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I didn't want to end my career.

Eddie Hoffman, US Marine Corps, 2001 - 2010, talks about why he didn't ask for help with his PTSD right away.

Transcript

I had gotten
injured in 2006.

I got hit with an IED.

I couldn't run anymore,
so I was already dealing

with that and I was puttin'
on some weight

and I was unable to perform
as 100% as an infantrymen.

So I was gonna take those
four years at Paris Island

to get myself healthy
and get back out

into an infantry battalion
and continue on

with my career.

So I was worried that
being diagnosed with PTSD,

or even admitting I
had a problem was going

to derail all that,

and all the progress that I
had made towards

being healed

completely.

So I was a little reluctant
to talk to anybody,

I really didn't know
what was going on myself.

And I felt like it was
somethin'

I could take care of

and, you know, alcohol
helped with it,

so there was a lot of
drinking involved.

So I felt like, hey, this
makes me feel better.

It's not necessarily, it's
legal, I'll be alright.

I was reluctant to
talk about it,

mainly because I didn't
want to end my

career that way

and because you just felt,
I didn't want to be weak.

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