death. The 48 hour meditation was the catalyst for this realization, and I finally realized why I'd worked myself to exhaustion for so many years. I think I've been improving who I am since then. Society's increasing openness to counseling for police and other first responders, allowed me to be more open. If I see something horrible, I deal with it emotionally, because everyone gets injured from that exposure, even if you don't realize it at the time. I'm still dealing with stuff, but now on a much more open level, and I can express those emotions more now.
Martial arts was the drug that kept me sane, but at times, overtraining prevented me from dealing with what I truly had to deal with. It kept me going and was my life saver. But ultimately,
it was meditation that broke that bubble of anger. Greg was always there to point me in the right direction. Spiritually, I got better with church when I met my wife. Faith gives me another source of strength, in addition to meditations and the Zen I find through martial arts.
If you don't unearth your mental pain, the physical work you put in won't be as beneficial for processing your actual problems. Workouts kill the pain, but somewhere in there, a system of Zen meditation is the key to unlocking that peace, and bringing you back into your own self, your own world, and that's where you ultimately have to be to get growth. •
ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Stephen Suchy joined the US Marines October 28, 1975 and served three years active duty. He spent four years in the reserves, while finishing college. In 1982, he became a police officer and worked as a patrolman until 2009. As a dedicated first responder for his whole career, he also served as a SWAT officer for 24 of his 28 years of service. In 2009, Suchy retired from the department and became a state investigator for the public defender's office, serving his first 10 years in a major CT city. He was promoted to an investigator with the CT Innocence Project, a subunit of the public defender's office that investigates cases of those serving life in prison for murder.
Nick Benas grew up in Guilford, Connecticut. The author of Mental Health Emergencies, Warrior Wisdom, Tactical Mobility, and co-author of The Warrior's Book of Virtues, Benas is a former United States Marine Sergeant and Iraqi Combat Veteran with a background in Martial Arts (2nd Dan Black Belt in Tae Kwon-Do and Green Belt Instructor in Marine Corps Martial Arts Program). Nick attended Southern Connecticut State University for his undergraduate degree in Sociology and his M.S. in Public Policy. He has been featured for his business success and entrepreneurship by more than 50 major media outlets, including Entrepreneur Magazine, Men's Health, ABC, FOX, ESPN, and CNBC.
Richard "Buzz" Bryan is currently the Outreach Coordinator for the West Palm Beach VA medical center. The co-author of The Warrior's Book of Virtues, Buzz previously served as the OEF/OIF Transition Patient Advocate (TPA) for the Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN4) based in Pittsburgh, PA for ten years, working specifically with Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. Buzz was a member of the Navy/Marine Corps team and retired from the United States Navy in July 2011 after 22 years of honorable service as a Fleet Marine Force Senior Chief Hospital Corpsman.
I AM A VETERAN AND THIS IS MY VICTORY.
“My victory is removing ‘can’t’ from my vocabulary.” Alex was hit by an IED in Afghanistan. He lost both legs, his left hand and has a traumatic brain injury. With support from DAV, Alex is taking on mountains. DAV helps veterans of all generations get the benefits they’ve earned—helping more than a million veterans each year. Support more victories for veterans®. Go to DAV.org.