03XX Foundation: Serving Infantry Marine Corps veterans and their Navy Corpsman.

I recently discovered something that shocked and saddened me. While researching the US Marine Corps, I came across a very powerful article written by Dave Philipps of The New York Times. In his article, Philipps recounts the story of a Marine Corps veteran stalked daily by thoughts of suicide. Click here to read the article. The article made me aware of how many Marine veterans are suffering in America.

When a young American volunteers to join the service, he or she answers a very personal call to serve our country. For the duration of their service they put their lives in the hands of their superiors, fellow soldiers and the United States government. They accept that by answering the call to serve, they may be put in life-threatening situations. For those who see combat, the effects of being in combat, either physical or psychological, can cause them a lifetime of pain and suffering. This means that after they have fulfilled their promise to serve, they must return to civilian life bearing visible or invisible scars. They carry their burden alone and they suffer in solitude.

What is the problem?

Unfortunately, there isn't just one problem. Many infantry Marines transitioning out of the military to civilian life face the challenges of finding employment, navigating the VA and adapting to life as a civilian. Sometimes they find it is difficult to fit in, or to make ends meet. They have just come from a highly regimented life where there was a sense of brotherhood and belonging, to a life that is completely unstructured and where it's every man for himself. This transition is difficult enough, but imagine if the Marine is living with the constant torture of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Without help or guidance they can find themselves feeling lost, unappreciated, isolated and hopeless. All alone they face unemployment, underemployment, poverty, or even homelessness. What civilian, no matter their best intentions, could ever understand their situation? Who is going to help, guide and understand them? The government? The civilian population?

I have read about Marines who have gone to the VA seeking help with their PTSD, only to give up their treatment because they found it ineffective or because they couldn't get appointments. In other cases, the professionals who were supposed to be helping them seemed to know little or nothing about what they were experiencing. Feeling like it was impossible to find anyone who could relate to their problems, the Marines resorted to alcohol, drugs and in the most severe cases, suicide.

I've also read that sometimes Marines will leave the Marine Corps, and, finding it impossible to assimilate into civilian life, they return to the only place where they feel they fit in and understood: back in the Marine Corps and on another deployment.

These brave men and women deliberately put their lives at risk for the freedom and protection of our country. They survived the horrors of combat and their burden is to relive those horrors forever. These true American heroes are being crushed by past experiences that replay in their minds like an evil film every moment of their lives. These veterans are suffering, and even dying, because they don't have enough help, or because they aren't aware that help exists.

How can we help?

After reading the article in The New York Times, I asked myself the question: How can we help? I recently found the answer in the 03XX Foundation.

Please just take a minute and click here to visit their website. The work the 03XX Foundation is doing is beyond amazing, and it deserves to be acknowledged.

www.03XXfoundation.org

The 03XX Foundation is an independent not-for-profit 5101(c)(3) organization that supports and mentors Infantry Marine veterans and Navy Corpsman. They help with career transition services, emergency financial support and benefits advocacy. On their website they say: "We envision a world where every veteran we serve is gainfully employed, financially secure and receives the benefits they deserve."

What makes the 03XX Foundation so special and different from other foundations is that the Marine brotherhood is maintained. A significant amount of the volunteers who work for the organization are also Marine veterans. This means that a struggling Marine is being mentored and helped by another brother-in-arms who understands and empathizes with his or her difficulties. The foundation is not only helping Marines who are struggling to get back on the right track in life, but it's also helping Marines to connect with fellow veterans. Most importantly, it gives them an opportunity to help.

Project Vigil has always been about remembering those who have fallen. But today, Project Vigil is about trying to reduce the number of future stories I could write about, by saving the life of a struggling Marine veteran.

As citizens of the United States of America, I believe it is our duty and responsibility to take care of our veterans. By giving something, anything, we can serve those who served us by fighting this invisible crisis that surrounds us daily. You and I can make a difference in this battle against pain, suffering and financial struggle. Together, we can help Marines in need.

We can help by spreading the word, donating money or volunteering time. If you just take ten seconds to share the link of my post or the link to the 03XX Foundation website, you just might save a life.

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. Isaiah 6:8

Photo by Lance Cpl. Brendan Roethel

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To contact the Veterans Crisis Line, veterans, service members or their families can call 1-800-273-8255 and press 1. They can also text 838255 or got to www.veteranscrisisline.net for assistance.

And for veterans who need loans, Bluevine can help: https://www.bluevine.com/small-business-loans-for-veterans/.