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I felt ashamed.

David Carpentier, US Army 1977 - 2009, talks about why he didn't ask for help with his PTSD right away.

Transcript

The reason I was not seeking help,

or I was actually turning down help,

it was, number one, I was command sergeant major.

I was responsible for 1,500 people.

The rank, the position that I held, I felt it was,

how the heck can I let younger soldiers know

that their senior-ranking guy that's supposed to lead them

and make sure they're taken care of,

is gonna break down at any time?

I felt ashamed about that.

Even though I knew I was retiring,

the stigma that comes with it,

people thinking less of you,

even though you had accomplished certain things,

those things weighed heavily on me.

And so I thought, I'm tougher than this.

I can handle this.

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