>>JENNIFER WAUGH: WHEN OUR MEN AND WOMEN IN THE MILITARY RETURNED RETURNED HOME, OFTEN
THEIR SCARS RUN MORE THAN SKIN
DEEP, MANY SUFFER FROM POST
TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER. AS
WE RECOGNIZE NATIONAL PTSD
AWARENESS MONTH. RETIRED U.S.
ARMY CAPTAIN KYLE BUTTERS AND
COURTNEY JAMES, THE EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR OF INFINITE HERO.
JOIN US THIS MORNING VIA ZOOM.
GOOD MORNING TO BOTH OF YOU.
THANKS FOR BEING WITH US.
>> GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU
HAVING US. SO GOOD MORNING.
GOOD MORNING, MASSAPEQUA. I’D
LIKE TO START WITH YOU. IF WE
COULD. CAPTAIN, WHAT WOULD YOU
TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT
YOUR SERVICE AND AND HOW IT
LED TO YOUR BATTLE WITH PTSD?
>> SO HAS SERVED IN THE ARMY
FOR JUST UNDER 9 YEARS FROM
2009 TO 2017, I DEPLOYED TWICE
ONCE TO AFGHANISTAN AND ONCE
TO OPERATION ALL. AND AS AN
OUTCOME OF MY DEPLOYMENTS, I
COME DOWN WITH PTSD AND HAVE A
HAD IT SINCE THEN.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: AND AND YOU
THERE WERE 2 THE STATE YOU
SERVED WITH DURING YOUR FIRST
DEPLOYMENT IN AFGHANISTAN. WE
LOST. TO SUICIDE.
>> RIGHT? YEAH, THAT THAT’S
TRUE. I HAD 2 THAT I LOST
SUICIDE FOLLOWING THE
OBVIOUSLY WE LOST SO THEIR
SOLDIERS DURING THE
DEPLOYMENT. BUT I THINK WHEN
YOU OWNERS A SUICIDE, IT’S A
LITTLE BIT OF A DIFFERENT
SITUATION THAN WHEN YOU LOSE
THEM IN COMBAT WHERE YOU
EXPECT TO HAVE THOSE LOSSES.
>> DO YOU FIND THAT THAT?
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: THAT DID YOU
FIND IT HARD TO TALK ABOUT
WHAT YOU ARE FEELING AND WHAT
YOU’RE EXPERIENCING?
>> YEAH, I THINK IT’S ALWAYS
HARD TO TALK ABOUT IT. THAT’S
NOT A COMFORTABLE THING TO
TALK ABOUT IT. HARD TO
EXPLAIN. KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE
HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING OF PTSD
AND THE UNDERSTANDING THEY
THINK THEY HAVE IT A LOT OF
TIMES THAT ACCURATE. BUT, YOU
KNOW, THE ARBOR OF PTSD, IS
INDIVIDUALIZE. IT AFFECTS EACH
INDIVIDUAL ON A PERSONAL
LEVEL. SO IT’S IT’S HARD TO
EXPLAIN TO PEOPLE THE WAY IT
AFFECTS
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: I LIKE TO
BRING COURTNEY INTO THE
CONVERSATION. COURTNEY, WHAT
WOULD YOU EXPLAIN, INFINITE
HERO AND HOW IT CONNECTS
MEMBERS OF THE MILITARY
PEOPLE? OF COURSE, LIKE LIKE A
IT’S LIKE KYLE AND THEIR
FAMILIES WITH PROGRAMS FOR
SERVICE RELATED INJURIES.
>> OF SO AS AN ORGANIZATION
ARE MISSION REALLY FOCUSES ON
COMBATING THE MOST DIFFICULT
FRONTLINE ISSUES, MENTAL AND
PHYSICAL THAT ARE FACING OUR
MILITARY HEROES AND THEIR
FAMILIES WE ARE DEDICATED TO
CONNECTING THOSE MILITARY
VETERANS AND MILITARY FAMILY
MEMBERS WITH INNOVATIVE AND
EFFECTIVE TREATMENTS. AND
SINCE 2012 ASSISTS THE
FOUNDATION HIM TO BE WE’VE
BEEN ABLE TO DO THAT FOR
56,000. THESE WITH JUNE BEING
PTSD AWARENESS MONTH. THIS
GIVES AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHINE
A LIGHT ON AN ISSUE THAT I
THINK. WHETHER OR NOT WE KNOW
IT. WE ALL KNOW SOMEBODY WHO’S
DEALING WITH PTSD AND THIS IS
THE HEART OF ONE OF THE
PILLARS THAT WE FOCUS ON AS A
ORGANIZATION YEAR-ROUND.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: WITH THE
WITH OUR VIEWERS WHO ARE
WATCHING HERE THIS MORNING
WHERE A MILITARY TOWN, WE LOVE
OUR MILITARY MEN AND WOMEN.
ARE THERE SOME WARNING SIGNS
THAT YOU COULD SHARE WITH
FAMILY MEMBERS WHO, YOU KNOW,
THEY THEY IN THEIR GUT, THEY
KEEP SAYING CAST JUST NOT
RIGHT WITH THEIR LOVED ONE,
BUT THEY’RE NOT EXACTLY SURE
WHAT IT IS OR THERE’S SOME
WARNING SIGNS YOU COULD SHARE
WITH THEM.
>> I THINK ANSWER THIS ONE
>> YOU KNOW, LIKE I WAS
ALLUDING TO EARLIER SO
INDIVIDUALIZED AND AFFECTS
EVERYONE DIFFERENTLY. BUT
THERE ARE SOME THINGS TO BE ON
THE LOOKOUT FOR OBVIOUSLY STEP
ONE IS THE PERSON WHO
EXPERIENCES TRAUMA. AND
OBVIOUSLY THAT’S A VERY HIGH
RATE MILITARY SERVICE MEMBERS.
BEYOND THAT, YOU KNOW, MEMBERS
AND MILITARY EXPERIENCE PTSD
AT ABOUT A 30% GOING BACK TO
THE DESERT STORM AIR UNTIL
NOW. AND SOME OF THE MOST
COMMON WARNING SIGNS OR
SYMPTOMS OF PTSD ARE
FLASHBACKS. YOU KNOW WHERE A
PERSON KIND OF RELIVE THE
EVENTS, WHETHER THEIR WAY TO
THEIR SLEEP. YOU KNOW, WHETHER
IT’S NIGHTMARES OR BUT I LIKE
TO CALL DAME ERRORS THAT
HAPPEN WHEN YOU’RE AWAKE,
SOCIAL ISOLATION, SOCIAL YOU
KNOW, INABILITY TO MAYBE
CONTROL SOME OF THEIR STRONGER
EMOTIONS, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU
KNOW, FACED WITH WHAT’S
COMMONLY CALLED TRIGGERS. SO
REMINDERS OF THE EVENT OR WHAT
THEY’VE THERE. YOU KNOW, PTSD
IS TRICKY. IT LOOKS LIKE
DEPRESSION. IT LOOKS LIKE
ANXIETY. IT LOOKS LIKE PANIC
ATTACKS. IT LOOKS LIKE A LOT
OF DIFFERENT THINGS. SO AS FAR
AS WARNING SIGNS. BEYOND. YOU
KNOW, THOSE THOSE BASICS OF
THE FLASHBACKS AND NIGHTMARES.
I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT
THING IS TO ASK THE INDIVIDUAL
PERSON, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE
THEY EXPERIENCING?
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: AND AND THEN
FEELING THAT YOU HAVE THE
STRENGTH, OF COURSE, THEN TO
BRING IN SOMEONE WHO IS AN
EXPERT CAN HELP, YOU KNOW, AND
BRING AN END WHILE THEY MIGHT
SEEM LIKE A STRANGER TO
INCLUDE THEM IN THE
CONVERSATION. CAPTAIN, THANK
YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE. THANK
YOU FOR SHARING THIS WITH US.
I KNOW YOU’RE HELPING MILITARY
MEN AND WOMEN WHO ARE WATCHING
THIS MORNING. I’D LIKE TO
FINISH WITH COURTNEY BECAUSE
I’D LIKE FOR ACCORDING TO
EXPLAIN FOR THOSE WHO ARE
WATCHING WHO ARE STRUGGLING,
HOW CAN THEY REACH OUT THEN TO
INFINITE HERO? COURTNEY?
>> YES, I WOULD ENCOURAGE
ANYBODY WHO MIGHT BE FACING A
NEW THESE CHECK TO THE
CHALLENGES, ESPECIALLY THOSE
THAT KARL SHARED JUST VISIT
OUR WEBSITE. THERE’S A LOT OF
RESOURCES THERE. AND IF YOU
JUST KIND OF CLICK ON YOU CAN
CONNECT DIRECTLY WITH US.
THOSE E-MAILS THAT WE
RESPONDED TO WITHIN A DAY.
MOST WE’RE ALWAYS HAPPY TO
HELP CONNECT PEOPLE. THE
PROGRAMS THAT COULD
POTENTIALLY CHANGE THEIR LIFE
AND GET THEM THE HELP THEY
NEED AS AN ORGANIZATION WE’RE
COMMITTED TO DOING THAT. AND
WE HOPE THAT YOU’LL REACH OUT
TO US. IS THAT SOMETHING THAT
YOU NEED TO COPE WITH RIGHT
NOW?
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: COURTNEY,
JANE’S EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF
INFINITE HERO AND U.S. ARMY
CAPTAIN KYLE BUTTERS. THANK
YOU FOR YOUR TIME THIS
MORNING. WE APPRECIATE BOTH OF
YOU.