Entry One

Wow, where to even begin? Oh I know - thank you for stopping by! I was given the message, twice, that I needed to blog. My first thought was "Why, me? Who cares about what I have to say?" Then I thought, "a-ha, yes me, who am I NOT to share my thoughts?" So here I am, here you are, here we are. What made you decide to take the time to see what I have to say? I know what it is, we are connected in one way or another. Are you patriotic? Are you a healer? Are you both? I am! Hence the name, "Patriotic Healer". You're probably asking what that means & I'm happy to explain.

I served in the US Navy from November 10, 1998 - May 9, 2007. I was stationed in Norfolk, Virginia on board the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower until 2004. Then I transferred home to work in the LEADS Department at the Mpls Navy Recruting Headquarters. I spent my last year in the Reserves. During my last couple of years in Norfolk, we (our ship) was in the Newport News Shipyard. This meant that we had many early days off of work. Since I wasn't going to school or working part time, I didn't want to just sit around so I began to volunteer at the local American Legion. This is where I learned what Patriotism was/is. I served as the House Committee Chairman and the Assistant Newsletter Editor. I would volunteer to work dinners and patriotic events. It was the time of my life. But it wasn't until you'd sit down next to your buddy who had been drinking all day and learned that he was shot at, jaw replaced, or watching your enemy walk right by you within inches of reach or other un-mentionables. I also learned that at that time, it had been 25-30 years that my friend & mentor slept with one eye opened. I had no idea what PTSD was or that this was even real. It occured to me that the more they drank, the more they opened up. I knew that this was huge for them. They trusted me enough to share their deepest fears and thoughts with me. This is when I knew that I wanted to give back for the rest of my life. I made a promise to them.

Fast forward to 2006. I had been home for two years but hadn't transferred or joined another Legion yet. I had spent lots of time with my family & friends but they all had their own lives so I was finally inspired to join. I transferred my Legion membership & was now eligible for the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). Nothing against the Legion but I was drawn more to the VFW, where I was immediately elected into a Post position that would allow me to run through the chairs as we call it, or move up in rank. That one move changed my whole life.