My name is David Minnick, I am 100% disabled veteran with PTSD. It has taken me over 8 years to complete my bachelor’s degree due to my PTSD. I have 6 classes remaining but have exhausted my GI Benefits and am now in a hardship to try to finish my degree. I attend University of Phoenix- online campus, my degree is in Business Management with a side of Human Resources.
My goal is to finish my degree and secure a job at the local VA. I want to serve other veterans with their benefits and claims and assist them with their needs and support. I want to help other veterans and be able to relate to them unlike the assistance I had when I needed it the most.I joined the Army in 2003-2011, served in Iraq from 2005-2006. In the army I was assigned to the 1035th maintenance company and my MOS was a small wheel mechanic. In Iraq I was recovery ops for convoys that have been blown up or shot at; I recovered the vehicles and restored them to be deployed back to the states. I have an ankle injury from training for deployment, back injury due to employment and 100% PTSD. I was a part of the Funeral Honor Guard program from 2007-2010.
My PTSD I have let get out of control and control my life. For over 5 years I have been avoiding people all together, trying not to leave the house unless it’s to the VA for an appointment. My depression has gotten the best of me for far too long and I am finally on the right path. PTSD is a major disease that effects many veterans and can go so easily without detection. When I returned home from Iraq and was thrown back into the civilian world it was a reality check, it was very hard. You come from doing something so honorable to you’re a nothing walking along our streets finding minimum wage jobs just to get by. This is not how our military should transition. I was lucky to receive active working orders for 3 years with the Funeral Honor Guard program. I felt that honorable moment again, but after over 900 funeral services for our fallen veterans it took a toll on me. I didn’t recognize it until several months later, when I hit the bottom and my wife left me. I knew I needed help and that is when a nurse at the local VA helped me. Not a doctor just the nurse is the only one I truly felt like cared what I was feeling and was scared for my well-being. To this day, over 5 years ago that nurse is still there at my local VA and continues to stop me just to ask me how I am doing. I’ve seen about 15 physicians, 5 psychologists, about 10 counselors all turnover so quickly in their position before they even learn my name but this one nurse has remained my rock.
Now I have been going to groups regularly and am looking into an inpatient facility program for PTSD. My wife, my caregiver has stuck by myside only leaving me the one time when I wouldn’t seek the help I needed but I know now that was the only way for me to realize I do need to change and get the help. I’m not going to say I’m better, far from it. Every day it is a battle to just get up and get motivated but I know I need to for my family. I take my regular medication daily to mask the depression and anxiety, hopefully one day I won’t rely on medication and can truly be myself without any help but that’s not today. Today my goals are school and my family. I promised my grandad (who recently passed of cancer) I would be the first in my family to receive my bachelor’s degree and that is what I am going to do.
I will not let PTSD be permanent and that is why I don’t want my VA disability to be permanent. So in April 2017 when my disability claim evaluation is due that is my goal, to pass it and stop PTSD from running my life.
