Army veteran helps community recover from PTSD
NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI (WCBI) – The battles don’t always stop when you leave the field. There’s also sometimes a war with the mind.
June is National Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Month.
Retired Army Sgt. Melvin Gatewood served in the military for four years, including being on active duty in Iraq in 2005.
Gatewood said he remembers when a military vehicle he was driving exploded, like it was yesterday.
“When it happened, as far as seeing my vision going from straight to upside down, I just kind of braced myself for impact. I knew that something had happened, and once we hit the ground, I was trying to get out of my seatbelt, but I couldn’t get out of the seatbelt.”
Traumatic incidents like the vehicle explosion Gatewood experienced often follow veterans when they return home, sometimes resulting in them being diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Mayo Clinic defines PTSD as a mental health condition caused by extremely stressful or terrifying events, like wars or natural disasters.
To help with the stress the military community carries and to honor fallen soldiers, the Lowndes County native founded his non-profit Operation Continue Service in 2021.
Among the key events he hosts are ruck marches.
“(Ruck) is a military term for carrying a heavy weighted backpack from point A to point B. Typically when we have our rucks on, we’re out in the field and when we have our gear, but when we do it as an organization, we say that were carrying the hardships that veterans carry both in the military and after the military,” said Gatewood.
Mental Health professionals say PTSD comes from overexposure of traumatic incidents and that those diagnosed may experience anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia.
Gatewood encourages veterans to not let those labels define them.
“I will ask them to give them to give me the word as we walk, we talk about it, and then I tell them, like anger, we don’t have to deal with that, we can shed it … PTSD, don’t just have it as a badge of honor, yes, you served your country, but you don’t have to let it hinder you from thriving. Let’s just throw it off.”
Federal data shows that 1 in 20 adults in the U.S. has PTSD in any given year.
Gatewood advises those struggling with their mental health to connect with other veterans and seek professional help.
You can contact your local Community Counseling office to learn more about their services.
Operation Continue Service is hosting a Pop Up veteran coffee social in West Point later this month.
You can follow Melvin Gatewood on Facebook for more information about upcoming events.
988 is the suicide prevention and crisis hotline.
