CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESOURCE CENTER Read More
Add To Favorites

Camp Hope comes to Huntsville to help veterans

Huntsville Item (TX) - 4/20/2014

April 20--HUNTSVILLE -- "Late at night it's drizzling rain ... I am hit and feel no pain ... jagged shrapnel on the fly ... chills my blood and makes me cry ... but in my heart I have no fear ... because my Ranger god is near ... I'll be the best that I can be ... Airborne Ranger Infantry."

Rousing, impassioned, inspiring cadences are designed to birth a soldier. However, what elements are in place for the rebirth of a civilian who has had their "blood chilled," and made to cry?

What is the compensation after years of being "hit," yet feeling no pain?

Too many veterans, suddenly thrust back into civilian life, find transition difficult to say the least.

There is hope. Camp Hope, that is.

In 2010 Camp Hope was established to assist veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a condition that many develop after exposure to traumatic events such as serious threats of injury or death during wartime.

Symptoms include disturbing, recurring flashbacks, avoidance or numbing of memories of events and hyper-arousal (high levels of anxiety) that can continue for years after the traumatic events have occurred.

"Camp Hope was originally based out of Houston, but due to the large number of veterans diagnosed with this condition and the large concentration of veterans in Walker County we're trying to move it here," veterans coordinator Jeff Clark said last week.

Efforts to move Camp Hope to Huntsville are being spearheaded by the PTSD Foundation of America in conjunction with the HEARTS Veterans Museum with an upcoming fundraiser set for May 2 at 6 p.m. Dinner will be served with tickets available at HEARTS for $25.

The foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to mentoring combat veterans and their families who have experienced the horrors of PTSD.

"Many warriors are coming home with these invisible wounds and emotional scars the civilian world can't see and are just beginning to understand," says Clark.

According to Camp Hope officials, the camp functions in two phases. The first phase "is to just get their minds together and provide some structure with a spiritual base," Clark explained.

Phase II is retraining and counseling.

All elements are at no charge to the veteran. Warrior support groups are also available to help those suffering from PTSD.

"What helps is that all the coordinators are combat veterans because there are some things that are just understood and don't have to be explained," noted Clark.

Programs like Camp Hope have also spawned other programs like Veterans Court here in Walker County, a court which is still in its infancy.

According to Camp Hope officials, the court is designed to establish some consideration for what may be the underlying causes that may contribute to a veteran's dysfunction when trying to reintegrate into society.

Camp Hope officials want those in the law enforcement community and the courts to understand that these men are not a menace to society, but need the type of help they hope to provide, and deserve clemency in lieu of punishment.

___

(c)2014 The Huntsville Item (Huntsville, Texas)

Visit The Huntsville Item (Huntsville, Texas) at www.itemonline.com

Distributed by MCT Information Services