[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”on” admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”3.22″][et_pb_fullwidth_image src=”https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/improving-our-world\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2015\/05\/DSC07161cropped-logo.jpg” alt=”Joshua on Winona Campus” admin_label=”Fullwidth Image” _builder_version=”3.0.87″ animation=”off” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] [\/et_pb_fullwidth_image][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ custom_padding_last_edited=”on|desktop” admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”3.22″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding_tablet=”50px|0|50px|0″ custom_padding_phone=”” transparent_background=”off” padding_mobile=”off” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” _builder_version=”3.27.4″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\n
Student from St. Charles, MN<\/span> <\/p>\n “I have a lot of friends who committed suicide partly because they felt like they couldn’t talk about it… If we build a better support network, instead of 22 veterans killing themselves, every day we can lower that number.\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Joshua Ploetz\u2019s story is as long and winding as the Mississippi River he traveled last summer to raise awareness for veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). I started our interview with the all the usual questions, but as we talked, we jumped from his personal life, to inspirational people he\u2019s met, to his struggles with PTSD and reintegration to civilian life. Though we spoke of many topics, there was also a strong undercurrent as our conversation continually circled back to the need for openness about veterans\u2019 war experiences and the need for sympathy and acceptance from civilians and veterans alike. This is Joshua\u2019s mission in life, and like an ever-flowing river, he will keep working towards creating a network for veterans and ending the stigma of combat and PTSD, no matter how many more twists and turns his life takes.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n What is “Paddle Off the War” and how did you decide to do it? \u201cPaddle Off the War\u201d was a 79-day solo canoe trip I took down the whole Mississippi, from Lake Itasca to the Gulf of Mexico, while carrying the Baton<\/a>, a stretcher handle used in Helmand Province in Afghanistan\u2014to raise awareness for veterans with PTSD. I decided to take this trip two years ago, but the last eight\u00a0years really impacted how I got on the Mississippi River because I left the Marine Corp with combat injuries and PTSD, struggled to figure what career I wanted, got married and then divorced, went back to college twice and got involved with Team Semper Fi, which helps veterans get involved with physical activities. My combat casualty nurse also guided me toward an organization called Walk Off the War, which uses the focal point of the Appalachian Trail to help veterans deal with PTSD, and I read Floating Down the Country<\/em> by Matt Mohlke, which is an account of Mohlke\u2019s own canoe trip down the Mississippi River. So all these things unfolded and I really needed to do something to take care of myself mentally. I kind of combined all these pieces of my life and that\u2019s how I ended up on the river.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n What message were you trying to convey? I wanted to bring veterans together to support each other through PTSD and also gain support from civilians who\u2019ve never served. I want people to be able to talk about their war experiences. Veterans can open up and civilians can try to understand whether you agree about going to war or not. That barrier in between is hard to come through because when you do have PTSD, it\u2019s like being an alcoholic; you don\u2019t want to say you\u2019re an alcoholic because that\u2019s a negative thing. But PTSD\u2019s not a negative thing\u2013 it\u2019s just something that happened in your life. You went to war and saw some terrible things, and those things are still affecting you.<\/p>\n I have a lot of friends who committed suicide partly because they felt like they couldn\u2019t talk about it when really it\u2019s just a social norm not to talk about war. If we can build a better support network, instead of 22 veterans killing themselves, every day we can lower that number.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\n RTTR Major, Veteran<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n
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