Ruined Adventures
Brenton Cooper
Over the past few months we've been fortunate to go on two TR deployments: storm relief in Augusta, GA and tornado relief for the current operation in Louisville, MS.
After leaving the fire service to travel and then after two years of travel I was starting to feel a little lost. People don't often talk about post-travel depression but it's very real and sometimes it's hard to come back to the normal grind and find your purpose back home. I'm not comparing these feelings to the feelings that Veterans have after returning from a military deployment (being a civilian I can't even pretend to understand those emotions). I have listened to a lot of my TR brothers and sisters (mostly veterans or retired first responders) talk about their experiences, ongoing battles with PTSD, and more importantly the purpose and cameraderie that they were searching for. Several of them tell me that TR saved their lives. The TR members I have worked with feel like family and have given me something I have been searching for ever since I left the fire service.
Team Rubicon is not only great because of what it does for communities affected by a disaster, but also our US military veterans and first responders who are searching for something bigger. Witnessing members who are fighting the battle with PTSD and trying to rediscover themselves stateside, go out and excel at something like this is powerful to see. For a homeowner who has lost everything, to have a veteran come to their home from another state and show that they care is priceless. The amount of love you experience on a TR deployment is heavy and almost overwhelming. I almost get emotional when I think about the people I've met and experiences I've had on a TR deployment.
If you guys have any questions about TR feel free to ask here. Also, I should mention that even if you have no military or 1st responder background, TR is quickly growing and has many uses for civilians within its ranks (heavy equipment operators, PR, marketing, admin, and IT). Even if you don't have time to go on a deployment there are many ways to assist from the comfort of your own home. Whether it's providing technical support, organizing volunteers, providing training or building relationships with other organizations. Of course, if you don't want to make any commitments you can make a donation on Team Rubicon's website too. Show them some love on Social Media and see some of the awesomeness the teams have been up to. Currently there are three operations going on in Mississippi, Arkansas and Kansas and there is more to come with this hurricane season.
After leaving the fire service to travel and then after two years of travel I was starting to feel a little lost. People don't often talk about post-travel depression but it's very real and sometimes it's hard to come back to the normal grind and find your purpose back home. I'm not comparing these feelings to the feelings that Veterans have after returning from a military deployment (being a civilian I can't even pretend to understand those emotions). I have listened to a lot of my TR brothers and sisters (mostly veterans or retired first responders) talk about their experiences, ongoing battles with PTSD, and more importantly the purpose and cameraderie that they were searching for. Several of them tell me that TR saved their lives. The TR members I have worked with feel like family and have given me something I have been searching for ever since I left the fire service.
Team Rubicon is not only great because of what it does for communities affected by a disaster, but also our US military veterans and first responders who are searching for something bigger. Witnessing members who are fighting the battle with PTSD and trying to rediscover themselves stateside, go out and excel at something like this is powerful to see. For a homeowner who has lost everything, to have a veteran come to their home from another state and show that they care is priceless. The amount of love you experience on a TR deployment is heavy and almost overwhelming. I almost get emotional when I think about the people I've met and experiences I've had on a TR deployment.
If you guys have any questions about TR feel free to ask here. Also, I should mention that even if you have no military or 1st responder background, TR is quickly growing and has many uses for civilians within its ranks (heavy equipment operators, PR, marketing, admin, and IT). Even if you don't have time to go on a deployment there are many ways to assist from the comfort of your own home. Whether it's providing technical support, organizing volunteers, providing training or building relationships with other organizations. Of course, if you don't want to make any commitments you can make a donation on Team Rubicon's website too. Show them some love on Social Media and see some of the awesomeness the teams have been up to. Currently there are three operations going on in Mississippi, Arkansas and Kansas and there is more to come with this hurricane season.
