WEBVTT

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The Marine corps has achieved milestone

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successes on and off the battlefield in

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training and during real world

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operations throughout our history ,

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marines have shown how deeply invested

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we are in fighting and winning . This

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is the culture of the Marine Corps and

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it's very demanding . Our fight and

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wind spirit is deeply rooted in our

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soul and that must be nourished and

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preserved . Were also bound by a duty

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to ensure every marine to our left and

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right succeeds not just in the core ,

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but in life failed relationships ,

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family hardships , death , post

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traumatic stress and mental health

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conditions are some of the common

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stressors marines are faced with during

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their time and service . Sometimes the

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toughest part of those challenges is

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being able to know or understand that

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something isn't right marines , you are

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not alone , so do not go through this

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struggle alone seeking help to cope and

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persevere during these challenges is a

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great first step towards a healthier

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life . Sometimes talking about mental

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health perseverance and the struggles

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you have faced with suicide is enough

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to reduce the barriers that marines may

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face when approaching that first step

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in getting help . I have also found

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that sometimes all it really takes is

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listening . If someone is willing to

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talk , listen , make the time . I

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wish I had done more of that . As the

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Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps , I

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stand proud to see that our leaders are

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sharing their stories , opening more

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doors to mental perseverance and

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closing the doors and the stigmas

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associated with help seeking behaviors .

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Our marines and our families are the

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driving force behind our success on and

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off the battlefield , the life of a

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marine is indeed tough , but it's a

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gift . It's a gift worth living . I'm

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also thankful for these stories of

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perseverance from marines who continue

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to lead , who continue to fight and win

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and continue to exemplify simplified

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ellis .

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So my biggest struggle came in 2010 ,

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um deployed to Afghanistan during a

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foot patrol and I was about 20 ft away

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from a saw gunner who struck an I . D .

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Uh he , he was killed by that blast and

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I received quite a bit of damage from

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the force of the blast and shrapnel ,

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dealing with hearing loss , dealing

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with the vision laws , dealing with ,

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dealing with PTSD , dealing with the

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anxiety , knowing that my unit was

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still out there , um fighting every day

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and not being able to be there with him

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as a sergeant , just away from

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everything away from my marines made it

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pretty emotionally taxing

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a lot of things to complain about . But

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I was surrounded by a lot of men and

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women who suffered some losses like I

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did and everybody was dealing with

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their own battle . So that kind of

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really helped me keep things in

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perspective . That was where I really

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had to deal with the uh um loneliness

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and just a lot of the downtime where I

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was in my room laying down in the dark

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and just by myself a lot tv was off ,

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the lights were off and I would just

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lay there and kind of , you know , get

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lost in my sorrow

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not too long after that . Once

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identified that I was suffering with

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depression , it was easier for me

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to overcome it . Suicide is the easy

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part avoiding . It is hard

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when it comes to somebody with a

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healthy mind , body and spirit . So

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that's , that's the last thing on your

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mind .

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Two years going to therapy , two years

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going on recreational outings to

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stabilize and to help my mental space .

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Being able to decompress on a daily

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basis with some of those fun

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recreational opportunities was

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so uplifting and helpful to my recovery

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and my rehabilitation to allow me to

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reintegrate into the fleet and become a

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contributing member of the Marine Corps .

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Once again a marine of any rank , male

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female . Um , and we need to , we need

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to get back to the basics and start

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understanding who we're talking to a

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little bit better because those

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personal details could save a life