Yes indeed it is about time we start talking about this. Wounds of the Soul run deep and certainly are not a sign of weakness or of being mentally unfit for the job.

Trauma shakes us to our core and leaves us rethinking so many assumptions we had previously held onto.

We must come together in transparent dialogue to adequately dispel the inaccurate myths that have been formulated over the decades and now discuss how trauma such as this clearly reorganizes our way of being in the world.

Our Warriors, whether they be in a combat zone or on the streets in our communities, are deeply touched by these traumatic experiences as are the civilians and citizens who also live through these harrowing situations. We as a nation are also affected and the way we knew our lives to be has been revamped. Through this trauma we emerge on the other side with skills and ideas that perhaps we had never realized. The power of the human spirit to live is one that many of you who read this have experienced first hand. This will to live and to reexamine how we come to survive when another has been taken is where some of the guilt, shame and self doubt emerge and stops us in our tracks.

These are some of the normal issues that must be fully worked through as we all move forward in our quest to heal. This is only a part of of our experience and it is through these earth shattering moments that we come to our knees with an ability to survive on all levels.