BY DEREK DeVOS

For most veterans, PTSD isn’t about one moment, one mission, or one event. It’s about what comes after.

The sleepless nights. The sudden anger. The panic in the grocery aisle. The heavy silence at the dinner table. Or that eerie moment of calm when you think, this could be it. Veterans don’t always connect by swapping war stories. We connect by recognizing the same aftermath in each other’s lives.

That’s why I’m building The PTSD.

We don’t need another bureaucracy. We don’t need another stack of forms or another number that rings and rings with no answer. What we need is a hub: peer-to-peer, fast, direct, real.

Programs that meet veterans where they are — and families who know they don’t have to carry this alone.

Here’s what that looks like:

• The PATH Program — Peer-led, trauma-informed groups, modeled loosely on AA/NA. Confidential. Familiar. Real. A safe place to unload without judgment, guided by facilitators who’ve walked the same road. For many, substance abuse runs alongside PTSD. I know it does for me — I’m a recovering alcoholic. This design feels familiar because it’s meant to. Structure matters. Trust matters.

• The HUB — A navigation point to cut through red tape. VA benefits, housing, Medicaid, SNAP, TANF — condensed into clarity. So first responders aren’t left as default caseworkers, and veterans aren’t left to stumble in a maze that can become dangerous in crisis.

• The AIMS — (AI for Memory Support) tools to help veterans and families manage memory loss, daily stress, and the weight of disconnection.

• The Struggle Bus — A mobile outreach unit bringing food, supplies, and connection directly to homeless, justice-involved, or isolated veterans.

• The TAILS — Service-dog partnerships linking local shelters with veterans, building bonds that ground them in the present.

• The WRITE — A program where veterans and caregivers use writing/journaling as a release, a tool for reflection, and a way to process trauma without reliving events out loud.

Sometimes the first step in healing is on the page.

We’re not asking for money. Supplies and consumables will come through nonprofit partnerships: and we’re actively seeking other nonprofits who want to connect and collaborate! What we need most right now is free space, dedicated volunteers, and a community willing to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with us.

This isn’t abstract. These are tested, adaptable solutions. But here in Statesville and Iredell County, we don’t yet have a building to anchor them. What we do have is the will, the volunteer spirit, and the belief that stigma should never be the loudest voice in the room.

Too often, PTSD is painted as dangerous or unstable. The truth is far different. Most veterans are fighting in silence, not because they’re violent, but because they don’t want to be a burden. Breaking that stigma is why The PTSD exists.

We are volunteer-driven, non-clinical, and ready to prove that grassroots efforts can change outcomes. We’re looking now for facilitators, volunteers, and partners: from veterans themselves to caregivers, students, and community members who want to learn how to walk alongside us.

And because not everyone can show up in person, we’re working to launch online/Zoom-style meetings. Some days the weight makes it impossible to leave the house. Connection shouldn’t stop at a county line.

I don’t want veterans here to feel forgotten. I don’t want families to feel alone. And I don’t want PTSD whispered like it’s a dirty word. When you hear someone say, “Have you heard about The PTSD?” it should mean something different. Something hopeful.

Because we don’t have to compare scars to recognize each other. We just have to know we’re not alone. Stronger families. Stronger support. Stronger Statesville.

Derek DeVos is the founder of The PTSD. Contact him at the.ptsd.statesville@gmail.com.