I entered the military as a schizophrenic. My emotional guts were hanging out. The military became a tourniquet and when I got out, when I took off the uniform, my wounds were healed. There was a price for the healing. As an Army counselor I took the problems of soldiers and ate them. That horrible diet resulted in my being a homeless veteran twice. A village rose up and helped me heal again. This time I was whole. I rejoined the military and was deployed to the combat zone of Afghanistan. I have went from the streets, to getting my Bachelors in Psychology. I have since opened a non profit that specifically helps to men and women unjustly incarcerated when mental treatment was appropriate. We get them from homelessness, substance use, and mental illness and we make them whole. Just like the world did for me. www.vasttx.org. The military healed me greatly, and then broke me a little. I would not change what the military gave me for anything in the world. It takes a village. ~ Valerie
