Veteran Succeeds and Becomes Teacher

The following success story was written about a veteran in the Veterans Industries program.

            Fifty-one years old, donning glasses, a tie, a business shirt and slacks, Veteran will take the stage again tomorrow with his electric guitar.  This past Tuesday morning, that guitar was at the top of Veteran’s inventory list—the list of things that are, as he says, “going right in my life,” what he’s thankful for, and what has been brought back into his life by sobriety. 

             “My electric guitar… I have a vacuum cleaner… My friend showed up for rehearsal yesterday…” were all items on the list.

            Veteran has been sober for twenty-two months.  He loves music, and in addition to writing and performing his own songs, he will also be the DJ at the next Church dance.  Veteran has been attending singles mixers at this Church, and also received a donation from the Church to fix his car. 

            “If alcohol and drugs are called ‘The Great Remover,’ then recovery must be called ‘The Great Restorer,’” he said.

           

            I met Veteran on his 51^st birthday.  We started talking about addiction and ended up discussing the novel Robinson Crusoe.  Veteran completed his previously unfinished Master’s thesis in English while in treatment at Veterans Industries, and this particular novel was his chosen topic.  The completion of this paper was a monumental achievement in Veteran’s life, for reasons revealed in his recovery story.

            Veteran had been through Veterans Industries before.  The first time he came here was in 1996.  After his time in the program, Veteran remained sober for a year and a half, was in a state of relapse for about 2 years, and was sober again for another five and a half years.  His final relapse occurred when he first attempted to complete his thesis—the culminating work of his graduate education. 

            “My girlfriend and I broke up, I had gone back to cab driving full time and was driving too much… six days a week.  I didn’t have a real strong program,” he said.

            For the second time in his life, Veteran came into the Domiciliary to turn his life around.

             Veteran explained that he relates to Crusoe in that he often feels oppressed by any number of occurrences in his daily life, and by what has happened in the past.  These triggers– moments of sadness in the morning just after waking, or disrespectful comments from co-workers– would once get the best of Veteran.  But now he knows how to avoid a relapse:  He takes action against those feelings.

            “Knowledge isn’t enough,” he said.  “Knowing your triggers is not enough.  Action is key.”

            Veteran told me that action can involve anything, from going to a meeting, prayer, taking direction from a mentor, or writing a list of those “things that are going right in my life.”  These actions may seem simple, but action is what keeps Veteran healthy, and what has made him successful so far. 

            In addition to his recreational activities, Veteran worked as an Americorps volunteer at Nine Star, where he helped people in need of employment education services.  He is now a substitute teacher and continues to succeed in work and in life.

***Names were changed to protect the privacy of our veterans.

“A Miracle to Me”

The following success story was written about one of Veterans Industries’s program graduates.

Vet showed up to his interview in his new work gear– in overalls with his tools hung on his chest like gleaming medals.  He said about his new promotion, “It’s all about blessings and luck.”  Vet may be blessed, but his work and dedication over the past three years are what earned him this most recent accolade. 

            Vet came to Alaska from Texas, where he was stationed after his time in the Gulf War.  He had come with a friend to try his luck at fishing, but unfortunately, returning from war does not always play out as the soldier expects.  Instead of humping around heavy packs of equipment through the desert, Vet came back with an invisible weight.  It followed him everywhere, even to bed.  He couldn’t sleep.  His eyes would finally close at three am only to open again at the sound of his alarm, at five am, for work.  He had difficulty concentrating.  Imagine the kind of fatigue these habits would beget over time, and now add the stress of keeping an unending vigil.  Being constantly on your guard is another symptom of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.  Vet had come back from war only to fight a battle in his own mind.  PTSD is a powerful combatant, and Vet’s career and health were two casualties.

            Vet picked up a drinking habit in an effort to soothe himself.  He got into some trouble and ended up in a courtroom with a DWI.  While he was there, someone handed him the Veterans Industries business card.  He heard from other veterans that this program could help him secure a job with the Federal government.  So, instead of immediately applying for a job on his own, Vet came into the program.  At this point, Vet had a new family to take care of.  There were no easy decisions.  But he seemed to know that some amount of personal recovery would be necessary to keep going, to be able to support his family in the long-run.  Vet knew he needed to heal.

            “I did it for me,” Vet said.  “Some people do it for their kids, but I couldn’t do that.  I knew I had to do it for me.”

           

            Vet immersed himself in the program.  He underwent counseling and met with other veterans to talk about his experiences.  He opened up and began to let go of what weighed him down.  Not long after he began, Vet was hired as a flat worker in the laundry facilities on the base at Fort Richardson.  The significance of his progress at Veterans Industries showed in his work.   

            “I took the program so seriously,” he said.

            He ran around the laundry like a man trying to prove a point, and prove it he did.  Vet was promoted to the marking room after three months, where he priced clothes and marked equipment on a computer.  Though he was not previously trained in computers, he was taken on in this position because his supervisors knew that he would learn quickly and was worth training.  For three years Vet worked at this job, sick for only 3 days the entire time.  And then, in October of 2007 Vet was given an offer to undergo training and a working test period for a better, newer job, as a mechanic in the laundry facilities.  Vet accepted the opportunity without hesitation.  He was undergoing training, doing repair work for commercial laundry washers and pressers, when his final test came.   

            While leaving Church, one of his daughters was hit by a car.  At the hospital, no one could find out what was wrong with her.  While the doctors were examining his two year old girl, the police arrested Vet for an outstanding warrant from his DWI three years ago.  Vet knew that he had taken all the steps to clear this warrant, but could not argue with the police. 

            Vet said, “Everything came back,” in reference to his war memories.  “At that moment I felt like I wanted to be a bad guy… that was my lowlight.”

            A judge later acknowledged this mistake, and apologized on behalf of the police, but the real victory was in Vet’s ability to control the feelings of panic and anger he felt at that moment, and to get through this experience without breaking down.  It seems Vet won this battle against his memories.  Not only did he prove his strength to himself, but he has proven his ability to his supervisors.  He will be taken on permanently in this position.

           

            Vet gives the majority of credit to the time he spent in the program at Veterans’ Industries.  However, while VI did provide the tools, Vet did all the work to get where he is today.  His advancement in the workplace is without a doubt, due to his own dedication and to the nature of his character.  We are proud to recognize Vet’s hard work, and look forward to working beside him for years to come.  This opportunity was, as Vet put it, “a miracle to me.” 

***Names were changed to protect the privacy of our veterans.

Pleased to Meet You…

Hello and welcome to the Anchorage, Alaska Veterans Industries webblog.  This site will be updated with the latest news and information about the population our organization serves– homeless and disabled veterans.  We will also share success stories and news about our upcoming events.  Please feel free to add comments, ask questions, or call us if you have interest in helping a veteran.