A mission to “not fail” is no mission at all. Not putting the gun in your mouth is not winning. The narrative on veterans has to change. We are not novices unable to drive. We are race car drivers frustrated with driving go-karts. Stopping suicide is not enough. That's really the purpose behind this book: The Perfect Fucking Life. I am a veteran yes, but I am foremost a human. What haunts all humans most is not our lack of happiness. It is the absence of purpose. The transition from combatant to civilian is, in reality, the quest for a new purpose. But no one tells you that. Because few understand it. The Perfect Fucking Life is about the strain of battle, yes, but that is only the first page of the story. The rest is about the rest of life… about dreaming again. About rebuilding the concept of future and hope. It's not just for veterans. It is for humans. It's not about survival. It's about kicking some fucking ass.
I started this website in order to showcase my writing and other forms of my art. It quickly became something much more. It became a refuge. A place to seek camaraderie and shelter. “Bitch and Moan” is a forum within the website. The purpose is, yes, to keep tabs on our brothers and sisters in arms, but much more importantly: a place to remember what it was like to thrive and to help and watch as each of us seeks and finds new purpose and "GET SOME!" again. It is indeed about the perfect fucking life.
“Bitch and Moan” is in its nascent stages and has already made an impact on its members. But it needs to grow. The narrative must change. Please join it and share it with your fellow warriors. Not only that, but mental health professionals as well as others struggling with post-traumatic stress are welcome. There are things which will emerge that will never be heard from the therapist's couch when fellow warriors gather together to bitch and moan. We wish to teach each the other as well as those who would help us along the way. For it is we of our violent ilk who helps us best. Pass the word.
Fuck yeah bro…keep it coming!