The Final State of the Union
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Summary:
In an interview with VA News, former U.S. Army sergeant and Medal of Honor recipient Kyle White talks about transitioning to school and civilian life after his time in Afghanistan, and reaching out for help with posttraumatic stress.
Ed. note: This is cross-posted on the VAntage Point blog. See the original post here.
Taking the first step is what’s important, according to Medal of Honor recipient and University of North Carolina at Charlotte graduate Kyle White. In an interview with VA News, the former U.S. Army sergeant talked about transitioning to school and civilian life after his time in Afghanistan, and reaching out for help with posttraumatic stress.
He explained that even though it wasn’t easy, becoming grounded in a new mission helped him move forward with his life.
“Military life, you know your daily mission, you know what you’re going to do. But when you go into civilian life, there is nobody there to tell you that anymore,” he said. “I kind of made my own mission. My next mission was a degree, and a job after that.”
White also talked about getting help with PTS and understanding that life can get better after experiencing the hardships of war.
“I did that, so many years ago, and things turned out alright for me,” he said. “It can turn out right for you.”
For White, moving forward and acquiring new goals is his driving force. So is telling the story of what happened to his unit November 9, 2007, in Afghanistan. He said he would never be able to fully grasp or comprehend the events that led to him being awarded the Medal of Honor, but he is grateful for the opportunity to tell the story of the six servicemembers who died in Aranas, Afghanistan, that day and to somehow serve as an example for other veterans.
