By a Veteran of The Rifles and Special Forces Support Group
I joined the Army at 17. By 24, I had seven years of service, two frontline tours in Afghanistan, and a body and mind scarred by combat. I was shot at, rocketed, blown up, and saw friends obliterated by IEDs. I was injured and evacuated. As I wrote in my account, "I think from these experiences I have gained a well rounded experience of modern warfare and military life in general. I do not say this as some kind of boast or to portray myself as some kind of expert, just to give some context."
Yet, the trauma that lingered — the depression that engulfed me for years after leaving — wasn't primarily from the battlefield. "It was not combat trauma that lead to any of my mental health issues or returning to a civilian life. It was the training itself." This is the silent epidemic among veterans: a struggle forged not in war, but in the barracks.