FORT MEADE, Md. — As he sits alone in his quiet, residential North Carolina home, Sgt. 1st Class Ramon Green, then, a Staff Sgt. assigned to 3rd Psychological Operations Battalion at Fort Bragg, prepares himself for answers he feared, but still wasn’t ready for. His intuition had been tugging at the edges of his trust, settling like a storm in the back of his mind. He knew something wasn’t right, but he needed clarity. Unfortunately, he found it. His suspicions were confirmed when his partner’s infidelity came to light. The confrontation that followed made his chest feel hollow, like the core of him had been ripped out. All the pieces he had held together—love, family, stability—fell at his feet, leaving him with a shattered heart. However, in the wake of that emotional turmoil, he didn’t push his feelings aside. Instead, he did the one thing that felt familiar to him: he picked up a pen.
Through the heartbreak of betrayal, Green would soon discover that his poetry was more than just an outlet, but the foundation of his resilience, ultimately shaping him into a mentor who uses his own words to connect with and guide others.
“That day, I was depressed and heartbroken, so poetry was my immediate outlet,” he revealed. “The next day, it hit me like a baseball—that I should use this hurt to heal others.”
Unknowingly, he planted the seed for an idea that would grow into something greater; a vessel of purpose. Green began pouring his emotions onto paper, not just about this heartbreak, but others he had experienced earlier in life.
Although writing helped, the weight of betrayal remained crushing. While wrestling with the emotions of his partner’s affair, Green was serving in a highly selective unit, where his days were filled with operations demanding focus and precision. Behind his uniform and the professional composure he was expected to maintain, he was spiraling.
“I was depressed and stressed a lot of the time,” he admitted. “I was dealing with something personal, but I still had to put on a smile and perform at work.”
The military teaches professionalism and resilience, but emotional trauma has a way of seeping through even the most disciplined Soldier. The collapse of Green’s relationship didn’t just break his heart, it threatened to destroy his sense of identity. Although he had suspected the betrayal, discovering the truth left him stunned. He grappled with trying to understand why someone he loved would violate the trust and commitment they shared. Yet, in that personal crisis, his voice continued to emerge through his poetry.
His pain transformed into purpose, eventually giving birth to the book he would publish to help guide others through their own struggles, Hard to Heal.
The heartache Green experienced was pivotal not just because of its emotional toll, but because of the undeniable call to transform something deeply personal into something universally relatable. The poetry he wrote became more than entries in a notebook; they formed a timeline, an emotional story arc that others could see themselves in.
“I wanted for all of my readers to have an emotional connection with my book,” he explained. “So I format it in a way that it tells a story.”
That decision to structure his pain narratively gave it resonance, and his vulnerability gave it power. Despite the strength of his writing, deciding to share something so personal wasn’t easy. The fear of rejection lingered like a whisper in the back of his mind.
“My biggest fear was that no one would buy my book,” he confessed. “I just built up confidence within and went out on faith.”
That leap of faith paid off for Green. Not only did people read his book, they related to it, validating his original intent to connect with others through shared experiences.
“Everyone loved it!” he exclaimed. “And in my reviews, most of them were Soldiers!”
He began receiving messages, some private and others public, from readers who felt seen, heard, and understood.
“I realized something when I started to get inboxes from people telling me their story and from people who posted their opinion publicly,” he revealed. “That’s when I realized it was actually helping other people too.”
The words that once served as an escape from pain had now become a bridge to understanding, empathy, and mentorship. The steady stream of feedback from Soldiers and peers gave Green a sense of purpose he hadn’t anticipated. His writing became a guiding force, not just healing him, but reshaping him.
“It just made me feel a feeling I couldn’t describe,” he said. “It made me more confident and resilient.”
That transformation began to show up in his leadership style. As a senior enlisted noncommissioned officer in the Army and instructor at the Defense Information School at Fort Meade, Maryland, Green embraced a new approach: vulnerability as a form of strength.
“Vulnerability is important because you can build rapport and trust,” he explained. “When Soldiers don’t trust you, they won’t work for you.”
When the opportunity presents itself, Green shares the lessons he’s learned from his heartbreak. His experiences, and his willingness to speak openly about them, serve as a reminder that strength isn’t about emotional suppression, but honest confrontation.
“Bottling your pain will only lead to an unexpected explosion,” he expressed. “Don’t be afraid to seek help and tell your story.”
Green’s book, Hard to Heal, acts as a guide for others struggling with life’s battles. The themes of loss, healing, faith, and resilience are universal, but hearing someone in uniform creates permission for others to do the same. What started as an attempt to survive heartbreak became a roadmap for helping others. Green’s belief in the healing power of storytelling, especially for Soldiers, is clear.
“A broken heart can always be pieced together,” he said.
In the high-tempo, mission-focused culture of the military, where vulnerability can often feel out of place, Green sees it as essential to individual readiness.
“In order to get through it you have to go through it,” he declared. “Some situations may suck but it’s not forever.”
That mindset—resilience through pain, not around it—has allowed him to become the kind of mentor he is today. Whether guiding a Soldier through a personal struggle or teaching a class of future public affairs professionals, Green draws from the chapters he lived, not just the uniform he wears.
The pen he once picked up in sorrow has become a symbol of service. Through his words, he leads. Through his experience, he connects. And through his resilience, he continues to mentor others toward their own healing.
| Date Taken: | 06.16.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 01.23.2026 17:02 |
| Story ID: | 556692 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 10 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Poetry forges a mentor, by SGT Deneisha Owens-McParland, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
