Camp Hope helps heal the invisible wounds of war

When troops return home from fighting overseas, the challenges of military service don't always go away. According to the PTSD Foundation of America, one in three returning troops are being diagnosed with serious PTSD symptoms. That's why the PTSD Foundation established Camp Hope, a transitional housing facility in northwest Houston offering help and healing to veterans.

"What I've heard many times is a veteran felt so purposeful in their time in the military, which is understandable. Many times they're in charge of millions of dollars worth of equipment, and more importantly in charge of other peoples lives," said David Maulsby, Executive Director of the PTSD Foundation of America. "And when they came home and took that uniform off, all of that has been stripped away. That's a major transition from - I hear this many times - I feel safer in combat than I do walking the streets of my hometown, because no one here has my six."

Camp Hope's five-acre campus not only offers temporary housing to veterans dealing with combat-related PTSD, but group lessons and support sessions with other combat veterans. They also participate in individual mentoring sessions with certified combat trauma mentors. All services offered at Camp Hope are at no cost to veterans or their families.

"I showed up here not doing well. I came from being homeless," said Adam Kinosh, a US Marine Corps veteran. "I felt this energy when I came here, when I showed up, it was such a welcoming environment. The guys that are helping you in this program are veterans themselves and victims of terrible traumas at war, substance abuse issues, and they've been through this program and they've graduated and they came back and wanted to help others, and they really care."

"To be able to help the vets that were in the position that I was in, where they feel like there's no hope and they just want to give up, to be able to be there and show them not only is there hope but they don't have to do this alone, to be able to walk this path with them, it just gives me something I've never experienced," said Jake Saltzmann, a US Marine Corps veteran.

For more information on Camp Hope and the services offered there, visit ptsdusa.org .