossip was doing more harm than good.

It is not helpful at all. What it does is rip the last glimmer of hope from a veteran on the verge of losing their last battle to survive.

It turned out that he challenged me to come up with something else to do after I could not get that number out of his head.


Well now you know how hard it is to get that number out of heads!

While some things are in the video, here are more thoughts this video spawned.

Take 22 friends and go to a homeless veterans shelter to help them for a day.

Take 22 friends and go to a VA hospital or clinic and thank the people working there as well as the veterans walking in.

Take 22 friends and write positive things about veterans.

Take 22 friends and visit veterans in nursing homes.

Take 22 friends and write cards to veterans in your area.

Take 22 friends and make gifts for veterans.

Take 22 friends and make phone calls to your local elected officials to correct a lot of the stuff they got wrong.

Take 22 friends and volunteer at one of the veterans organizations that take care of all generations of veterans.

The only way veterans will #CombatPTSD and hear they can #TakeBackYourLife is if you show up and show you care.

Who Drives You?

Have you decided to get into your life and drive?
PTSD Patrol Sunday Morning Empowerment Zone
Kathie Costos
August 12, 2018

When you are a passenger, you do not control anything. Someone else is in control of where you go, how fast you get there and how safe your trip is.

When you are the driver, then you decide all of it! Where you go and how fast you get there is all up to the decisions you make.

There are things you decide in your own life. Do you want to be happy? Do you want to stay miserable?

How you live can change just as it did when you survived the events that caused PTSD. This time, it can change for the better!

PTSD is change, so, change again! It is your life. Get in and drive it instead of letting it drive you!

PTSD Patrol Sunday Morning Empowerment Zone topic is are you a passenger in your own life or a driver?

read more here 

Brig. Gen. Donald C. Bolduc fighting to help others heal PTSD, like he did!

Retired general to address PTSD, other issues
Joplin Globe
August 6, 2018

PITTSBURG, Kan. — Brig. Gen. Donald C. Bolduc will speak on a range of topics at 3 p.m. Friday in the Dotty and Bill Miller Theater inside the Bicknell Family Center for the Arts at Pittsburg State University.

Bolduc, who recently retired from Army active duty status as the commanding general of U.S. Special Operations Command-Africa, will address U.S. security challenges, best practices in leadership and experience with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Bolduc served 32 years of active-duty service, receiving two awards for valor, five Bronze Star medals and two Purple Heart medals. He led 10 deployments and survived a bomb blast, numerous firefights and a helicopter crash.
read more here

You may remember reading about him after then candidate Trump said that PTSD happens because they "can't handle the stress" and the New York Times interviewed him. The thing is, the General is an example of what leadership does...takes care of the men and women he served along side of, in front of and then, made sure he would stand behind them so they would get the support they need to heal!

A General’s New Mission: Leading a Charge Against PTSD
New York Times
By Dionne Searcey
Oct. 7, 2016

“The powerful thing is that I can use myself as an example. And thank goodness not everybody can do that. But I’m able to do it, so that has some sort of different type of credibility to it.” Brig. Gen. Donald C. Bolduc

STUTTGART, Germany — It might have been the 2,000-pound bomb that dropped near him in Afghanistan, killing several comrades. Or maybe it was the helicopter crash he managed to survive. It could have been the battlefield explosions that detonated all around him over eight combat tours.

Brig. Gen. Donald C. Bolduc, commander of American Special Operations Forces in Africa, tells soldiers that it is all right to get help for brain injuries and mental health problems.CreditAndrew Harnik/Associated Press

Whatever the cause, the symptoms were clear. Brig. Gen. Donald C. Bolduc suffered frequent headaches. He was moody. He could not sleep. He was out of sorts; even his balance was off. He realized it every time he walked down the street holding hands with his wife, Sharon, leaning into her just a little too close.

Despite all the signs of post-traumatic stress disorder, it took 12 years from his first battlefield trauma for him to seek care. After all, he thought, he was a Green Beret in the Army’s Special Forces. He needed to be tough.

General Bolduc learned that not only did he suffer from PTSD, but he also had a bullet-size spot on his brain, an injury probably dating to his helicopter crash in Afghanistan in 2005.
read more here

PTSD Patrol Two Wheel Power Drive Update

The power to move starts with your desire
PTSD Patrol
Kathie Costos
August 5, 2018

The only thing stopping you from going where you want to go in life, is your imagination is not fueling your power to even start.

If you think you are stuck where you are, you may want to have a different life, but lack the way to change it. Just like all journeys, you need someone to clear the way so you can see what is possible on the road ahead.

The question is not how do you get there, but how do you even want to begin? If you have hope there is something better ahead for you, then you'll seek it. The more you look, the more you'll find people along the way to cheer you on.

PTSD Patrol Sunday Morning Empowerment Zone

Update from PTSD Patrol Two Wheel Power Drive

It is Sunday Morning! The beginning of a new week and hopefully, a new beginning for you too!

By now, you watched the video and saw how all of these athletes received help to achieve their goals. That is how everyone moves on in life. 

You had a desire to serve. They had a desire to do that too. 

You had to be trained to do it. So did they.

They needed help to get out of the wheelchairs. Help to learn how to swim with their physical limits but they did not limit themselves to what they were expected to do. You should not settle for being limited to what people expect out of you with your disability.

They needed help on every part of this trip in their lives, and so do you.

Sure, I know most wheelchairs have more than two wheels but when you think about it, that is really all you need. One wheel moves you but the other one guides you to where you want to go.

So where do you want to go? The only limits on your life are those you settle for. Want to get up and move that vehicle you live in? Then #TakeBackYourLife and find the drive to do it.

On a personal note: Gunny, there is something on the end of this just for you! Thank you for being such a huge part of encouraging me to never give up! 

Click the link above for the rest of this!