Warriors of Camp Southern Ground

STORIES OF IMPACT

Jeremy Brock

Jeremy is a Warrior Week and Warrior PATHH alum. A Georgia native, he joined the Army one week after 9/11. This is his story.

I served as a Respiratory Specialist and Expert Field Medic for almost 13 years. Working at the #1 Trauma Hospital in the world, I saw thousands of traumas during the National Resolution and Iraqi Surge Campaigns in Iraq.

Transitioning out of the military, I thought, was a smooth transition as the Army trained me to be a Respiratory Therapist and I easily found work post military. I didn’t discover how severe my PTSD was until I started working with babies at the #1 Delivery Hospital in the United States. Hearing the screams and cries from patients and families really forced me to seek help for my PTSD. Not only did these screams and cries remind me of the physical and emotional traumas of my childhood but also the traumas I experienced in combat. After being on the front line as a Respiratory Therapist during the Covid Pandemic I knew it was time to really put my mental wellness first.

The first time I ever heard of Post Traumatic Growth (PTG) was with Camp Southern Ground and it’s a term that has changed my life. This program needs to be in every civilian and military community to experience the growth in the way that Camp Southern Ground teaches. I learned our projection for greatness is much higher because of the trauma we experience. I learned how to really listen to someone for the first time in my life but more importantly how to listen to myself.

What a great year 2023 has been for my mental health. Went through Warrior Week and Warrior Path early this year and scheduled to do a family camp with my wife and two boys coming up which we are extremely excited about. Introducing Post Traumatic Growth in our house has changed how we all communicate, the emotional responses from everyone, and how we give grace.

Since going through CSG program I have impacted hundreds with my breathing wellness company RIOR Wellness and spoke to all the small governments in Georgia at a conference to initiate a Georgia Breathing wellness initiative. I am currently serving my community as a Breathing Specialist working with businesses and individuals to enhance their resiliency and gain performance by optimizing their breathing both during work and athletic movement. Learning to live in my strengths and focusing on growth is a gift that Camp Southern Ground has given me.

I can’t forget that my first priority is and will always be my mental health, and I am fortunate and grateful to Camp Southern Ground for introducing ways to turn something that negatively impacts you into something that is positive. PTG needs to be all over our great Nation, and I believe is the answer for Mental Wellness. At Camp Southern Ground they say, “Love is the Remedy.” This reminds me that Love must be the forefront in everything I do; it is how I can keep moving forward. Love is the Remedy!

Help us make a difference in the lives of more veterans like Jeremy.