Good day Veterans and "Thank You" from the bottom of my heart, for the sacrifice and selfless service you have given in service to our country.  To the families of all Veterans, who have spent many days and nights without their loved ones, while they were (or still are) deployed to the world's most dangerous places.  The support and dedication you give to the Veteran you are married to, brother/sister to, relative of, or parents is the most difficult and stressful time that you may ever have in life.  The Veterans cannot do their jobs without your support and with that, "Thank You".

    My name is Harry Harris, I am a disabled veteran from the Iraq War and a veteran who suffers from a very serious mental health illness called Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.  I am sure most visiting this resource center has heard of, has experience with, or is suffering from this disease.  This resource center was developed by me recently to be a source of information, support, help, and advice on the signs and symptoms of Combat Stress or "Battlemind", Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and any of many behavioral health issues that come about after one or several deployments to a combat zone.  The resource center is developed for all Veterans, from all combat eras, non-combat Veterans, and the family members who go through the reintegration with the Veteran they are relative. 

    A little background about myself so you can feel a bit at ease when visiting this resource center.  I am not a Social Worker, Psychologist, Behavioral Health provider, or affiliated with the Department of Veterans Affairs.  I am an unemployed combat Veteran who was suffering from PTSD for a very long time and refused to seek help.  I refused to acknowledge the problems in my life that was causing, not only me, but my entire family to go through a living hell.  I recently, was self-admitted into a VA hospital for PTSD, lost my career working for a Vet Center and providing information to National Guard, Reserve, Active Duty military, Veteran Service Organizations, and all other types of local, state, and federal non-government organizations about the resources and help provided for combat Veterans, who may be suffering from one of the several types of "Readjustment Disorders" from combat.  I served in the United States Army for a little less than six years and deployed to combat zones three times in that amount of time.  I separated from the military after a serious knee injury that limited me to a desk job.  I was a leader of soldiers and a trainer of soldiers, not a paper-pusher (Not saying there is anything wrong with Admin Work).  I left the Army and started working a Vet Center as an outreach technician for all combat veterans.  Vet Centers are storefront facilities away from the VA hospital that has Social Workers who specialize in the treatment of PTSD and the various other combat related mental health illnesses.

     In July of 2007, after three years of ignoring my own issues and using coping mechanisms, such as narcotic painkillers, to numb my emotional and mental pain I was suffering from, I had to resign from the Vet Center.  I couldn't work with combat Veterans going through the exact same issues that I was going through and expect to be there as a person who they could talk to, if I couldn't face my own problems.  That wasn't fair the Veterans, or their families. 

     For the last several weeks I have really started to address those issues and I do believe that my life has gotten so much better.  With the proper medications and the right doctor, who understands combat and the trauma associated with it, the PTSD is a bit under control.  Last week, I heard a really terrible story about a Veteran who was having trouble receiving care for his PTSD.  I heard that he wished he just had another Iraq Veteran to speak with about the war and a few other details.  Then, this hit me.  Use this time in my life to do something positive.  Use my experience as a combat Veteran and a former Vet Center employee to help other Veterans. 

     So here it is.  The website was built for you the combat Veteran, from all combat era's, and the family member of the combat Veteran.  So far it is a one man show, and the resource center is being built everyday for the better.  The number one thing that most requested when I worked at the Vet Center, was for me to meet other combat Veterans, sit down and have a cup of coffee and talk about the emotions, fear, anxiety, stress, life, and all of the other issues that reintegration from combat brings with it.  When I decided to resign from the Vet Center, other than for my own personal health concerns, my management was very irritated with the way combat Veterans would rather talk to me about their issues, than talk to a counselor who knows not a damn thing about combat.  (I am by no means stating that counselors, Psychologists, or any other type of behavioral health provider is ineffective or the medication therapy is not worth the while).  But, military Veterans are built on one thing and everything else is built on top of that; that is trust.  Trust in your battle-buddy, Trust in your unit, Trust in your rifle, Trust in the man or women to your left or right.  I understand how important that trust is and also how fragile it is.  I do believe the VA is definitely overlooking how important it is to earn the trust of combat Veterans, before they indulge into serious counseling.  The real issues will never surface; the counselor will only get a very superficial version of what the Veterans PTSD is all about.

     I hope that this resource center can be a trustful site for all to come and get help or research information about PTSD or other medical issues.  I've listed several hyperlinks of information that I found extremely useful while employed at the Vet Center.  Some of this website links and material may be a bit repetitive, but they are full of important and useful information for the combat Veteran and their family members.  Please inform me if there is something that you want added or modified.  I do understand that sometimes an author will hide some details, or throw in a political viewpoint about military issues into an article.  If I missed something of that nature, please inform me and I will remove the article immediately.

     Thank you all and I want everyone to know that "Veterans Helping Veterans" is the single most important and rewarding thing I have ever done in my life.  I may not know all who visit this resource center, but I respect you all and you all are near and dear to my heart.