Scrolling Through Life

Tom served 20 years in the US Army. Serving 3 years at Schofield Barracks, HI and 17 years in two of the United States Elite Special Operations units the 75th Ranger Regiment and 5th Special Forces Group. Tom has deployed to Bosnia- Herzegovina for Peacekeeping Operations and has multiple combat deployments to both Iraq and Afghanistan. While assigned to 5th Special Forces Group, he has conducted multiple deployments to the middle East outside of the combat capacity in support of the Global War on Terrorism. At 17 years he was assigned to 1st Special Warfare Training Group Fort Bragg, where he fulfilled his instructor time at the Special Forces Assessment and Selection as a Senior Instructor on the Land Navigation Committee. Nearing his 20 years Tom realized the effects years of combat deployments and alcohol abuse had taken on his mental health and decided to seek help before retiring. It was at the treatment facility that he truly noticed the damage that had been done and vowed to never return to those dark times. Although his Chain of Command was supportive, Tom understood the gaps that the Army had when it came to dealing with soldiers, substance abuse, and mental health. It was during his treatment that he really began to get an understanding of all his mental health issues ranging from depression to anger issues. With sharing his struggles, he hopes to further spark the conversation of mental health and make it not so taboo to speak about, society has made the subject of mental health so taboo that it makes it very difficult for people to reach out for help until its too late. He hopes to give a voice to those that are struggling to ask for help and to one day have the military take a deeper look into their Policies and Regulations on how they deal with soldiers with substance abuse and mental health issues. Tom hopes to start a #imapersonnotaproblem movement to bring further mental health awareness especially to active soldiers and veterans. Outside of mental health this podcast will be a way for everyone that tunes in to find some sort of motivation, inspiration, hope and laughter throughout the great stories that will be shared by Tom and his guests.