My name is Cpl. Matthew Talbot of the United States Marine Corps. I am getting honorably discharged on Sept. 8th after 4 years of service. In those 4 years I have served in Guantanamo Bay Cuba, Kabul Afghanistan, Khowst Afghanistan, and Husaybah Iraq. As you can imagine I endured many traumatic occurrences, and spent countless hours in a hostile environment.    When I came home from Afghanistan I had some weird feelings but they never surfaced because of my busy training schedule. When I returned from Iraq these feelings were noticeably worse. I had feelings of anxiety when around more than a few people, I always had tension in my shoulders and neck as if I was anticipating a blast or shot;  The 4th of July, as you could imagine was a rough time for me. I had these feelings of rage that I never had before.
 
    Within a few weeks of my return to the US my girlfriend introduced me to the man who started SUPPORT AMERICAN MILITARY. When members of the military return from war they often have difficulty accepting help, and often feel like it is a sign of weakness to ask for help. It is often difficult to turn to military-run support for fear of career implications. This was not the case when I met Jon Wright. I could relate with him because he had a traumatic experience from Sept. 11th. He had some of the same symptoms I have and that made it easy for me to talk about them. He also recommended a professional for me to talk to which helped out a lot. SUPPORT AMERICAN MILITARY paid for my counseling.
 
   ThroughSUPPORT AMERICAN MILITARY I’ve made very substantial progress with my symptoms. I realize that I can’t just get rid of these feelings but I can learn to live with them, and help others who are in the same boat that I am. I am truly grateful for this organization and I hope its future goals are achieved.

Sincerely,

Cpl. M. Talbot
United States Marine Corps