{"id":30496,"date":"2014-05-14T09:23:44","date_gmt":"2014-05-14T13:23:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/?p=30496"},"modified":"2021-07-09T16:22:01","modified_gmt":"2021-07-09T20:22:01","slug":"life-changing-mission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/2014\/05\/14\/life-changing-mission\/","title":{"rendered":"Life-changing mission"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Tyler<\/a>

After tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, Tyler Thompson returned home with PTSD. Now he wants to help veterans get the care they deserve.<\/p><\/div>\n

Tyler Thompson spent seven years in the U.S. Army, deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan. When he returned home after tours in each country, he suffered from PTSD.<\/p>\n

It took him a long time to get the help he needed, but he finally did. Now he wants to help veterans facing similar challenges.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s working toward that goal as a student leader in the Wright State University Veteran and Military Center and by majoring in rehabilitation services so he can work with veterans after he graduates.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just have so many men and women come back with mental health problems,\u201d said Thompson, who is a junior. \u201cI\u2019ll have experience in the field and I\u2019ll have the education.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can help people out just like myself,\u201d he said, \u201cand it helps me too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thompson joined the Army in 2002 and spent nearly two years in Iraq as an armor crewman, holding various positions like tank driver, tank loader and tank commander. When his stint ended in 2006, he returned to Richwood, Ohio, where he grew up and attended Marion Technical College, receiving an associate degree in criminal justice.<\/p>\n

\"Tyler<\/a>

Tyler Thompson was invited to speak on behalf of veteran students during a visit to Wright State this spring by Ohio Gov. John Kasich.<\/p><\/div>\n

At the time, he was experiencing problems because of post-traumatic stress disorder, though he didn\u2019t know he had PTSD. He initially visited the VA, but says he was too proud and stubborn to actually seek help. He concealed his depression from others.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t tell anybody in the world that I had any problems because I thought that I was the only one,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Thinking civilian life wasn\u2019t for him, he rejoined the Army, this time serving with the 2nd Infantry Division based in Fort Lewis, Wash. In 2009, he deployed to Afghanistan, where he served until 2010.<\/p>\n

After he returned from Afghanistan, Thompson\u2019s mental health worsened. He was angry, depressed and suicidal. \u201cI had three, four years where I didn\u2019t feel anything at all,\u201d he said. \u201cDidn\u2019t feel happy, didn\u2019t feel sad.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy problems were so bad I tried to continually bottle it up and tried not to let anyone see there was anything wrong with me,\u201d he recalled.<\/p>\n

But others did notice something was wrong and urged Thompson to seek help. Eventually, he started receiving therapy. \u201cI\u2019ve learned to turn the volume down quite a bit,\u201d he said, \u201cjust tone it out so I can do stuff that\u2019s more important.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the things that\u2019s important to Thompson is his role as a Mission Continues fellow in the Veteran and Military Center. Founded in 2007 by a former Navy SEAL, the Mission Continues is a nonprofit organization that offers post-9\/11 veterans fellowships and other opportunities to perform community service with local nonprofits.<\/p>\n

As part of his fellowship, Thompson created a veterans-only orientation program and a peer-mentoring program for new students who have military experience.<\/p>\n

Working with the Transfer Student Resource Center, the Veteran and Military Center will pilot the orientation program in May and fully launch it this fall. The orientation program is tailored for veterans and will include topics like GI Bill benefits that do not affect traditional students.<\/p>\n

The mentoring program, called the Battle Buddy Program, is designed to help veterans transition to college life and introduce them to the veteran community on campus. New students will have a mentor and will receive help with academics, GI Bill benefits and other needs.<\/p>\n

The idea behind both the orientation and Battle Buddy programs is to create a tight-knit group of veteran students who feel like they belong at Wright State.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to make it a special place for them,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cWe want them to really feel like they belong here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thompson’s fellowship in the Veteran and Military Center is only one of the significant changes at the center this year, said Seth Gordon, Ph.D., the center’s director. The center has expanded its role beyond GI Bill processing to focus on academic success and advocacy, leadership and career development, and community building.<\/p>\n

“As a Mission Continues Fellow, Tyler is focused on assisting veterans, particularly post 9\/11-veterans, with their transition into college,” Gordon said. “Being a pioneer can be difficult, and Tyler\u2019s good-natured flexibility and resilience has proven to be a great asset.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Gordon encouraged him to apply for the Mission Continues Fellowship, Thompson was initially hesitant to get involved because he wasn\u2019t sure if he was ready to make a big commitment.<\/p>\n

Now he\u2019s glad he did. \u201cIt was a game changer,\u201d he said. \u201cIt changed my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

The fellowship has given Thompson the confidence to do things he normally wouldn\u2019t do. That includes speaking on behalf of veteran students during a visit to Wright State this spring by Ohio Gov. John Kasich.<\/p>\n

As Thompson has gotten more involved on campus, he has realized people rely on him\u2014just like in the Army. He has also embraced the idea that he represents student veterans on campus.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want people to know I\u2019m someone they can depend on, someone who is responsible and dedicated to their cause,\u201d he said. \u201cI want people to know I\u2019m passionate about veterans.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tyler Thompson overcame PTSD to become a leader in the Veteran and Military Center with plans to work with veterans after he graduates. Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":43,"featured_media":30499,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[722,744,725,2039,715,2089],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30496","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academics","category-education-human-services","category-home-news-sidebar","category-military-veterans","category-news","category-social-work"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30496","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/43"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30496"}],"version-history":[{"count":25,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30496\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32413,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30496\/revisions\/32413"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30499"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30496"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30496"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30496"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}