Speaker 1: This week we are raising money for Warrior Foundation Freedom Station,
Speaker 1: as we have for the last several years. It is
Speaker 1: an unbelievable organization, as you're about to hear, that intercedes
Speaker 1: and does whatever it takes. When our service members are
Speaker 1: at their most vulnerable, whether from an injury and battle
Speaker 1: or training, traumatic brain injury PTSD, h illness and UH
Speaker 1: they're at risk of being one of those sad, sad
Speaker 1: stories about a VET on the streets or worse, a suicide. UM.
Speaker 1: They do miraculous work with incredible efficiency. They really really care,
Speaker 1: and so we decided part of you know, to help
Speaker 1: you understand what they do and how they do it,
Speaker 1: to talk to warriors who have actually benefited from Warrior
Speaker 1: Foundation Freedom Station. We're talking to David Scott, who has
Speaker 1: been both a resident of Freedom Station too and uh
Speaker 1: gent who's taken advantage of some of the Mennership programs.
Speaker 1: David is a United States Marine combat veteran of twelve
Speaker 1: years five deployments, including combat duty in both Afghanistan and Iraq.
Speaker 1: David a real pleasure to talk. How are you. I
Speaker 1: really appreciate this opportunity. I'm doing well this morning, actually
Speaker 1: been busy, but doing very well. So you're the classic
Speaker 1: story for what Warrior Foundation Freedom Station can do to
Speaker 1: my mind. I mean, I've got a brother who served
Speaker 1: in war zones. I know what it was like for
Speaker 1: him to come back to regular civilian life. You, with
Speaker 1: five deployments, including combat duty in Afghanistan and Iraq, struggled
Speaker 1: to acclimate the civilian life and what way, well, what
Speaker 1: what was hard? What was different about coming back to
Speaker 1: the real world as we know it? I think the
Speaker 1: biggest struggle coming back as a combat veteran after being
Speaker 1: acclimatized the military mindset, you know, and coming back after
Speaker 1: those five deployments, and even realizing after the first and
Speaker 1: second one that you already had a little bit of
Speaker 1: UH dramas going on, but you still push through, you know,
Speaker 1: in order to fight for those that are left and
Speaker 1: right of you. However, commatation in the adaptation and transition
Speaker 1: was super difficult back in the civilian world because, you know,
Speaker 1: as a combat veteran, you're pushing, you know, to finish
Speaker 1: the objective. You're getting the firefights, you're you're finding roadside bombs,
Speaker 1: you know, the whole plethora of what combat is UH
Speaker 1: and then coming and finding yourself worth. That's the hardest part,
Speaker 1: I think as a combat veteran, just finding yourself worth.
Speaker 1: I mean, you feel like your adrenaline has been peeked
Speaker 1: up to the highest point, you know, clearing doors, you know,
Speaker 1: and going through combat operations, but then coming back here
Speaker 1: to find out that it's not always so simple and
Speaker 1: the transition back into civilian life isn't so smooth as
Speaker 1: you would like it. You know. Some of the problems
Speaker 1: that we go through is fighting ourselves as men or
Speaker 1: women and even being a better dad or being close
Speaker 1: to our kids, and we kind of isolate ourselves and
Speaker 1: that's still an entire transition process as well. So, um,
Speaker 1: that particularly first off, right off hand is probably the
Speaker 1: most difficult thing is getting that self worth back in
Speaker 1: in motivation to do something, uh, into the community and
Speaker 1: find actual friends outside of the military and thinks that nature. Yeah,
Speaker 1: So so it was rough getting back home and trying
Speaker 1: to deal with civilian life, which can be frustrating and
Speaker 1: idiotic even without you know, the experiences you had and
Speaker 1: that that brotherhood that you're talking about. Um, how did
Speaker 1: Warrior Foundation Freedom Station factor in? Uh? What was their
Speaker 1: role in helping you get you know, to a better place.
Speaker 1: So I was actually not aware of this until uh
Speaker 1: about six months ago in my life. UM. I was
Speaker 1: at a veteran surf therapy UM group UM called One
Speaker 1: More Wave, and one of the presidents had said, Hey,
Speaker 1: I know Greg Martin, who's the president at the time
Speaker 1: of Freedom Station to one and two that works side
Speaker 1: by side with Sandy, and He's like, I think that
Speaker 1: you would be a really good fit over there at
Speaker 1: the Freedom Station. So then I started inquiring with Greg
Speaker 1: about what the Freedom Station has to offer, what they
Speaker 1: could potentially benefit uh and how they could help me
Speaker 1: get my feet back on the ground and just stabilizing
Speaker 1: myself UM in general. And that's when I inquired with
Speaker 1: Greg and they interviewed me, and then that's when things
Speaker 1: kind of took off from there. What took off in?
Speaker 1: What way? How is it helping? Okay? So right now
Speaker 1: I struggled to kind of be financially secure UM and
Speaker 1: that was a big, big asset to me. They offered
Speaker 1: me uh subsidized rant and at a lower rate because
Speaker 1: they have that opportunity. They've been working with the community
Speaker 1: in the in the veteran resources, and they offer one
Speaker 1: bedroom cottage that actually can also house my UM children
Speaker 1: at the time that they are with me for visitations,
Speaker 1: and so it's really opportunity to be local. I'm next
Speaker 1: to a golf course, which is another therapy for me. UM.
Speaker 1: They are guiding me in all the right directions as
Speaker 1: far as getting a gainful employment or even right now,
Speaker 1: it's been great working side by side with the marketing
Speaker 1: director because my passion is surf photography right now and
Speaker 1: I'm trying to make that a career within multimedia marketing,
Speaker 1: and so they're kind of job like, kind of job
Speaker 1: job shadow, but the mentoring me in order to pursue
Speaker 1: my passions because that's the self worth that I'm fighting
Speaker 1: with internally. And so right now, Freedom Station has been
Speaker 1: such a good asset and uh partaking in in the
Speaker 1: interest of my own Well, Hey David, hanging there, man,
Speaker 1: You've got a hell of a lot of people rooting
Speaker 1: for you. Sincerely, um and and glad they can help
Speaker 1: indirectly through supporting Warrior found Asian Freedom Station, but we're
Speaker 1: suiting certainly rooting for you like crazy too. So thanks
Speaker 1: a million for the time and uh and and go
Speaker 1: get him all right, Absolutely appreciate your time. Thank you
Speaker 1: so much for this opportunity,