'They Saved My Life,' Boxing Club Provides a Healing Outlet for Veterans
The Associated Press By Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Diana Nelson Jones 7 Jul 2019
Boxing isn't for every veteran who needs an outlet, but for those it does help, it is a testament to the power of physical activity in improving mental health
.
Brandy Horchak-Jevsjukova, left, helps Tysh Wagner with stretches after a workout at Warrior's Call Boxing in Baden on Monday, June 10, 2019. Wagner served two tours of duty as a medic in Afghanistan and says the boxing workout helps her heal from the trauma of her war experiences. Horchak-Jevsjukova, co-owner of Warrior's Call, served in Iraq. (Steve Mellon/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP)
BADEN, Pa. (AP) — Brandy Horchak-Jevsjukova jokes that she is Tyshie Wagner's service dog.
A veteran's service dog is trained to lean into her to provide comfort, to stand watch behind her, to jump up or paw her to interrupt a crisis.
Brandy has leaned into Tyshie persistently since they met in 2017, when Tyshie was almost 400 pounds, terrified of leaving her house, and imagining — and once attempting — suicide. She had gone through several therapists and had a husband who was at his wits' end.
Cutting through the chronology of their story, we arrive at the Warrior's Call Boxing Club in Baden, Beaver County, one recent morning.
Brandy and her husband, Vitali Jevsjukova, whom everyone calls "V," opened the club in 2015 to be the help to veterans that boxing had been for them during their military service in Iraq. read it here
“As soon as I walked into Dublin VA, I was immediately admitted to Urgent Care, where I was treated by a nurse practitioner,” Ridings said. “She knew that I needed help, was determined to provide whatever care I required, and that I couldn’t leave the medical center.”
Greg Swars Albany Herald
DUBLIN — When Emergency Department Nurse Practitioner Kristin Horton logged into her LinkedIn account April 24, she found a message from Ashton Ridings, a former U.S. Army Ranger, who required emergency intervention on April 17. The first line of the letter read, “You guys saved my life.”
“My night terrors left me with three or four sleepless nights, and knew I needed help now,” Ridings said. “I was overwhelmed, my (post-traumatic stress disorder) hit me hard, and this time I couldn’t run or work it off. I felt like suicide was my only option, so I planned it out step-by-step.”
Ridings made up his mind that he was going to die by suicide if he couldn’t find help immediately. He called the Veterans Crisis Line and finally the Carl Vinson VA Medical Center. Ridings thought enrolling in a PTSD program at the medical center would be a step in the right direction.
The Veterans Crisis Line contacted the Dublin VAMC Emergency Department informing the staff Ridings, who was suffering from severe PTSD, would be presenting sometime that day.
read it here
Alabama’s homeless veterans: Army vet says struggle brought him ‘closer to God’
AL.com By J.D. Crowe July 7, 2019
“Being homeless is an isolated experience. A close relationship to God makes all the difference.”
“Is that what you want people to know about you?” I asked.
“It’s what I want people to know about the Lord.”
Homeless. Veteran. These two words don’t belong together. How could someone who is willing to die for their country wind up on the streets, kicked to the curb after their service?
How many homeless veterans are in Alabama? I want to draw them all – or as many as possible - and let them tell their stories.
According to an AL.com report in 2018 citing the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development study, there were 339 homeless veterans in Alabama. Of those, 52 were in the Mobile area. So, it makes sense to start locally.
Those numbers are in flux, of course. Thanks to organizations like Housing First, since last July 151 homeless veterans in the Mobile and Eastern Shore area have been identified and transitioned into apartments.
To kick off this project, we talked with four of these Housing First veterans. We hope their stories will inspire more homeless and formerly homeless veterans to come forward with their stories. (See the video in the story below.)
In the meantime, I’m gonna be searching, listening, learning and sketching. read it here
Wounded Times Kathie Costos July 7, 2019 Today is my birthday and I am asking for gifts to be given away. I know it sounds strange, but since that is how I have spent most of these years, it makes perfect sense to me. Lily Casura at Healing Combat Trauma posted a reminder on her Facebook page of something I said a long time ago.
I took the gift I was given by Dana Morgan, at Point Man International Ministries so I could keep giving away what I had to give. So many times I wanted to quit. It got to be too much for me, spiritually draining and depressing. Even with the knowledge of how many lives have been changed, there were times when I did not see any point in continuing this work. It was especially hard when some families asked me to put together the book The Warrior SAW (Suicides After War) because of the video I had done years before. It was based on research for the post Why isn't the press on suicide watch?
That post and video was not as hard as writing the book. Too many memories came flooding back. Nightmares were draining too. When you do this work, taking on the pain of others, comes with the territory. It is called Secondary Traumatization but I dealt with it, the same way I did with all the other times. I talked to people I trusted, like Dana. There were so many other times I needed help because of what I do, and I took comfort in knowing all this provider had to do was ask for help too! Next month I am going to Buffalo for a conference and a thank you celebration for Dana, who retired as President. It is also to congratulate Paul Paul Sluznis as our new president. Dana also helped Paul. Years ago, I was at another conference and Paul was giving his presentation. I recorded it while he was talking about having the gun to his head, but his life was saved because of Dana. Paul ended up saving others in Washington. This is the link to part one but I want to focus on what came afterward in part two.
None of us do any of this for money, or fame, or glory. We sure do not do it for publicity. We do it because we know what pain feels like and what it is like to rejoice again! So, for my birthday please give to the group who helped me, and so many others, receive so much from!
Point Man Intl. Ministries 14420 SE 13th st Vancouver WA 98683
Hundreds of flags decorate coffee shop belonging to fallen soldier and wife
The Denver Channel By: Jessica Barreto Jul 05, 2019
Sergeant Elliott Robbins also leaves behind a baby son, Elliott Jr., who was born shortly after his deployment.
FLORISSANT, Colo. Hundreds of U.S. flags now adorn a coffee shop in belonging to a fallen Fort Carson soldier and his wife.
Special Forces Sergeant First Class Elliott Robbins died earlier this week in Afghanistan, just three weeks before he was set to return home.
Many took time out of their holiday on Thursday to pay their respects to Robbins and his family.
Costello Street Coffee House opened up early at 6:30 Thursday morning, and folks from all over the area stopped by to plant a flag, drop off a note of encouragement, and simply let this grieving family know there is an entire community behind them.
"Without them giving up everything for us, we can't celebrate," said Amber Ray, a military spouse who went to the coffee shop with her family.
Robbins deployed to Afghanistan earlier this year, and on Sunday, his family found out he would not be coming home. read it here
