BROWNSVILLE — The veterans group Warriors United in Arms will welcome an expert on post traumatic stress disorders to its meeting on Tuesday at the Brownsville Historic Museum, 641 E. Madison St .
Dr. Jennifer Grogan, a psychiatrist at the Valley Coastal Bend Veterans Clinic in Corpus Christi, who specializes in treating PTSD, will be the featured speaker at the meeting, which begins at 11 a.m.
Tony Garcia, a Warriors United board member who suffers from the condition, said PTSD affects veterans of all ages, and without treatment it can be debilitating.
“It’s when you have a traumatic event and it stays stuck in your brain,” Garcia said. “It affects your whole life. It gives you anxiety, depression, and feelings of guilt. It makes you isolate from family and friends and it also affects your social life. It cuts you off from society.”
Garcia said the Veterans Administration offers counseling for PTSD at its Harlingen clinic. His group aims to increase awareness on the subject.
“I myself have gone through PTSD training in Killeen and Waco, and what I have learned I have been able to share. … They have given me a toolbox of things that I need to do to cope with depression and anxiety,” he said.
Garcia said Grogan “brings a lot of information to the table as far as PTSD. She’s very well versed. She’s able to work some of those demons out of our minds.”
People have different triggers that take them back to the things causing their nightmares, he said. “It’s a living hell. I was in an aircraft crash and when I see an airplane it takes me back to those days. I can cope better now that I’m getting treatment. I know my triggers and I try to avoid those things.”
Garcia said Warriors United in Arms exists to provide assistance to fellow veterans who need help. This can range from financial assistance for homeless veterans to helping widows access survivors’ benefits.
The organization has 32 members, “and a large number of those their wives participate in our meetings. Our group has arts and crafts to keep our minds busy and social functions for the whole family. We’re all in this together. … We’re always ready to help a fellow veteran,” he said.
