Warrior Transition Unit Soldier recovers from life’s curveballs

Photo By John Tongret | Staff Sgt. Kimberly McLaughlin tends to the garden available to recovering Warrior Transition Battalion Soldiers.  

FORT STEWART, GA, UNITED STATES

09.09.2015

Story by Lt. Col. John Tongret 

Winn Army Community Hospital

FORT STEWART, Ga. - Typically, a story about Warrior Transition Unit Soldiers brings to mind images of servicemen and servicewomen recovering from trauma and events on distant battlefields. For Staff Sgt. Kimberly McLaughlin, her battles have been fought closer to home.

McLaughlin was considered a high-speed Soldier and was doing all the things needed to have a successful career. Behind the scenes, things were going anything but well. Like many people, relationships at home can be stressful and in her case things went from bad to worse.

Heated arguments at home turned physical, and like many people Kimberly tried to cover up both the physical and emotional signs of the problems at home. Before long, her best efforts to conceal the turmoil in her life began to show through in her work performance. To her embarrassment, she had fallen from a successful track to a situation where she couldn’t get things done as she had done in the past.

Her response to all this was to resort to substance abuse and her life spiraled downward. Contemplation of suicide seemed to be an option when she was looking through the distorted lens of despair and thankfully, she didn’t act upon the idea.

Her First Sergeant engaged her to try to get at the cause of all the issues and find a way to help a desperate Soldier. She was given the opportunity to go to rehabilitation and began the slow process of recovering, both physically and emotionally.

After much angst and struggle, she is on the road to recovery and renewed confidence. She is now the Non-Commissioned Officer In-Charge of the Occupational Therapy (OT) Clinic of the Fort Stewart Warrior Transition Battalion (WTB). “This feels like home to me because this is where my healing began”, said McLaughlin.

She said, “I want to tell my story because I want people to know there are resources out available for people who need help.”

It is easy to see the struggle she has been through when she talks about her past. The tears come up easily as she tells her story. However, she is determined to keep moving away from the past and toward a brighter future.

Staff Sgt. McLaughlin expects to graduate with an Associate of Science Degree in November and is on track to retire from the Army in March 2016. She has applied to the Peer Support Specialist Training at Albany State University in Albany, Ga., and hopes to begin a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work soon after retirement.

In the meantime, she continues her work at the WTB managing the Garden Club and Book Club for other Soldiers who are assigned to the WTB working through rehabilitation.

She said, “I want everyone to know there is help available, don’t be afraid to ask”.

Army Substance Abuse Program Phone Number: [phone] National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Hotline: [phone]-TALK (8255) Rape Crisis Center: 888-241-7273 Domestic Violence Reporting Hotline: [phone]

• Date Taken: 09.09.2015
• Date Posted: 09.09.2015 13:31
• Story ID: 175523
• Location: FORT STEWART, GA, US
• Hometown: BALTIMORE, MD, US