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My name is Jeromy Douglas. I am a medically retired United States Army Combat Engineer (12B30E08). There are 22 veterans per day who take their own life - I am going to hike the Pacific Crest Trail to combat my PTSD and personal "demons" from the Army. To hike the entire 2,659 mile Trail, I am facing a five month trip, beginning 20 May 2016. I am asking for help with equipment, food and living for my five month trip. Asking for assistance is not something I ever planned on doing, but we need it. Although, this website asks to set a goal, anything will be a blessing.
I am going to use this time on the trail to document my mental and emotional struggles through video and journaling. I would like to make a documentary of my trip in hopes to help other veterans of these conflicts. It is very true that the hardest battle for soldiers is the one we face after coming home. I hope that after this trip, I might even be able to start an outreach to take other veterans through the trail in section trips. There is a page on my FB page "Red Devil " that I will be posting pics and thoughts during my trip.
Background on Me
I was retired in June of 2013 after almost 8 years in the Army. I suffered a traumatic brain injury after my vehicle was hit by an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) in Iraq in April of 2007. I then deployed as a Squad Leader for a Route Clearance Patrol (RCP 4) company to Eastern Afghanistan in March of 2011. After my return from Afghanistan in March of 2012, I was having a hard time coping, leading to my retirement. I was honorably discharged for having PTSD.
My transition from military to civilian life was a significant challenge that subsequently took me one and a half years to get a job. Everything in my life after this was going amazing - I married a beautiful, supportive and strong woman; we bought a house; and my youngest son Nathan came to live with us. Despite what seemed to be a good life, over the past few months I have been struggling to deal with life in general - my job, my family and most importantly myself. I resigned from my position as a Plant Manager for Aramark Uniform Serivces on 7 April because I couldn't mentally manage it any longer. There are two very distinct sides of me at this point: normal side and my demons side. My side I call my "demon" side is something that is unexplainable.
My family
My youngest son Nathan is 16 years old, I was gone for a long time in his life due to training, deployment, etc. He is a typical 16 year old boy, but needing to replace this missing time in his life. My wife and I have known each other for more than a decade, but she married into this PTSD life without completely understanding what that meant. She will be also coming with us for short periods throughout the hike. I need to fix myself in order to be a better father, husband and person.
Thank you,
Jeromy "Red Devil" Douglas
I am going to use this time on the trail to document my mental and emotional struggles through video and journaling. I would like to make a documentary of my trip in hopes to help other veterans of these conflicts. It is very true that the hardest battle for soldiers is the one we face after coming home. I hope that after this trip, I might even be able to start an outreach to take other veterans through the trail in section trips. There is a page on my FB page "Red Devil " that I will be posting pics and thoughts during my trip.
Background on Me
I was retired in June of 2013 after almost 8 years in the Army. I suffered a traumatic brain injury after my vehicle was hit by an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) in Iraq in April of 2007. I then deployed as a Squad Leader for a Route Clearance Patrol (RCP 4) company to Eastern Afghanistan in March of 2011. After my return from Afghanistan in March of 2012, I was having a hard time coping, leading to my retirement. I was honorably discharged for having PTSD.
My transition from military to civilian life was a significant challenge that subsequently took me one and a half years to get a job. Everything in my life after this was going amazing - I married a beautiful, supportive and strong woman; we bought a house; and my youngest son Nathan came to live with us. Despite what seemed to be a good life, over the past few months I have been struggling to deal with life in general - my job, my family and most importantly myself. I resigned from my position as a Plant Manager for Aramark Uniform Serivces on 7 April because I couldn't mentally manage it any longer. There are two very distinct sides of me at this point: normal side and my demons side. My side I call my "demon" side is something that is unexplainable.
My family
My youngest son Nathan is 16 years old, I was gone for a long time in his life due to training, deployment, etc. He is a typical 16 year old boy, but needing to replace this missing time in his life. My wife and I have known each other for more than a decade, but she married into this PTSD life without completely understanding what that meant. She will be also coming with us for short periods throughout the hike. I need to fix myself in order to be a better father, husband and person.
Thank you,
Jeromy "Red Devil" Douglas
Organizer and beneficiary
Meagan Douglas
Beneficiary