 Greetings. This is going to be a long one.

So a little background; I’m a Navy Nuke Veteran. I went through the infamous Navy Nuclear Program and made it through but not without some scaring. While going through there was a Skipjack Dive; a famous building for people to suicide off of. Then in the third school we had another in my class take his life with a shotgun. It only got worse. I was on what turned out to be an incredibly bad ship in a department that literally torchered us. The NCIS was called to investigate for inhuman treatment and it was found. Of course then politics took place and only the lowest ranked of those responsible were scape-goated out; with an honorable discharge even with a list of atrocities under their belt. Those in the office would choose one of us to drive into the ground. We would break sad, mad, robot or a mixture. This caused a lot of mental issues and a few attempted suicides throughout my department. Heck it sadly wasn’t just my department that dealt with horrible treatment and there were several other suicides that took place. It took me years to understand everything many of us had been through. Many people would talk down to my issues because I wasn’t in combat or directly against an enemy. I had been in the Gulf while they launched planes. I worked in the Engine Room to keep the ship going. Technically in the location of a kind of war the US was doing but that’s another issue I do not wish to discuss since that is not my focus.

It wasn’t the enemy that hurt me and others. It was our own fellow shipmates. (Yes, it is used as a derogatory term mostly, not something endearing. It works for both here.)

Now here comes the reason for this post. This in general is going to have those hardcore patriots attacking me I’m sure but I want to put this out there for those interested. I’ve written for years and have been playing with an idea I really want to do but did not know where to start. I talked with my therapist who thought it would be a good idea so I am going to find a way to do it. I want to create a collection of stories from others like me who were damaged by their own that were supposed to work with them in the military. The propaganda that is always in every account you hear of about members sticking with each other through times of war...bla, bla, bla. It is more common than I thought and I feel like this should be brought to light. Civilians can do it and that should hold true to even the military. We are the ones that are supposed to protect the whole of the USA but are treated like shit except for like two days out of the year.

If you feel that your time in held any kind of mistreatment (this includes hazing of any kind) and you would like to tell your story I would love to help you do this. I don’t want to limit this to people that haven't seen direct combat. If you had and still feel like you have something to share, please do. Everything will be anonymous in every way. As for any profits I would like to have them donated to various programs that help Veterans and their families. 

Please DM me if you are interested or want more information. Even if you think it is something small I would love to hear. If you don’t want to write it we can do it via a private voice chat. If you are artsy and wish to share something in that way, please do. I hope to hear from some of you