#WalkWithMe: “The Man I Used to Be”

He used to wake up before sunrise, lace up his boots, and lead his soldiers into another day. 
Now, he wakes up to the sound of his own nightmares. When Mike left the Army, he didn’t have a plan. No family to go home to.

No place that felt like his own. He told himself he’d get a job, settle down, and build a new life—but the flashbacks came first. The night terrors followed. Sleep became a stranger, and so did peace. He didn’t want to call his battle buddies. He didn’t want to be “that guy” — the one who couldn’t get it together after the uniform came off.

​So he kept quiet. Until silence left him standing at the door of a homeless shelter, wondering how he’d gone from serving his country to sleeping on a cot among strangers. He said all he wanted was to be the man he was before service. But war changes a man’s chemistry, his body, his mind — even his hope.

One day, while sitting in the back of a local community event, he overheard a volunteer from the Military Veteran Project speaking about programs to help veterans heal from within. Something about her words cut through the noise of shame and fear. For the first time in years he said it out loud “I think I need help.”

That moment changed everything. Through MVP, he was connected to a civilian doctor who ran specialized tests to understand what was happening inside his body. For the first time, someone explained how trauma affects biochemistry, hormones, and sleep — and that there were alternative treatments that could help.

With guidance from MVP and its partner organizations, he got enrolled in the VA, started the process of getting his service-connected rating, and found stable housing. He was introduced to treatments, nutritionist through programs like the Restore Project, helping him rebuild his health from within, and Building Hope, where he found purpose again.

Today, he’s still healing — but he’s not doing it alone. He’s working, smiling, and helping other veterans take their first steps forward. He found more than support. He found himself again. “I thought I had to be the man I was before service… but now I’m learning to be the man I’m becoming after it.”

#WalkWithMe #MilitaryVeteranProject #BuildingHope #TheRestoreProject #behindeverynumberisaname

*Names changed and photos are generated to protect privacy