Comments on: Veterans Day – and how mountain biking saved me. http://www.jrbechthold.com/veterans-day-and-how-mountain-biking-saved-me/ life in pictures and words by Jeremy Bechthold Sat, 20 Feb 2010 17:36:35 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: JR http://www.jrbechthold.com/veterans-day-and-how-mountain-biking-saved-me/comment-page-1/#comment-417 JR Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:14:07 +0000 http://www.jrbechthold.com/?p=298#comment-417 Hey thanks Andrea - that means a lot. ;-) Hey thanks Andrea – that means a lot. ;-)

]]> By: Andie http://www.jrbechthold.com/veterans-day-and-how-mountain-biking-saved-me/comment-page-1/#comment-416 Andie Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:32:17 +0000 http://www.jrbechthold.com/?p=298#comment-416 You are such an amazing person. I am so proud to call you my brother. Love you! You are such an amazing person. I am so proud to call you my brother. Love you!

]]> By: wenderina http://www.jrbechthold.com/veterans-day-and-how-mountain-biking-saved-me/comment-page-1/#comment-415 wenderina Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:53:20 +0000 http://www.jrbechthold.com/?p=298#comment-415 Thank you Jeremy - I appreciate your response and the info. Thank you Jeremy – I appreciate your response and the info.

]]> By: JR http://www.jrbechthold.com/veterans-day-and-how-mountain-biking-saved-me/comment-page-1/#comment-414 JR Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:32:11 +0000 http://www.jrbechthold.com/?p=298#comment-414 Wenderina, Please do not feel guilty. Everyone copes with the tragedies of war in their own way. You were more than generous with 18 months of cooperation and struggle, especially with below average performance and a disruptive influence at work. There is only so much support you can give to try and aid in recovery etc - and if he isn't seeking help elsewhere - or showing signs of improvement at work, 18 months is more than enough. There are organizations that exist to help Vets who are struggling, and the decision whether or not to take advantage of those support systems lies with each vet individually. I took a different path (partly because I am a stubborn SOB) but the end result was still the same. If you have time, browse around the national PTSD website: http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/where-to-get-help.asp If you see him again or have his contact info - it wouldn't hurt to let him know you are still concerned and give him the information. Thank you for taking care of one of my brothers for as long as you did, and please - don't feel guilty anymore. Give my regards to your staff as well. Wenderina,
Please do not feel guilty. Everyone copes with the tragedies of war in their own way. You were more than generous with 18 months of cooperation and struggle, especially with below average performance and a disruptive influence at work. There is only so much support you can give to try and aid in recovery etc – and if he isn’t seeking help elsewhere – or showing signs of improvement at work, 18 months is more than enough.

There are organizations that exist to help Vets who are struggling, and the decision whether or not to take advantage of those support systems lies with each vet individually. I took a different path (partly because I am a stubborn SOB) but the end result was still the same. If you have time, browse around the national PTSD website: http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/where-to-get-help.asp

If you see him again or have his contact info – it wouldn’t hurt to let him know you are still concerned and give him the information.

Thank you for taking care of one of my brothers for as long as you did, and please – don’t feel guilty anymore. Give my regards to your staff as well.

]]> By: Kate http://www.jrbechthold.com/veterans-day-and-how-mountain-biking-saved-me/comment-page-1/#comment-413 Kate Thu, 12 Nov 2009 03:01:12 +0000 http://www.jrbechthold.com/?p=298#comment-413 Love you JR! Great blog! Thanks for serving and I'm so glad you came home and made it back to your family. I walked this past weekend in honor of the Vietnam vets (my generation's ugly war). Every war it gets more difficult to support our participation. There are so many other options to deal with conflict. We just respect and honor those serve/served for all of us. Love you JR! Great blog! Thanks for serving and I’m so glad you came home and made it back to your family. I walked this past weekend in honor of the Vietnam vets (my generation’s ugly war). Every war it gets more difficult to support our participation. There are so many other options to deal with conflict. We just respect and honor those serve/served for all of us.

]]> By: Wenderina http://www.jrbechthold.com/veterans-day-and-how-mountain-biking-saved-me/comment-page-1/#comment-412 Wenderina Thu, 12 Nov 2009 01:42:05 +0000 http://www.jrbechthold.com/?p=298#comment-412 Jeremy - thanks for your service and for this post. I'm having an outsider's struggle with PTSD. I'm a boss who tried to be supportive of a returning vet but after 18 months, I had to let him go. Every hour of every day I feel guilt and I wonder how he is coping. I struggle to understand my role in his recovery or in his trauma. What is my human responsibility here? What are the boundaries I cannot cross? What is the collateral damage effect - his trauma from Afghanistan - my team's trauma in dealing with his behavior and performance at work - my (so little my comparison) trauma in this guilt. Posts like yours where you worked your way through it are a beacon of hope. Jeremy – thanks for your service and for this post. I’m having an outsider’s struggle with PTSD. I’m a boss who tried to be supportive of a returning vet but after 18 months, I had to let him go. Every hour of every day I feel guilt and I wonder how he is coping. I struggle to understand my role in his recovery or in his trauma. What is my human responsibility here? What are the boundaries I cannot cross? What is the collateral damage effect – his trauma from Afghanistan – my team’s trauma in dealing with his behavior and performance at work – my (so little my comparison) trauma in this guilt. Posts like yours where you worked your way through it are a beacon of hope.

]]> By: Summer http://www.jrbechthold.com/veterans-day-and-how-mountain-biking-saved-me/comment-page-1/#comment-411 Summer Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:06:39 +0000 http://www.jrbechthold.com/?p=298#comment-411 Beautiful. Thank you for sharing, this and for what it's worth, thank you for serving our country. Beautiful. Thank you for sharing, this and for what it’s worth, thank you for serving our country.

]]> By: JR http://www.jrbechthold.com/veterans-day-and-how-mountain-biking-saved-me/comment-page-1/#comment-410 JR Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:29:12 +0000 http://www.jrbechthold.com/?p=298#comment-410 Thanks for your comments and for coming by. I truly loved my time in the Army - it was a wonderful experience - even if not all my memories could be considered "fond". You know what they say - if it doesn't kill you it makes you stronger... ;-) Thanks for your comments and for coming by. I truly loved my time in the Army – it was a wonderful experience – even if not all my memories could be considered “fond”.

You know what they say – if it doesn’t kill you it makes you stronger… ;-)

]]> By: Elle http://www.jrbechthold.com/veterans-day-and-how-mountain-biking-saved-me/comment-page-1/#comment-409 Elle Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:26:15 +0000 http://www.jrbechthold.com/?p=298#comment-409 Jeremy, I haven't been keeping up with your blog as often as I'd like to, but saw your post on facebook and wanted to know what the bike part of the story was. It was a lovely story to read today, as I was feeling sort of low about goodwill in the world lately - it turned me around.... thank you! Jeremy, I haven’t been keeping up with your blog as often as I’d like to, but saw your post on facebook and wanted to know what the bike part of the story was. It was a lovely story to read today, as I was feeling sort of low about goodwill in the world lately – it turned me around…. thank you!

]]> By: Kellen Holgate http://www.jrbechthold.com/veterans-day-and-how-mountain-biking-saved-me/comment-page-1/#comment-408 Kellen Holgate Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:39:46 +0000 http://www.jrbechthold.com/?p=298#comment-408 great post. thanks for your service. K great post. thanks for your service.

K

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