Our support group is based on the belief that our Service members and families need someone that understands where they are coming from and are living with the same day to day struggles  of living with a loved one that suffers from PTSD. It is hard to transition from coming home from a combat zone to back to the civilian world for the service members, as well as it is hard for the spouse after being mom, dad, nurse, housekeeper etc to get used to not having to do everything on their own and having help around the house. We can help with that as well as help you with what symptoms of PTSD and help you to understand how they affect the person that is dealing with my occur  and how you can make it through these trying times.  We have the recourses and points of contacts to help make dealing with PTSD not as difficult as it would be trying to do it on your own or yet, alone. Until you reach out for help and are willing to admit there is a problem, no one can help, once you reach out and ask for the help, you will be amazed to find that there are so many that are dealing with this on a daily basis, My husband and I are just one of the thousands going through this.Please lets get a good thing started in this area, we really do need it.We are here to offer support for spouses and vets for predeployments, during deployments, and continued support upon the return home from deployments. We often let our pride get in the way of getting help that is needed or just admitting there is a problem, weather it be anger, guilt, aggression, isolation, flashbacks, nightmares,  numb feelings etc. As a spouse you feel that you are the problem and that your loved one just does not love you anymore and gets mad at everything you do, it is not that, there is a reason behind these feelings and we can help you to understand this. Sometimes when this is happening the first thing we as a spouse think about is leaving..Its the wrong answer. We all need someone that understands where we are coming from and has walked in our shoes, well im sure that im still walking in them, i want to help you to understand .As vets we would prefer to talk to someone that has been to combat and not just someone that thinks they understand, that is why we offer vets talking to vets, we have recourses to help you to get the help you need as well as be there for support for you and your family since both my husband and i can honestly say we have been there, done that and still going through it. Please take the first step and contact us so that we can get a great support group going in the area.

 

Being a wife of a Marine that has been diagnosed with PTSD from his tour in Iraq, i believe that it is most important for vets to be able to talk to Vets about issues and for spouses to have someone to lean on as well, someone that understands what they are going through and can give some advice on how they have had to deal with living with someone who is going through this disorder, that we all know, our service members did not ask for this.. If you are suffering from sleepless nights, anger problems, flashbacks or are a spouse that is at the end of your rope and needs to just talk to someone to get advice, please contact us, we can help.

 

I know how hard it is to understand the issues our service members have to deal with on a daily basis. My husband and I have struggled through thick and thin to get to where we are now. We to this day still have our bad days, less than before. He goes to the VA in Biloxi to the PTSD clinic for his treatments and it has really helped.

 

I think once we can get our service members out of the denial stage and get them to seek help with coping with PTSD and all the symptoms that go along with this we can make a difference in not just the service members, but help families from falling apart from the not knowing what this is all about.

 

We would welcome the opportunity to earn your trust .

 

We want everyone to know who is has returned from Iraq or other war zones that you are NOT alone..We do understand..

 

We have found that sometimes vets feel more comfortable talking to other vets about what they have been through since they have been through the same kind of trauma..

 

I hope that you will feel comfortable contacting my husband or myself about any concerns that you might have if you are living with someone with PTSD or if you are interested in attending a support group that we will be holding once we get this off and rolling.

 

We are here to guide you in the right direction to help you find the resources you need to receive help.

 

We are currently working with Camp Shelby and with the VA in Biloxi to get this off and rolling and to make it a successful group.

 

I want to extend a special thanks to the ones that are helping us to get this group going, GySgt.Watson(USMC recruiting station in hattiesburg), Col.Bauer(Camp Shelby), Col.Fuller ( Camp Shelby), and the OIF/OEF office at the VA in Biloxi, MS, as well as Chaplin Cook (Camp Shelby). If it was not for all of you we would not be where we are today. I also want to thank Bob Pizutto(Vietnam Vet)  and his wife Kim for being there for my husband and I to talk to when we have had our bad days, and to Bob for making a special trip to take my husband to the VA to get him the help he needed. You all hold a special place in my heart.Because of all of you, we are now able to help others like you have helped us!! We are also working with the beyond the yellow ribbon staff and i want to thank Deanna for contacting me and wanting to work with me to help make this group a big success..

 

We have found that talking with others going through the same thing helps more than most people could understand. Knowing that you are in an environment where you can voice your opinion about what is on your mind and not get in trouble.. We all need a place to be able to vent with out the consequences. Please know that we are here to help make your life easier with not just your inner self, but with your family and friends.

 

 

 

 

                                                                              You might suffer from Combat Stress if....................

 

1. you have trouble sleeping

2. You are always angry and dont know why

3. Your temper flares at the smallest things

4. you have numb feelings

5. your family life is falling apart

6. You dont like to go out in public due to the amount of people around and feeling you always have to watch your back

7. you have nightmares, cold sweats and flashbacks

8. When driving you see something in the road that reminds you of being back in a combat zone

9. You isolate yourself from family and friends

10. You are depressed

11.you have a sense of guilt for what happened during combat

12. feeling that the use of beer or liquor will help with these feeling and make everything better

 

 

there are more to list, these are just a few....

 

If you are experiencing any of these things, maybe you just need to talk to someone that understands what its like in a combat zone.. If you are saying NO, just remember, you never know until you try.