Last Wednesday I met a friend for lunch out near the Ballston Metro stop in Virginia. After lunch I saw Ivory sitting on a bench in front of a large office complex. His story is one that really touched me.
The 26-year-old Dallas, TX native now lives in Virginia and is an Iraq veteran. Ivory’s story is all too common unfortunately. A man or woman goes into the military and comes out a different person. Ivory joined the Army in April of 2004. After returning from serving in Iraq from 2005-2006 his life took a dark turn. He was discharged from the military in 2008, however he was no longer the role model sergeant with letters of recommendation that he once was.
Ivory sat down with me and opened up and shared how he has coped with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). It’s hard to watch this video and not feel compassionate for Ivory and the thousands of other soldiers in similar situations.
Ivory currently is working temp jobs and helping a friend launch Capital Custom, a custom apparel shop.
He seems like a really good guy who has got his act together again. Ivory openly admits that he is still taking it one day at a time and trying to get his life back on track. If there is anyone out there that has went through a similar situation and has some advice for him, I can put you in touch with Ivory or you can leave a comment here.
Stay strong Ivory. Please know that I, and millions of other Americans, have the greatest amount of respect for you and the other men and women serving in our armed forces. Thank you for your service.
UPDATE (April 7, 2010)
I received the following email from Ivory today.
To give you an update on the $10. I decided to give $5 to a church I went to on Easter and am waiting to give the other $5 to someone I’m led to that might really need it.
Also, an update on the job situation. They decided to bring me back for this week. I also got a call from another job opportunity, in which I have an interview next Monday.
How are your ventures going? I’m pretty sure you’ve met some more interested people. Hope to hear from you soon.
Ivory
Year of Giving 