Jeff served 15 years in Naval Intelligence during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, living in a near-constant cycle of training and deployment. He thrived in this high-tempo environment, pushing himself to complete every mission and every task to the highest standard, never saying "I can't" or  "I quit," and always volunteering for another deployment. However, he neglected one crucial element: rest and recovery. This ultimately led to an early medical retirement. 

 

Jeff discovered that his system, highly tuned for military service in conflict zones, was a liability in suburban America. His system was on constant overload, taking in too much information. A simple task, such as grocery shopping, could at best leave him feeling wrung out and at worst trigger a panic attack. Having his wife and children with him would considerably magnify his hypervigilance, as well as the inevitable negative outcome. As a result, he avoided leaving the house, isolated himself from his family, and began relying heavily on alcohol to shut down his overstimulated system. The heaviest burden Jeff felt was that he was failing at his primary duty as a husband and father. Instead of being the protector, he became the main vulnerability and threat.

 

With encouragement and support from his loving wife, Jeff sought out help, but found none of the traditionally prescribed treatments effective. However, he discovered that hiking and running the trails near his home turned down the volume of input overloading his system. He could even walk the trails with his wife and kids without concern. The more time Jeff spent on the trails the more he returned to his family, until finally he could go to a rodeo with his family and just be there with them or share a tent with his son during a hiking trip without worrying he would strike out in his sleep.

 

It does not matter to Jeff how or why the time in the mountains and trails helped him heal. All that matters to him is he has never missed a baseball game, concert or recital, and the love and pride he sees in the eyes of his wife, son, and daughter is earned and will continue to be earned every day.

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Jeff now pushes himself every day to:

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    1.  Be a better father and husband.

    2. Be an example to other veterans struggling to return home.

    3. Support veteran-led organizations helping fellow veterans transition home.

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