From Cavalry Scout to Yale: The Healing Path That Saved a Veteran

Speaker labels and mis-heard names are corrected by hand; the words are as spoken, filler and all.

Preview clips

Freddy: But when he when he went down, it was like, "What are we doing?" Right? Like, "What are we doing here? Why why is this happening?" I have problems with authority when I got back. Kind of like, "Screw you." Like, "How are you going to tell me about combat?"

PJ: Yeah.

Freddy: When you've never been there, underwear got more combat time.

You know what I mean? Like,

learning that was no longer going to be something that I signed up to do anymore with absolutely being fine with giving my life to it. you know, if I die, I die for serving my country. That's what I'm doing. And um now saying we no longer need you. We kind of broke you.

PJ: Yeah.

Freddy: We didn't mean to, but you broke. So now you got to go.

Conversation

PJ: Hey, welcome to the Mastering the Military Transition Series of the Prize Podcast. My name is PJ and I'll be your host. The purpose of this podcast is to share the stories of those who have successfully transitioned out of the military so you can see the tips and tricks necessary to have a successful transition of your own. That way you don't have to stumble across some of the same things that myself and my team at Prize had to struggle with. At Prize, we believe in a world where all enjoy the freedom to grow. That's why we're developing the Prize app. If you'd like to learn more, please check out the prize.vet link in the show notes below.

— Thank you. Yeah, no problem. I appreciate you. Absolutely.

PJ: Hey fam, welcome to our next episode of the Prize Podcast, Mastering the Military Transition Series. Today we have Freddy Reed. He is a an Army veteran, was in for about 7 and a half years, served as a cavalry scout. Oh yeah. And uh was deployed for uh to Iraq from 2007 to 2009. Currently, he's serving as a met mentor coordinator for the Northampton County PA Veterans Court and is the vice commander for the Lehigh Valley chapter of the Veterans Brotherhood. Um, also a certified Reiki U master and trainer, which is pretty amazing.

And, uh, in March 2025, you were selected um to receive the Veterans Hero Award from the Red Cross. It's pretty. And then if that's not cool enough, um, he also dabbles in photography, which he's been like helping me out a little bit this morning, making sure that we're all set up properly. So, hope you all like the new setup. It is a little bit different.

Please drop any feedback if you have it. So, thank you for coming on, my friend. No problem. Um, to get us started this morning, uh, I'd like to change up questions a little bit just based on some feedback. Um, I would love to know from you like what your journey was getting into the military. We'll start there and we'll kind of go through the conversation from there. Does that sound good?

Freddy: Absolutely. Cool. Um,

— thank you.

Freddy: So, you know, growing up as a kid in the high school, military wasn't necessarily my first choice of things, but then in high school, like most high school kids, um, you start dabbling in, you know, certain things where it's the football and it's the sports and then, you know, you're not really taking your grades as serious. Uh, I was probably maybe a C average student. That's probably give being too generous on myself. But um afterwards uh you know after high school you know I sold cell phones at the local kiosk in the Phillipsburg Mall.

— I went to Georgia.

Freddy: Yeah. Yeah. So I went to Phillipsburg High School, graduated in 2004 and um after that I was just kind of bored, you know what I mean? uh selling cell phones I know wasn't a career at the end of the day and um it was just a job and I seen all my friends who took high school seriously going off to universities and colleges and then growth from there and um I grabbed one of my buddies I said hey let's join the army man let's let's get out of here for a little bit so uh initially we joined the national guard and uh I signed up for a 19 Delta cavalry scout um and I went off to Fort Knox, Kentucky in uh 2005.

And um that was that was a blast in itself. And once we completed the OSUT training there, I came back to my National Guard unit. And uh I was probably there for about two months and I decided, you know, I need I need to get out of here. Like I just I want to go active. You know, I'm still off that fresh hunger from basic training, job training. And uh I finally decided to um go active uh because I was prior service now. I got to pick my duty station, which

listen, I recommend everybody goes that route because if you if you're not sure where you're going to get placed going straight active duty, there's a little pro tip, like go National Guard first, then go active, and then pick your duty station.

PJ: Oh, I love that. Y'all hear that?

Freddy: But um so I I chose Texas. Uh, I thought I was going to go to First Cavs, but they told me I was going to First Cav when I got the Fort Hood, so I was pretty psyched about it. They were talking about Air Cav and all these great things. I just felt like I was in my element. And um, then Third Armored Cavalry shows up and stuff. I'm coming with them. So, I went from choppers to tanks and Bradley's, which, you know, was still a blessing.

But, um, I decided to just roll with the punches. And I was their first soldier that they got in Fort Hood because they just came from Fort Carson, Colorado.

PJ: Okay.

Freddy: So that was that was pretty great, too.

Yeah. Staff sergeants and NCOs's and

PJ: Oh, no. You were all just a little little cry, right?

Freddy: And uh but it was cool. I think I think that that gained um it gained more confidence and things for me because I I was instantly just thrown in with higher up non-commissioned officers.

PJ: Yeah.

Freddy: And um a lot of the uh

a lot of the grunt work, right, was thrown on me because I was the only private there for probably about two or three months.

PJ: Oh wow.

Freddy: But um we we built a relationship that I don't necessarily believe the new recruits that came in got. So I kind of got the little upper hand a little bit.

PJ: I like that. Yeah.

And you joined, you said you joined with a buddy and I know a little bit of this story.

Freddy: Yes.

PJ: What happened to him?

Freddy: So he he didn't want to go combat. He decided he wanted to be like a finance officer or something like that. And I was like, "That's great, man." You know, but uh back when I chose Fort Hood, his only options were North Korea or North Korea.

PJ: North Korea on the brain, right?

Freddy: No. Um and so his choices were Korea and Fort Hood. Yeah. And then I had to pick at a litter because most combat MOS's could go anywhere. But um he's the one he said I want to go to Korea. Come to Fort Hood with me. So I said absolutely like that works. But then when we got there they put us on separate deployment rotations. So we really didn't get to see each other that much. But we still tried to stay in contact.

PJ: Yeah.

No, I I and I bring that up because I think that there's a bunch of us that do that. You know, we join in. We're buddies. Yeah. We're going to go in and do this together. And like you never see them. Like that's it. That's the end. You never see them. That's it. Um yeah, man. I appreciate that. And then you deployed in 2007. Can you walk me through that a bit?

Freddy: Oh yeah. So um 2007 hit. So I got to Fort Hood um 2006. And then um they said, "Listen, we're gearing up. We're getting a bunch of soldiers in multiple field rotations, gunneries, you know, land nav courses, just all the things we're doing to prepare for deployment." 2007 hit. Um, we were the Army's last 15 months deployment.

Uh, so we got stationed up in Mosul uh in Iraq. And um, the great thing about being in a prestigious awesome unit that is a Killer Troop, third squadron, Third Armored Cavalry regiment. Very prestigious unit. I'm sure every street ball says they're right. But uh you know, Killer Troop always kind of led the way for that squadron and at least as far as the history books say. And um so we were tasked with occupying a combat outpost uh combat outpost Rabia. We called it COP Killer for short because Killer Troop and you know, right? you know, not saying Rabia all the time, but um so FOB Marez was where we were where we were deployed to, but then Killer Troop kind of stayed out there in the combat outpost and we'd rotate in, you know, every Sunday for a day just to, you know, redo refill ammo and maybe grab some hot food from the Chow Hall and uh we went right back out to uh you know, to secure Route Tampa, which is uh you know, one of the main highway routes in uh Iraq.

So, uh, soon as we got there, um, I probably say about three or four weeks in, the majority of our unit, majority of squadron got their combat action badges.

Um,

it was just boss to the wall fighting every single day, whether it was an IED or small arms or RPGs or VBIEDs was was a big thing at the time. and um it didn't help that uh they issued us those great MRAPs that were just humongous school buses and uh didn't move as fast. We ended up not really using them as much. Um we found out that they take out a lot of power lines and when you're trying

when you're trying to win hearts and minds over there knocking out their power that's already on a rotational basis, right? It's uh it's not the greatest thing in the world. So I got one for your heart and mind. So, um, mostly stuck with up armored Humvees like 1151s and then the Bradley's, you know, hunter killer teams with tanks and Bradley's and, you know, halfway through the deployment, you know, rules of engagement kind of changed a little bit. Um, there was no longer, you know, after curfew, shoot everything, walking, right? Right.

It became more hearts and minds. became we're giving you a platoon of Iraqi soldiers, you know, help train them, help try to get them to man their posts and things like that. And um little uncomfortable at first, but uh you know, just like any other person, right? You find ones you like. Um you find ones that are kind of, you know, not the greatest squared away soldiers. Believe it or not, Iraqi soldiers aren't that squared away, right?

But um

there was this one guy, I'll never forget, he looked like Burt Reynolds. He looked he was an Iraqi. Yeah, he was an Iraqi version of Burt Reynolds. Great guy. You could tell like he'd be in probably those movies, you know what I mean? Where it's just like and he made me chai tea every morning. He was always on post with me. Even when he didn't need to be, he'd always come on post. We grew a pretty good relationship, you know what I mean? And I I didn't think I was capable of that.

So, like that was little growth right there on my part because, you know, in the beginning, oh, we got to train Iraqi soldiers, right? like that's terrible, right? Like that's not the mission.

But um

anyway, yeah, it became positive and you know, I always had the interpreter with me and we kind of communicate that way and it was really cool during the chaos, you know what I mean?

PJ: How did that shape you like that that's really interesting?

Yeah. Yeah. just for a second if we could take that detour. How did

like hanging out and developing somewhat of a relationship with with this guy on the other side of the world to this this your mindset of like I wasn't go coming here to do this?

Freddy: Absolutely.

PJ: Like how did that shape your your mindset or change your

Freddy: you know I didn't know at the time but it actually put a lot of building blocks in place for me

after the military.

Um

so when you're in there you're strictly focused on the mission. Sure. Right. Yeah. you're getting tasks and you know with scouts it's a lot of night operations. It's a lot of you know during the day you're kind of just getting ready right and then getting briefs and then at night you're executing whether it's the transfers or you know VIP escorts or raids or whatever it may and um but sitting in there and being able to have that bond with somebody you don't really recognize it until um after the fact because I actually missed the guy when I got home you know.

Yeah. And it was kind of like how's he doing? Right. He told me about his family. He had a wife, he had a daughter. It's like, how are they doing? You know what I mean? Even with the interpreters we had, you know, some people have great interpreters, some people have bad.

PJ: Yeah. Yeah.

Freddy: You know, but I mean, the guy I had, they called him blue, right? We're blue platoon, so he was blue. But, um, he was an amazing guy. You know, all the things that he would tell us that, you know, his goals were because, you know, being an interpreter, you do it so long, you can get your citizenship. and

he had plans, you know, to come to America and do great things. And uh

but it allowed me

to see other people in the world out there that aren't necessarily living in the freedoms in which we have in this country. Yeah. And uh

not letting the rules or the chaos of of certain countries and third world countries, altor countries um affect them. You know, it just seems like this was everyday life for them. And I'm just constantly looking over my shoulder waiting for the next sniper round to hit,

you know. So,

it's uh

it definitely put things in perspective a little bit.

PJ: Yeah.

— Yeah, for sure.

PJ: That's beautiful. I you know, I think it

— I don't say many beautiful things. So,

— no. Well, I don't know. You know,

PJ: no, I do. I think that's beautiful. You know, one of the the cool things that I think a lot of us take for granted in the military that we don't like

I don't think that we realize how different it is in the civilian world

Freddy: Yeah.

PJ: is we get a huge exposure to lots of different cultures and people and ways of thinking. I mean, we're working with people from all around the country and then we go and deploy and we meet people from foreign military and um and and they live very different lives and and I think that that actually is a beautiful aspect of the military that a lot of us I think probably take for granted. And we get out with civilian worlds and yeah sure camaraderie isn't there in the same way that we had and were in even just amongst ourselves

but it's it's also that aspect of like getting I think exposure to these other cultures

and ways of thinking and ways of being that

I don't know I kind of miss a little bit. I mean I remember hanging out with with some of the Korean Air Force peeps and and like

they were pretty cool man. Like I enjoyed hanging out with them. Um, anyhow, I just think that that's kind of neat. So, I appreciate you and taking that detour with me.

Freddy: Yeah, absolutely.

PJ: Um, so when you get back from that deployment, um, talk to me a little bit through that. Like, how was that for you coming back from that?

Freddy: Yeah. So, when we got back, I mean, we, well, before we got back, we lost a handful of guys. I lost my best friend. Um, best friend, he, you know, I was a specialist at the time. He was a staff sergeant, but, um, he's a 24 year old staff sergeant. I mean, squared away got him like his fourth deployment, you know what I mean? I

always said he was untouchable, you know what I mean? And um

he ended up going down one night and uh it it was rough in country. I I felt I felt that it was rough, you know what I mean? He was the the worst one. My gunner ended up getting killed. Um a couple other buddies of mine ended up losing their lives, a ton more wounded. So, uh a lot of them had to get sent out to Germany and then, you know, you don't kind of see them until you get home. But um that one hurt a little bit, you know what I mean?

That one uh my one good buddy. And it was a weird it was a weird relationship we had, right? It was um he wasn't too much older than me, but because of his position, it was kind of like a father figure almost, but also like complete mentor. Like I wanted to be him, you know what I mean? And when he went down, it was rough. Like it was I remember like the other guys we lost, it's like, "All right, I get it. But that's what happens, right? this is war.

We're gonna lose guys. We knew that coming into it. This is our job. And uh but when he when he went down, it was like it kind of just makes you give that little step back where it's like what are we doing, right? Like what are we doing here? Why is this happening?

And um

I didn't necessarily really feel that on a bigger level until we got back. So we redeploy, we get back to Fort Hood. Um things are going well. You know, you're busy just unpacking everything, cleaning everything, doing all your, you know, inventories, which are a nightmare. But um but now you're going home from work, you're laying in that bed, then you start feeling it. Then you start wondering, you know, maybe what was your reasoning for being over there? I started thinking of that instantly when I got back.

Why Why did this happen? Why did we do this? Right? Then the nightmares start kicking in. Then your just general outlooks on life start hitting you a little bit. And uh

then you start recalling the things you had to do over there, right? Then you start worrying about, you know, is your soul going to be saved, right? You had to do things you weren't necessarily proud of, right? And um that stuff really starts to get to you. And then being young and dumb in the army, right? I reinlisted in Iraq cuz I was like, "This unit's amaz cavalry. I love the history of it. Um I love that because it's a regiment. It doesn't run as like normal companies and divisions and things like that. It's a little more when you meet another veterans in a Third Armored Cavalry.

PJ: Yeah.

Freddy: You're amongst very small population of people, right? Especially if they deployed with Third Armored Cavalry.

But um

so you get back and you don't know that I love my unit. I love my my leadership, right? When you get back all the leadership disappears, man. they go other units. They they move around and you're stuck with all new incoming people. And um I have problems with authority when I got back. Uh people with that didn't deploy or have combat patches are trying to boss me around. Um you know, I was like, you know, and I would have never done this before deployment, you know, but you're kind of like screw you. Like how are you going to tell me about combat?

PJ: Yeah.

Freddy: When you've never been there. my mom underwear got more combat time than you know what I mean like

you know what I mean like so I think I even said that once in 20 so it didn't work out well but you know but I knew there was a problem I knew that once the nightmare started kicking in and they were you know you're a kid you have nightmares you know they go away but um the nightmares you have when uh you know you're getting hit when you're first realizing your post-traumatic stress right Yeah.

Um they're intense. You can't understand them. You can't wrap your head around them. Um and they don't stop. There's times I had nightmares and I woke up and I'm still going into the day with flashbacks like still kicking in throughout that morning. And um once that stuff started happening, I had to tell my leadership. I said, "Listen, something's going on. Don't know what it is, but something's happening to me." And like my whole squared away soldier attitude and you know, yes, Sergeant, no sergeant, yes, sir. That's what's going out the window and I can't control it. Like I'm a good soul. Was a good soldier, right?

PJ: Yeah.

Freddy: But um it was uh that wasn't there anymore, you know? It was kind of like no. Yes. No, whatever. You know, like I don't want to hear things. So they knew it was unlike me. They uh sent me to some major up in, you know, the hospital and um he was like, "Yeah, like Killer Troop." Yeah. Yeah. I understand what you guys been through and uh it's like you're not the only one for your unit that's been here. It's like you guys

you seen a lot like so what we're going to do is I'm diagnosing you with PTSD and you have options here. You could reclass and pick some office job and try to still do your 20 years or you know we medically retire you out. It's like benefits of that. What benefits are you and your kids and family? Right. And uh or reclass office job. Right. Right. So that was never me. That was never me. I I've never been the guy to sit behind a desk and just exist, you know. And so um

they throw full benefits out there. It's like I'll go to the doctor anyway, man. So

this works out like that's cool, man. My kids got

Well, my kids got benefits. So cool. So get me out of here. So started the medical board process that took about 15 months, right?

And during that time uh they found it more beneficial to transfer you out of the combat units into this place called the Warrior Transition Unit and neighborhood. And uh it's a great unit. It's more little bit of a relaxed atmosphere where you know they they know everyone's transitioning out whether it's medical reasons or they're just coming up on their retirement whatever it might be. And um so I went there. First thing they said was um there's a reset program. They just started this thing called a reset program beforehood and it's like two weeks you report there every day and uh check it out.

So I went there. Um it was pretty pretty insight. Right off the bat you walk in and you're just like what is this place? You know what I mean? Everything smells like lavender. What the hell is going on here? Right? Like what's up? Like I never This is first time smelling sage. I'm like, "What is that? Something's burning." Right? They're like, "No, it's sage." I'm like, "All right, all right. I could get into that." And um but uh so it was a reset program where they're trying to reset your brain and calm it down from the wars and struggles that you're currently dealing with.

They offered everything from Reiki to reflexology, biofeedback, acupuncture, tai chi. These are all like hour and a half blocks that soldiers could sign up for throughout the day and experience all these different forms of treatment.

PJ: Oh, interesting.

Freddy: Yeah. Really help. And it was the first time they've done it. So I I believe it still exists there today, but um it was just like a whole different approach to what I know now is, you know, healing, right? And growth.

PJ: Yeah.

Freddy: And um they had a therapist in there. You sit with her for an hour. You know, you're getting acupuncture. the bio feedback's being hooked up to your brain and you're trying to use your brain to get a TV screen with a roller coaster on it to complete right and um just great different modalities of trying to figure out what benefits you what does what doesn't right

PJ: was there anything in there that felt particularly beneficial

Freddy: reflexology I mean that's deep rubbing you know what I mean but it's actually they're doing more right they're hitting points and that necessarily like your back hurts they'll rub a point on like that'll make your back feel better, which is crazy to me, right? But, uh,

reflexology was dope. Um, the Reiki obviously because now I'm a Reiki master, so I found that extremely beneficial. Um, the Tai Chi was cool. Uh, the sound healing, which was really good, which, you know, I still get done to me today.

PJ: Oh, cool.

Freddy: Um, and, uh, the acupuncture wasn't really for me. You know what I mean? what you need.

You see those needles and you're kind of like, oh man, you know, just worried, right? And um

PJ: were you open to those sorts of things before going?

Freddy: Absolutely not.

PJ: Okay. Interesting.

And what changed that?

Freddy: Just knowing I was out the door, right? Cuz I knew I had problem.

No one else was going to be able to fix my problem. I knew I had to fix it. So what's my goal? I don't know where to start. So I'm just going to dabble in everything. have tons of stuff to utilize underneath my tool belt and one of them was going to catch. Really has to catch.

PJ: Yeah.

Freddy: So that's what I went going into it knowing that I was going to be medically retired out. So I did that for two weeks, report back to your unit. They say go back to school or do an internship. Can't stay here for 15 months. Right. Which I recommend. Yeah. It's absolutely right. Because things Yeah. you mind sitting there and you're just sitting there? Who knows what happens, right? Suicides were on an uptick in Fort Hood at a certain point. And um so we went there um told me to do an internship.

I'm not going to school. That's what I told him. I'm not going back to school. It's the whole reason I joined the army, right? I'm not going back to school. So I did an internship. Uh Waco Texas VA hospital was offering internships in their human resources department. Absolutely jumped on it. I said, I know that I'm getting medically retired and I'm going to get percentages, but I know they're not going to give me everything I'm going to ask for, right? And I don't know everything.

PJ: Yeah.

Freddy: So, I'm going to get in there, learn all the paperwork, figure out what I'm entitled to,

and maybe, you know, I can help other veterans when I get out. That's kind of what set the mindset for me to start helping veterans. And um Cool. Okay. Yeah. So, I got in there for about 15 months. I just learned all the paperwork. um he offered me a job to work there afterwards, but I was relocating back to um Pennsylvania with uh my family and uh I just took all those tools that I gained and the knowledge of the VA paperwork beast that it is

and uh brought it back home and then I started my life up in

quiet old Wind Gap, Pennsylvania. Yeah.

Which is a little bit different, not not far from Phillipsburg, New Jersey. But um it's a whole different lifestyle.

PJ: Well, I can appreciate your quiet, man. In fact, I'm with you on that. I'm not a city person at all.

Um I want to back up a little bit. You know, I think it really is cool that you weren't necessarily very open-minded to some of this stuff and then went into it and found something that worked for you. I think that there's a lot of people that go into this thinking like, oh, it's woo woo, you know, it's it's not going to work for me. And I I also think that going in with that sort of mindset sometimes precludes it from working.

Freddy: Yeah.

PJ: You know, whereas if you can take that step back and, you know, take this for what it's worth, but swallow the ego

and say, "Okay, I need help. This might work for me." And what's the worst case, right?

— I'm back at square zero.

— Yeah.

— But I try.

PJ: I think that that's really cool that you did that. And I'm curious especially with Ricky which is a Ricky I never say it right. Um

what was it like where what was that point in the process where you were like oh there's something to this?

Freddy: So I'll first start off by saying I'm an extremely stubborn person. Most of my family my kids could tell you that. You know my girlfriend can tell you that. But uh I just tried salmon two weeks ago for the first time in my life. You know what I mean? That's how stubborn I am.

PJ: Oh, I love it.

Hey, thanks for aditting that on camera,

dude.

Freddy: Yeah,

I just tried salmon for Father's Day.

PJ: And what did you think?

Freddy: Amazing. What the hell do you, right? Like, I don't like fish. I don't like this.

— Finally, for

PJ: It's amazing what those beliefs can do, right?

Freddy: And I'm fine with that. I was like, cool. I don't need to touch that. I got my four basic food groups, man. Right.

Pasta, pizza, mozzarella sticks, and you know, and cookies, right? Right.

No, but um

dude, I tried it and I was like I was almost sad. You know what I mean? Cuz I'm like, "What the hell?"

— Yeah, man. Stinks. I hear I hear Widows. Shout out Widow's Tavern, right? I mean, amazing. Smoked salmon. It It was amazing.

Freddy: But anyways, um so when I was getting Reiki done at that reset center, nice little old lady, like I said, hands smelled like lavender. The whole room smelled like lavender, right? But I had problems being touched. I had like I didn't I didn't want to be touched. You know, people touch me, adrenaline goes through the roof. I'm ready to fight. Right. Yeah. And uh I noticed that about me. And uh the reason I tried that is because they said, you know, there's no touching involved. It's just literally like energetic healing.

Don't try that out. So, um I remember laying on the bed the first time and uh you know, faces down and uh all of a sudden I just start feeling this heat. this heat's being generated and um I'm like what's going on? Does she have like you know like a heat pad or something over top of me or something like that and um I just started feeling it move throughout my body and it was her hands like she was literally generating heat with her hands but just balancing over top of me

and uh after the first session I looked at her I said what did you do like what is that what was all that heat and stuff? She's like, "Well, you know, with Reiki, when you're properly attuned, right, and you're in touch with the energies, you know, universe and things like this, they're like there's attunements that you get while you progress through your program." And um

you're able to literally move people's negative energy and replace it with positive energy. Wow. Right.

And um

I was like, I have to explore this because it's a win-win for me. like I feel calm, you know, even if you fall asleep during those treatments, things are still working. And a lot of people call it, you know, fufu stuff and don't really necessarily believe in it. But listen, when I got my Reiki master certificate and I started doing Reiki sessions on some of my buddies who are, you know, we're all at the end of the day like combat tested, battleh hardened veterans, you know what I mean?

And some of these guys are just, you know, oh man, like what did you do to me? Right, and they love it, you know what I mean? And uh so that's just that first initial time that that old lady and I wish I remembered her name, but I don't. But she literally put me on my path of like some type of spiritual journey, emotional, energetic journey is that

now you get the guy you seen before today. You know what I mean?

PJ: Yeah. It was incredible. I like that you were open to it and and I think that it's cool that you were able to shift your mind. It reminds me of a reel that I actually saw the other day that it really resonated with me where it was like this cowboy, you know, like badass dude kind of sitting there in front of a fire talking with a thick accent, you know, but what he said was really profound and that he was talking about how many of us, especially when we're younger, we have the tendency to focus on like maybe just going to the gym and trying to look good and trying to like take care of my body and everything, but he's like that is only onethird of a man.

Yep. He's like he's not focusing on the mind and training their mind or maybe they're not focusing on the spiritual side, the spiritual aspect of it. We've heard this a million times, right? Mind, body, spirit.

Freddy: Absolutely.

PJ: And I think a lot of us don't understand that to a deep level, but it's when you get these moments like you're talking about the Ricky words like or Reiki um where where all of a sudden you're like, "Oh wow, like there is definitely more to this. Let me go down rabbit hole where all of a sudden you're realizing another third of your embodiment." You know, I think that man, I I urge anyone who is watching this to maybe take a step back and explore what that might that could be like for you regardless of your situation.

If you're if you're even in combat or deployed or whatever it may be at home in garrison, it doesn't matter. Those sorts of preparations that you can take, if you can get ahead of it, nothing's going to phase you.

Freddy: Oh, absolutely. I couldn't agree more. just, you know, like you said, it doesn't necessarily have to be combat, you know, soldiers dealing with post-traumatic stress, right? It's literally tools just help you conduct your everyday life better. You know, I mean, it clears your mind. It relaxes your energy. It allows you

to be open to

receive more information. I truly believe.

PJ: Yeah.

Freddy: Um, and you know, you ever walk into a room and you start feeling sick, that's because there's bad energy in that room. It's a real thing. You know what I mean? When you're able to walk into places and you have that positive mindset, you're con, you know, your energy is clear and you're walking through places, people actually attract to you. You start noticing people coming up to you more. Or I'll just meet someone for the first time and they'll just start pouring their story out to me out of the blue. It's like, dude, I don't even know you, right? Telling me your life story. Why is that?

PJ: Let's let's pause on that for a second.

This is huge because what you're actually describ I think a lot of people think that, oh, energy.

Yeah. hippie. Um, think about when you see someone walk in the wing and their body is hunched over, their arms are crossed, their eyes maybe are a little bit squint. We are masters of radiation by we are whether we want to admit it or not. It's physical just as much as it is an energy. If you smile at somebody, if you laugh or you laugh easily, these are energies that we're putting out in the world. So when we say energy, I mean I don't want people to say, "Oh god, all right, here we go." No, no.

It's it is just the feeling that you make someone feel. It can be that simple. What do you make people feel? Are you open? Are you someone who's willing to hear someone else? People can sense these things. I think that when like en this idea of energy gets kind of this bad um rep if you will,

but but it can be that simple.

Freddy: Oh yeah.

PJ: You know, are are you someone that's really anxious because you're spinning your mind on things all the time? I know that was something I struggled with for a while was was anxiety, right? Yeah.

And it was when I could learn how to melt that away

that I could be open to having conversations with people and a lot of things changed.

Yeah. So it's it's not this, oh, you're giving off these quantum field energies. Maybe it is, who knows? But but you know, like it's do this all the time, but I hate people like this. But but but right, like it's it's like are are you generally an approachable person?

Freddy: Yeah.

— Goes a long way.

Freddy: That's the key. It really is. Um, you know, there was a point in my life in my transition now, I only wanted to be surrounded by other veterans.

And, um,

I didn't think the everyday civilian would understand me, right? But I found that

everybody has some form of trauma in their life.

PJ: 100%.

And that's purely subjective.

Freddy: Purely subjective, right? The worst day of someone is the worst day of someone. Yeah. Um, a dog attack, right, could be maybe to me, oh, dog bit me the other day, right? But to someone else who got attacked by a dog, it's probably, you know, there's wounds and scars emotionally that would be there for

PJ: Absolutely.

Freddy: And um so I I don't judge anybody on on anything, but what I do know is is that everyone has some form of trauma.

PJ: That's right.

Freddy: So if I'm able to open up that conversation and have that dialect with them and uh just see that, hey, we all struggle a little bit, you know what I mean? And um let's talk, you know what I mean? I'm like, let's have a conversation. And uh

PJ: kind of feels like that's what happens. You know, you meet someone, you have conversations, this and that, and as long as you're pretty open with it. Um the conversations take these weird twists and turns and then you end up just knowing about people, and then that's how friendships and bonds are formed.

Freddy: Absolutely. And it's crazy because I didn't I didn't know how to do that when I got out. You know what I mean? I was in a predominantly combat I was in a combat unit. So in my day there was we we weren't surrounded by women. You know what I mean? Our whole 7 and 1/2 year military career. The only woman I seen was in the S shop in like the supply closet. You know what I mean? That was literally it. So even transitioning from 7 and 1/2 years of almost not speaking to women in general at all. like you have to start reprogramming yourself.

Yeah. Be able to have normal conversations where you're not having, you know, vettovet conversations that are sometimes borderline inapprop most of the time inappropriate in some way or fashion. And you got to learn, you got to learn how to re-engage with like civilian life, but also like maybe even the opposite gender, you know?

PJ: I don't know if I told you, but when I first got out, like to me, and I love ask I'll ask you actually in a bit, but like one of the things that I didn't realize at the time was going to be the biggest struggle for me was actually just learning how to talk to civilians.

Freddy: Oh yeah.

PJ: Like that was one of the biggest struggles for me because I got out Marine Corps, right? And like to your point, I miss nine times out of 10 locker room talk

and I go to this first, you know, company that I was at. Luckily, most of them there were a lot of marines there, right?

But I remember having this conversation with somebody, you can't talk like that.

Freddy: Yeah.

PJ: Like, huh?

Um, but man, like what an eye openener. It's wild,

you know? And if we're not receptive to that, I mean, that can go south really, really quickly.

Freddy: Oh, yeah.

PJ: But I mean, I think that probably the point that is worth h like hammering on underneath all of that is taking ownership.

Yeah. like taking ownership over our own I don't know self like in and the way we conduct ourselves and that leads to our success. Yeah. We can sit there and point our finger all we want but all we're actually doing is giving our power away. If it's your fault now I don't have power anymore to do anything. If I take that ownership and I say no this is something that I can change I can affect. Even if it's just a little

Freddy: right

PJ: I now have power to do something about it. Um, so I want to shift back to like we're getting out of the military now. You're getting out, you know, under not the pretenses you probably expected to get out under

Freddy: Yeah. I planned on 20 years,

— right?

PJ: What did that do to you? What effect did that have on you?

Freddy: It definitely made me depressed obviously. um being Cav scout when you transition out of the military just as a Cav scout with maybe not a medical retirement and you're just you did four years and you're getting out. I mean, the only thing that really translates is security guard or cop like that's kind of and that's most combat jobs, right? Not maybe com combat engineers, but at least you know the infantry guys, the scouts, maybe the tankers, things like that, the FISTers, right? They kind of transition out and oh, I'm going to go work security somewhere or I'm going to become a police officer.

And um

so that was tough for me too because I honestly didn't feel comfortable with a weapon. It took me a while to get to get back into the goose of things. Yeah. I didn't I just I didn't I didn't want to chance anything. I never had suicidal ideations, but what if I did, right? Like what

I don't think people plan to kill themselves, right? It's like maybe it just happens. Like I don't want to have a weapon in my house in case that happens, right? So I it took me years to get comfortable enough to pick up another another rifle.

PJ: Interesting.

Freddy: and really go through the motions. And when I did that, you know, it obviously just wasn't, you know, me in the backyard. It was, you know, at a gun range and, you know, I had people there who were able to uh, you know, support me while I was going through the motions and seeing your rifle and things like that. But learning that was no longer going to be something that I signed up to do anymore with absolutely being fine with giving my life to it. You know, if I die, I die from serving my country. That's what I'm doing. And um now saying we no longer need you. We kind of broke you.

You didn't mean to, but you broke.

So now you got to go, right? And having to deal with that was like, well, what am I going to do with the rest of my life? How like I can't have a job. I don't think I can handle an everyday job. Like I don't have that capability. So I was expressing this to my tank commander who was also medically retired with me. Um, he said, "Hey man, I just heard about this new program at Yale University. Let's go." I was like, "Yale, what do you think I am, dude? Like, I'm a Cav scout." Like, I'm selling.

There's no schooling. Yeah.

In my mind whatsoever.

He's like, "They just started this program up there, Warrior Scholar Project.

Let's go." Like the spot opened up cuz someone dropped. So now I need I told him I'd find a guy. I was like, "Dude, I can't handle university." Like, I don't even know where it is at the time. I didn't even know. He's like, "Dude, Connecticut, man. Come on. Like, let's go up to New Haven. Listen, if you don't like the course, like we could just hang out and drink beers afterwards, after the classes, and they paid for us to go." Like, dude, sold, right? Like, let's go, man. Like, I'm ready to go.

— So,

PJ: you said beer,

Freddy: right? So we get up there and very quickly that that was not an option, right? Warrior Scholar Project is a two-eek academic book academic like boot camp and it's reting veterans how to

learn how to read and write but at the you know at the Ivy League levels and these worldrenowned professors are sitting in there giving you classes in humanities and you know just pure liberal arts stuff. We read Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America.

PJ: Wow.

Freddy: Yeah,

dude. I How do I even know the name of that book, right? Like, I'm not that guy, you know? But

when you have these professors that get paid all this money, right, and they're some of the best professors in the country and they're giving you the little tips and tricks and tools of how their students in their top tier universities get by. Yeah. with things as little. There was this book called They Say, I Say, and that book right there single-handedly helped me get through that course because you look up what you want to say and it tells you how to properly say it

on a writing look. They say, I say,

if anyone

PJ: Yeah.

Freddy: is anything about school, pick it up. And it's like it's important. It's an important valuable book that has. And um another tool was while you're reading your pen should be moving, right? Underlining things in the book, highlighting, writing in the in the edges of the book and everything like that. And it helped me, it helped me remember stuff. I could read a page and forget it instantly.

PJ: Absolutely.

Freddy: You know, but being able to to scroll through those and then learning how to adjust to, you know, the Yale football team came up and helped with the course a little bit and they tutored us.

PJ: So cool.

Freddy: There was no time to go out afterwards. It was literally you're in classes from 8:00 a.m. till about 8 8:00 p.m. and then you're writing papers, you're studying till about midnight. Okay. So, it was highly intensive and that was created by Jesse Reising who was a Yale football player.

Um,

big Yale Harvard game in his senior year. He was a linebacker. Laid a hit on Harvard's running back or Yeah. on Harvard's running back and uh half his body went and then he couldn't join the Marine Corps. He had plans to join the Marine Corps afterwards and now he couldn't go. Yeah.

So he went over as a contractor, got some money together and created this program out of Yale. Cool. Then it blew up. Year two it went from Yale Harvard to University of Michigan to University of Oklahoma Princeton. It just blew up. So at that time I was getting into my deal with photography and things like that. So they said, "Hey, for a couple years come out and photograph our program for us and stuff like that." Nice. Which was beneficial. You know what I mean? Some of my photos are on Fox News and you know the Crimson and Harvard and all these great cool things to have my photos published in. So it was great. But um that course allowed me to be able to lead soldiers again because also

you know you only get the quality photos you get when when the veterans are studying and stuff in the dorm rooms and things like that.

Yeah. Comfortable, right? Because

I'm a veteran too. I've been through the program and like I feel I'm I'm where you guys I was there. You know what I mean?

And um

a lot of these veterans ended up thriving going to top tier institutions a lot of times from the program. So now anyone any veteran that's interested in schooling at at a higher level, you know what I mean? It's uh it's an amazing program. Two weeks during the summer, you go out to one of these whenever university is closest to you that hosts it.

PJ: Oh, there's multiple.

Freddy: Oh, yeah. So now it's all over.

PJ: That's cool.

Freddy: You know what I mean? Yeah. It's um it literally spread like wildfire because a lot of these top tier universities, they're looking for veterans. They need veterans. You know what I mean? And like vets, a lot of veterans don't understand that you you bring something to the table at that university or college that these little kids don't have, man. You got tons of life experience you can share, you know?

And people don't realize that.

PJ: Yeah. And what else do you think we bring to the table?

Freddy: Oh god. Muscles. Check these out, dude. Right. Like I don't know, man. But you know, a lot of great stuff. You know what I mean?

PJ: Um, actually I think one of the really important things that we bring and I've mentioned this on a previous podcast and I'll mention it again because I actually think it's a really important thing that we get is this idea of resourcefulness.

Freddy: Yeah.

PJ: It's that will do attitude. I know I you probably heard people say can do attitude.

I think there's a really important distinction between the word can and the word will.

Freddy: Absolutely.

PJ: You know, you can come into something and you may have skills already to do something. That doesn't mean you're going to do it, right? Whereas you might be someone who doesn't have the skills, but you're willing to figure it out. That latter piece right there, I think, is something that we have and is ingrained in us a lot of times in the military. So veterans, I think, bring that very important to the table. Not just when it comes to like an an academic inspiration but the working world that is huge when you are putting together a portfolio when you are putting together an application to a job if you can get across the idea that I'm not just will I'm just I'm not just can do the job but I'm willing to do the job very very different mindset and a lot of times that can be what sets you over the edge

Freddy: that's why I think a lot of veterans would I I wish a lot of companies organizations and stuff like that would offer more on the job training training

because there's a veteran that might not necessarily have the degrees you're looking for, but if you offer training and train them how you want things to be done.

PJ: Yeah.

Freddy: Any anybody could do that. You know what I mean? Just offer on job trainings for the jobs you're looking for

and then you're opening up

your your fishing net of tons more veterans and more people that are qualified to do the job. Just because you don't have a degree doesn't necessarily mean you can't perform the duty. Right.

PJ: Right. Yes. Yes. Hey, I mean like I thought this was really interesting. So I'm I I worked at at at uh at Meta Facebook for a very very long time and I came in on a program called um rotational engineer program and the people that came through this program are largely people who for whatever reason didn't meet the the minimum that they would normally look for in some capacity whether it's years of experience maybe just miss it an interview something to that effect. What the idea is is they give you, you know, a year

kind of probation, but the idea is like you go on one team for six months, you have to perform at a certain level, and then you go another team 6 months. And that program is highly successful, but the reason I think that it's so successful is you're bringing in these people that are like willing to do the job. They may they may have been in a total I met I met finance people coming in to be an engineer. I mean, I was in the Marine Corps and here I am coming in to be an engineer.

Like, you know, that I think that that's a really just important concept. I wish I would love far and wide. Spread it to your friends. Um, I I just think that's an amazing aspect of life.

Freddy: It really is.

PJ: So, all right. You got out, you went to Yale. Um, what did that open up for you?

Freddy: Oh, just it it opened up so many opportunities because leaving that program, I mean, my LinkedIn friends is fat. You know what I mean? Like I got Yale professors. Hold on.

I got like so much networking happened from being a part of those programs.

And um it absolutely could have went further if I didn't want to just

be home and be with my kids. Sure. You know what I mean? When my buddy died, uh he left two boys, twins at home, you know, five, six years old.

PJ: Yeah.

Freddy: Halfway through my deployment, my first son was born. And um

I was like, I I got to be there. I got to be in his life, at least for the honor of my buddy. I need to take care of my kid, right? Change it completely. And it's a problem because made me hesitate. You know what I mean? Like after that son's born, you notice a hesitation in everything you do because you're like, I want to come back to him, right? So, it was a problem for a little bit, you know, but then hearts and minds changed halfway through the deployment, like I said. So, it wasn't necessarily shoot first, ask questions later, right?

You know, now it was permission. Hey, we're getting shot at. Hey, can I shoot at him yet? Hey, just I'm here. Can I shoot at him yet? So, you know what I mean? So, it was it was a lot different. But, um,

no. So after that program um not only did it help me network and it helped me be able to speak with um you know people that are just experts in their fields really pick their brain on things and they were just as equally happy meeting us. I mean, you think, you know, you start getting into your own feelings where you're like, I don't deserve to be here. Like, look at these people. Look how hard they work

to get to these institutions of higher learning, right? Like, what am I, you know, I'm just this dude, right, from Phillipsburg, New Jersey. What do I know? And um,

but it goes to show you it it shows you that there's different paths, right? There's people that came from war torn countries that get in the Yale University, right? Yes. There's people who were, you know, private schooled their whole life and to get the other person.

PJ: Yeah.

Freddy: But then there's everyday people, veterans that come out of the military, like Yale, for example, has the Eli Whitney program and that's specifically for veterans. Gear them to get into Yeah. Cool. Amazing. Yeah. Right. And it's just everyday dudes who have the quality or at least the potential to be able to hang with the big fellas up there at Yale. And then they put him through the program and they give them tutors and stuff to to succeed. Right.

PJ: Yeah.

Freddy: But coming out of there, it just gave me a whole new outlook on life. Like, oh, I'll be fine. I could do anything. I just got to put my mind to it and put my mind right. Right.

I got I got to get my emotional, my spiritual well-being squared way. After that, the body's obviously last priority. But,

you know what I mean? But listen, the mind and the spirit, you got to get them squared away first. You know what I mean? You could be jacked all day. You could be, you know, a muscle down demon, right? But if if your mind and your spirit ain't right, man, like you're just a ticking time bomb, right? And um I was always I think like Jordan Peterson or somebody said it. It was like, you know, the best kind of man. And this is I'm completely tearing it apart.

PJ: That's okay. I don't know if you noticed in show notes we have a section that says quotes attempted to be quoted.

Freddy: Oh yeah.

Oh that's great. So yeah. So Jordan Peterson said like um you know the most vi the best kind of man is one who's capable of violence but learns how to control it. Something like that. Right. So it's like um

you know being able to have control of your own mental is most one of the most important things especially as veterans to be able

to get through the rest of your life, right? You know what I mean? And only you can fix it. I could go I go I'm a hardcore therapy. I I promote therapy as much as I can. I go every three weeks. Yeah. And three weeks is my comfort zone. Little longer than that feels a little too long for me, right? And then I forget half the anyways because my mind's all all messed up, right? So I forget half the I'm mad about, right? But then two weeks, three, you know, one week, that's it's way too much, right?

I got other groups that I could do for that. But um the 3-week period for me is the most solid way I can go out to a therapist, speak my mind about just daily things that bother me, but also a little of the internal struggle that I still have. And um that's the best. Like literally, it helps me just get through the days, get through the months, get through the weeks, get through the years.

PJ: Right.

And um is this just talk therapy or is it like CBT?

Freddy: mainly solving and I'll continue with where I'm going with this but uh after the Warrior Scholar Project um finally retired out moved back to the air moved back to the area Wind Gap like I said and um nice peace and quiet just living the retired life then I was like now I'm bored I don't know what to do right

so I start going to the VA and I'm trying things that they might have I'm like hey is there hypnosis like let's let me try to get some hypnotherapy going right Yeah, tried that out. Don't know if it worked or not. I think it might might have worked for like, you know, two or three weeks. It felt a little different, but I think that's something that continually has to be done. But, um, then I started hearing about, you know, chapter 33 or chapter Voc rehab, right?

And I decided, hey, I'm going go back. I'm going to go back to school a little bit, figure things out. I don't know what I want to do, but, you know, something that's going to make put a little extra money in my pocket while I'm trying to figure life out. And so, I chose photography. And um I ended up just going to Bucks County Community College just to check it out a little bit. Um Voc Rehab paid for all my equipment, all the cameras, studios, laptops, books, book bags, just everything.

PJ: So how do you qualify for Voc Rehab?

Freddy: Voc Rehab, I believe you have to have a certain percentage. I don't know the exact percentage of it. It crossed my mind. I want to say I think it's 10%.

— 10%. Yeah.

Freddy: Um once you qualify for that, you'll get with the Voc Rehab counselor and that part is absolutely crucial to have a solid successful relationship with your Voc Rehab person.

Um

a lot of them they're they're kind of in control of your future when it comes to rehab. So if they give you a list of things you have to accomplish before you see them again, get those things accomplished, right? Because they're going to make or break you. And um when I showed up the first time to Voc Rehab and I already had the school I want to go to.

PJ: Yeah.

Freddy: The degree I wanted to pursue, how my you know what my plans were for getting there. Um then it was kind of oh what do you need? Right.

PJ: You showed them that you're willing to do the work.

Freddy: Absolutely. Right.

Yes. And uh normally when they see and believe it or not they run into a lot of veterans on a daily basis and I think more times than not they see veterans that are just like hey I want to do it

and then that's all they hear from them right

so it's just like oh I'm thinking about it versus hey I'm doing this right I can or I will right I will do this this is what I'm doing

and then you know they told me to get with a couple predominant photographers in the area gather list of equipment you might need, submit them to me.

PJ: Yeah.

Freddy: Honestly, they probably spent about $25,000 on equipment, everything I would need for school, which was it was mindblowing.

PJ: Yes.

Freddy: I was like, why isn't everyone doing this? You know what I mean?

PJ: Yeah. So, Voc Rehab, by the way, I highly recommend looking it up. If you're getting out and you have any sort of, you know, any sort of disability rating at all, and it may even be just like a 0%. I I have to look it up. I'll put I'll drop it in the show notes, but like that it's a cheat code. If if you're getting out, check out Voc Rehab.

— I mean, and listen with with Voc Rehab, too. It's not just say you only want to go to school to get an associates degree, you're not putting that on the Voc Rehab. You're saying, "I want to pursue a bachelor's, maybe even a master's, because

— they can always add to Yeah. Right. But if you're if your ceiling is an associates degree,

— they're going to say, well, we're not we're not funding further education." Right? So, it's always, oh, you want to go get a degree in, you know,

— I don't I don't even know, painting or something, right? It's like, no, you want to go get a master's degree in paint because you want to be a you want to get a, you know, a master's in fine art because you want to potentially, you know, teach at a university, right? Or something like that. My buddy used rehab to go to law school. And they paid for suits. They paid for suitcases for this guy.

— It's much beyond like um the GI Bill. Now I built was like just schooling Voc Rehab. Like they paid for a computer for me. Like they they were paying paying housing. I'm totally with you on it. It's a fantastic program.

Freddy: The great thing with Voc Rehab, too, is even if you have one day of GI Bill left, you can go you can use Voc Rehab. You just need to maintain. You can't completely use the GI Bill up. Just have one day of it left.

PJ: Yeah.

Freddy: And then you can use it.

PJ: I love that, man.

Freddy: It's great. So, I went through that. Um went through the process of that. Then I got out of there with this new great, you know, um, you know, just skill that I've picked up, right, which which was photo video. And, um, I did that for a while. Then I ended up getting, um, my 100% permanent and total. And then that kind of died down a little bit. I ended up going through uh, individual unemployability because I still had problems with communicating with people. I still had problems short with dealing with authority, you know what I mean?

And um once I gave him my 100 permanent and total on IU, which is individual unemployability, um then I was like, well, I can't do this as a business, right? Like I just I can't. So now I just do it, you know, for other veterans that might need photos, maybe family photos, maybe head shot, just things just, hey, here's my Yeah. Thanks, man. Right. Like, thanks for your service. Here you go. And um then I started really exploring what is my life purpose, right? Then I started taking my Reiki classes and started getting certified.

I completed Reiki level one. Then I moved into level two. And through this time, you know, it is an energetic shift. You are trying to and you know, I'm like this lost puppy where I'm like, I got all this knowledge.

I don't know what to do with it. I got everything I need. Like what do I do? And then, you know, it sounds corny, but I meditated a lot. You know what I mean? And meditation literally just o

no more than 10 minutes, right? I'm not I'm not Gandhi, right? Like, you know what I mean? Like, I can only do 10 minutes, bro. And then I hear horns honking and you know, it just throws me off. But,

you know, I sit there and I think, what's my life purpose? What am I supposed to do? I'm looking for answers. And um I said I'm just going to I'm going to reach out to one of my buddies, you know. Um I'm going to reach out to one of my buddies uh on the little Facebook group that we have from our old unit just to check in and see how guys are doing. I reach out to one of my buddies. He's struggling, you know, full-blown alcohol.

Uh you know, just alcoholic, right? Can't get things squared away with the VA. Struggling. He's drinking because he can't get a job because of his post-traumatic stress and he just doesn't know what to do. His family's falling apart. I'm like, "Listen, man. Like, what's the core problem here? Like,

why are you doing the job? What's going on, dude?"

He's like, "Well, obviously the combat, but like I can't keep a job."

I'm like, "Dude, I'm going to I try it. Here's the paperwork. I'm going to What's right?" No, I think it was Skype back then. We'll Skype, right? Skype.

We'll Skype. And um

you know, I'll walk you through this. Let's just get the paperwork filled out, right? And uh

he submitted it. He ended up getting it, you know, which was back then the VA system is pretty fast. I mean, got him like 6 months. It's pretty fast. And um started living life great, right? Started getting sober and stuff, but then the demon still caught up with him. Short years later, he took his life. And um and that hurt, you know what I mean? It hurt a lot because you're like, "I'm right, I rekindled this relationship. I put effort and time into this guy and I couldn't save him."

And that bothered me.

PJ: Yeah. Yeah.

Freddy: And I said, "Uh, I can't I can't have this happen again." Like, I have to help veterans and make sure that they're completely set set up for success, but also still be around, still be reachable, still be, you know, not just here you go, man. see you later. It really has to be a transition to where

you're in their lives for a long time. Yeah. You know what I mean? Just to make sure everything's everything. And then when they're comfortable enough, they'll die off. You know what I mean? Like they'll slowly start, you know, I'm good. I'm so happy. Sorry I don't have time to call you, man, but I'm doing this with my kids. Ask my wife.

It's like, dude,

I'm glad there. I am so happy, right? Like, go do that. You're not Dude, call me whenever. Just

know I'm here. Right. So once that started happening, I was like, "Okay, I need to get involved in helping veterans." So for a long time, I just started running into veterans and just helping them here and there. And then um I started wanting to explore volunteering for nonprofits and things like that. So then I started really jumping into that realm, at least in the community, and um just exploring what's out there, what what nonprofits are out there helping out guys and like legitimately helping out guys. Yeah.

And um I ended up landing with a nonprofit that um just wasn't right wasn't right fit for me. Um just seeing some of the things. So I stepped away from that. Um and I was like maybe not right. Nonprofit's just a weird thing to to navigate. You know what I mean? It's almost like high school again sometimes. You know what I mean? A lot of nonprofits in one area. Someone can do the same things but it's like

they're all grabbing for the same funds. Yeah. And that's complicated, right? Because then you're losing sight of the actual reason you started your nonprofit, which help veterans, right?

PJ: Yes.

Freddy: So, I was like, "Oh, I'll step back a little bit from that. I could just help veterans by myself." Like, people know my name. They know my name spreads out a little bit if I help a couple people and then a couple people turn into more. But um then I was approached for Northampton County for starting a veterans court and um I was like that sounds pretty interesting like what's the deal with that?

And so Northampton County Veterans Court is basically it's one of the three treatment courts that they have. You know they have a mental health court, they have drug and alcohol court and then they have the veterans court. So, veterans court is kind of a mix of the two, mental health and drug and alcohol, but it's only for veterans.

PJ: Interesting.

Freddy: Yeah.

And um what that is is it could be defer it could be based on a deferment um where veterans in lie of their charges are going through the veterans court.

PJ: Oh,

okay.

Freddy: Um depending what the charge is, right? Every single person's different or there's some situations where they still come in veterans court or they're going to get charged depending what that charge is, right? And um what it is, it allows 18 to 24 months of a veteran to have a mentor like me or a mentor like some of my other guys that I have on the team and allow us to really work with them for almost two years and really sit there and find out, well, why'd you get a DUI?

— Right?

Freddy: What's that root cause, right?

I understand you're dealing with alcohol issues and start going through the sobriety process,

but that's face value. like why is all that happening? And it let's figure out why that's happening and let's address that at the third level.

PJ: Yeah.

Freddy: And a lot of the times it's usually three things. It's

it's financial insecurities, right, that lead people to go down the path they go down or to at least stop caring or trying to control it. Right.

PJ: Right.

Freddy: But then you also have uh the loneliness. So many veterans are lonely because they were a part of that fraternity.

Right. They come out, all their friends are from all different parts of the country. Sure, it's not like they're there with them unless you're staying next to a base or something, right?

But it's the loneliness, but then also it's the purpose. They don't know what to do. Yes. Right. They they have no drive,

— right?

Freddy: And like mistakes happen when that happens. I'm a product of that. Mistakes happen.

Yeah. And um once we're able to get a real good grip on that and we're able to identify the leaders, we're able to identify the people who want to give back, once we identify the people who might getting them a job is all it took, right? Getting them financially, getting them a raise in their VA percentage or getting them stuff they're entitled to, but they didn't know how to do the paperwork, right? Sure. And then we surround them with a fraternity of other veterans that are in the growth process and make them all accountable for each other.

PJ: Yeah.

Freddy: And when that team happens, right, when that team forms,

then it's like it works itself out.

It's really not that complicated, right? It's like veterans need veterans. And I don't think that'll ever change, right? Like I could my best friend is a Vietnam combat vet. He's like 70s something. Yeah.

PJ: Like John, right?

Freddy: Yeah. John Cook squared away. One of the best veterans and one of the best

veteran advocates in the area right now.

And he's like my best friend, you know what I mean? And the the age difference is incredible, right? We just talked about it this morning. Call me young man. I'm like, "All right, don't um but he's my best friend, you know what I mean? Like he's he's he understands everything. I talk about I understand everything he talks about and together we roam the Lehigh Valley and other counties and we help veterans on a daily basis. I'm either keeping up with veterans I already spoke to or I'm meeting new veterans literally every day.

PJ: Yeah. Yeah.

Freddy: You know, and that's a little outside of the the vet court, but he's one of my mentors as well. And um

we have about nine guys in veterans court right now and they're all thriving. Like it it's crazy how nine individuals came into a court at different times and now they're all the closest

that I've I mean you would think that they knew each other for years and years and years.

PJ: That's amazing.

Freddy: We all go bowling together. We do activities building things and um

PJ: and what does that do for them?

Freddy: It just it gives them a purpose again and a sense of like I'm not alone in this.

Yeah. Right. And um it makes them want to be better for each other rather than I'm just trying to get through this, right? So I could be done with vet court. Like there's not one person in there that thinks that way. Some of them don't want to leave Vet Court cuz they think then that's it. Right now now I lost that group again.

PJ: So do you have an offering for that?

Freddy: We're working on it. So Vet is about a year and a couple months old now. um still in his infancy stages trying to work out kinks here and there but um we're setting up plans for that you know postgraduation there's going to be some kind of whether it's an alumni page on like Facebook maybe like a private page or you know we have group chat where um you know they can still be in contact with each other and things like that but we just got to get one that's more a little more focused that uh maybe even you know some of the some of the people on staff could be a part of they don't want to be in a group chat. Trust me, those group chats get pretty

PJ: I'm sure.

Freddy: But but no, just some place where they don't feel like I'm done now and now I'm abandoned again. Yeah. Right. So, it's going to be hopefully it's a lifelong process where and then also I'm looking to get the ones who identify as leaders and want to help give back to get them going from vet court right into being mentors and that's one of the goals I have too.

PJ: I like that.

Yeah. one of one of our I think no second episode we TJ Carson's on and we talked about you know his model and how over at uh Victory House they are about doing the similar thing about identifying leaders and helping create leaders I think it's commendable man I mean like that to me is one of the strongest

marks of a leader

is creating leaders

Freddy: leaders leaders lead they create leaders you know that's the way it is

and um yeah TJ TJ's the man. I mean, he's the one that introduced us. And I mean, I've known TJ for a while, but uh once he started taking over Victory House and stuff like that, I'm like, "Dude, anything you need, you know? You got veterans that are just having a bad day that need someone to talk to, like, hit me up, man. I'll come up there." Man,

PJ: so what does that do for you?

Freddy: It it helps me with my own You know what I mean? Honestly, like being able to help others allows me to really put things in perspective for myself.

Yeah. I don't think I'm some prize. You know what I mean? Prize, right? But prize, right? But no, um I don't I don't I don't think I'm like necessarily the person that should be out there giving advice and uh I'm you know, I'm the of the walk, right? But I've been where they're at. You know what I mean? A lot of these guys who were like, you know, they come up to me and Freddy, what do you do when you don't feel emotions,

right? It's like I've been there, dude. Yeah. I've been there for years. Yeah. Where you did nothing gives you an emotional reaction. But then when it then the guys who are transitioning and actually starting the growth process

now they're flooded with emotions now are like why am I crying in the shower? Why am I doing these things that I don't understand what I'm doing? It's like dude I've been there man. It's a part of the growth. You should be happy this is happening but now I can't stop crying. I cry all the time.

Star-Spangled Banner I'll cry right now podcast. No, but like everybody and the great thing about having groups and things like that like uh on Wednesday nights we have a first responders and trauma group that uh is ran by Ben Iobst and Justin, right? And then I kind of help when onoff weeks and things like that when so so they don't get burned out, right? So, it's like we do it every week, every Wednesday off Sherman Middle Road at at uh Steps to Recovery Building and um from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. You know, it started last year with four guys and now we're at 35 and growing.

Yeah. I mean, from Vietnam combat vets all the way to Iraq, Afghanistan vets, vets who's never been to combat, but they still have some form of trauma. Right. and um first responders, cops, firemen, you know what I mean? Medics, just all these people that came in here and said, "This isn't necessarily the type of group we're used to. You know, it's a trauma- based group, but

you know,

I feel like I could be myself." Like, it's not so it's not war stories, right? It's it's actual growth that's happening. Everyone's in a different part of that stage. So, when there's someone that comes in there with some kind of problem, it's like, "Dude, I've been there." for, oh, I'm there, too. What did you do to get through it? Right. And it's just like so much information gets passed around in there.

And again, built like a tribe, right? Like that's why we created these shirts, tribe mentality, because we we're all accountable. Anytime one of them reaches out on the group chat, I need a ride home from the VA. Is anybody around? It's like boom, it's done. You know what I mean? It's like we're all there for each other no matter what. And I think that's the best part about that group, honestly.

PJ: You know, this has been a theme that's come up multiple times and and people that I've talked to, veterans. Um,

you mentioned the loss of purpose.

Freddy: Oh, yeah.

PJ: And I see this come up where it's that giving back piece and remembering because that's what it is. It's remembering, right? Why did you do this in the first place, right?

You did this to contribute. you did this to give back and realigning to that is healing.

And I hear it over and over and I appreciate you bringing it up again.

Freddy: Oh yeah, absolutely. I mean, listen, like I said, I didn't really have the mindset to join the military. Now, before me, my I have two older sisters. So, my middle sister, she joined the military. Um, and she was there in Iraq in 2003. And you know, they said women weren't in combat back then, but she was absolutely in combat. She was an 88M truck driver with the Big Red One in Germany. And she drove in combat like she she got hit, you know, with stuff. And she came out of it in the same situation I was where it's like you got this PTSD, you don't know what to do with it, but you don't want people to know kind of.

So, you're kind of keeping a secret, but while you're keeping it a secret, you're dying inside, right? Like it's it's a hard thing to navigate and I can imagine probably for a woman it's 10 times worse. You know what I mean? Because you're trying to put on

this brave face,

right? And you're trying to like make sure everything's fine and like you could still get out there and you know the things that women deal with in the military is far greater than you.

— I totally

— terrible. Yeah.

Freddy: And

you know so I've always like it always hurt me, you know what I mean? to see her suffer the way she did. And um so with that, like she joined and then my my my aunt was uh in the Air Force, you know, she was a pilot. Uh and then my grandfather, both grandfathers were both World War II veterans. So I was like, "Oh, this kind of makes sense." And I remember in like 10th grade, ninth and yeah, maybe 10th grade, you know, I was in the library one morning and then 9/11 happened, right? and they throw it on the TV and you see the second plane hit.

And my Spanish teacher, Mr. Figueroa, which is crazy. I know that name. Um,

he was like, "You'll remember this day the rest of your lives."

PJ: Absolutely.

Freddy: And I was like, "Okay, but I still remember

through all the memory loss and all the percentages I have, right? I still remember that day, right?"

And I remember that day where I actually felt impacted by something. I was like,

who would do this? like

I got to do something about that, right? Like what is this?

So that kind of started my my thoughts of like maybe I'll join the military.

PJ: Yeah. Yeah.

— Like

PJ: Yeah. So there was a deeper part of you trying to get back, right?

Freddy: Yeah. Because uh I was I was I was irritated by and as a kid, you know, you're not irritated by much. You're just living life and taking cooking classes in high school because you don't want to do wood shop because you want to be around girls more, right? So it's like, you know, like I'm scared not much,

— right?

— Trying to be a teenager, right?

Freddy: But no, that when that happened, it literally stood out and then it kind of sat in my mind for a long time. And then once I seen she joined, then I was like,

"All right, I'm probably going to go like when I'm done with school and stuff." And then selling cell phones got old.

So I was like, "Yeah, let's do it. Let's make that sure." Yeah, let's pull the triggers.

PJ: I want to ask I want to We're getting close to time here. Um, I'm curious when you were getting out, like at that time, what did you feel was the most important thing for you to take care of? Like what was the biggest hill to climb as you were getting out? What was your mentality?

Freddy: PJ, the biggest thing getting out that I knew was getting the mind right and getting the mind right. Like that was the most important thing, you know, figuring out moving, figuring out where you're going to stay. Like that's all little things. It might seem like big things, you know, is the army going to lose my stuff when they ship it home, you know,

PJ: and you knew that at the time.

Freddy: Oh yeah,

PJ: that's amazing.

Freddy: Oh yeah.

PJ: Okay. So looking back, would you agree with that? Was that that's okay? That's amazing. You're the first person that actually gave you something that your mind and maybe it was maybe it was because of why, but

I I I agree with you. I do think that getting the mind right and making sure your mindset and and that is the most important thing. The thing I hear most often is that it was money or job.

Freddy: Yeah.

PJ: Or, you know, it's security, right? And if you look at Maslow's hierarchy of needs, right? Like it makes sense. It's like you have to build on that.

I commend you on like on thinking that that's like where you guys started cuz you're right.

Freddy: It had to be that way because I've always seen I've always seen people with money. I've always seen people who had had everything they've ever wanted and miserable as You know what I mean? Yes.

Why are you so And I think why are you so miserable, dude? If I had all this money, I'd be the happiest guy in the world that

— aim ain't money.

Freddy: Again, people struggle as people struggle, right? And if you don't check in with yourself and check your own ego,

put everything else to the side and say, "I'm

the person that needs to fix myself. I could go to therapies. I could do any type of spiritual healings like sound healings and, you know, tuning fork sessions and all these different modalities to try to self-heal. Like, you have to do it."

PJ: Yeah. It can't be a therapist will only take you to the door, right? You got to

Freddy: That's right. That's right. Lead horse to water. And you know, then when I ended up getting with Veterans Brotherhood, the reason I got with Veterans Brotherhood is because I looked at that organization and they're they're truly out there helping veterans. They're identifying homeless vets and providing temporary housing for them. We get them in a Victory House with TJ or we get them at the Valor or we get them, you know, with Catholic Charities and Kevin Mloud where he helps them get squared away.

PJ: Nice.

Freddy: And we do that. We also provide financial insecurity, you know, we help them with that financial stability. So

everyday needs, cars are breaking down, oil in the house, it's more along the lines for these older vets that are like

they don't have percentages because no one's ever walked in, right? These are Vietnam guys that are still kind of hardnosed and don't need help from anyone, but they're struggling, but they rather struggle than ask for help. Sure. So, it's our job to kind of reach out to them as well and kind of be like, "Hey, man, like we're here for you."

PJ: That's awesome.

Freddy: Right.

So, we're we're doing that. We're helping and then we're doing the mentorship stuff and that that's that's the vet court, but it's also just everyday guys out there that are looking to be a part of another fraternity. Yeah. Right. And we we we put them in touch with other veterans who are also in in the growth process, right? Because that's all we want to be.

And we all give him this book Struggle Well, you know what I mean? And this book is is focused on post-traumatic growth, right?

But uh no, the book is an amazing read and it focuses on post-traumatic growth rather than just dealing with post-traumatic stress. Right.

Yeah. And that it was so successful that like I had to email him. Ken Falke is a guy who runs the Boulder Crest Foundation in Virginia. And I sent an email to their customer service. I was just like, "Hey, I don't know if you know this, man, but your book impacts lives. Like, I don't plan to hear from you, but it'd be cool one day if you could like Zoom a conference with us and like the guy should just tell you how, you know, your book impacted them." The next day, I get the email from him and he's like, "Oh, I'm driving up there. Like, let me know a date." and he came up and like he met with us and yeah he's a retired master chief in the Navy like

over a thousand combat missions EOD guide so like he understood everything but it's a solid book for veterans and first responders.

PJ: So great segue. The next question is

what are what are some books that that like your favorite books? What would you recommend? Obviously this one

Freddy: obviously Struggle Well but um there's a couple other books uh they're not Goosebumps either

— read a lot of Goosebumps too jelly jam

— oh man don't get me started but uh

— RL we love you

Freddy: but no um

I'd say start with Struggle Well first you know what I mean there's other books but to get a little more I'm an audio book guy you know what I mean this is actually one of the books that I've actually read front to cover in a long time. I like listening to audio books when I'm at the gym and stuff. Yeah.

I listen to them when I sleep. You know what I mean? I feel like I retain the information. I really do.

Now I have to replay it while I'm awake, right? Depending where I'm at. But I'll start remembering like, "Oh, I heard this already."

PJ: Interesting.

Freddy: Right. Things work.

PJ: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Freddy: But no, like I'd say start with this first. I can't give too many book recommendations because honestly I don't read that many books. But if They Say, I Say for that for um the university and the school guys. Yeah. Uh if you want to dabble in Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America if you're looking for humanities.

— Are you now listing all the books you read about you know but uh you know Empire of the Summer Moon right? Yeah, that's

Freddy: but uh no, the Struggle Well is kind of like every person I've given that book to, they read the first 15 pages and they're like, I feel like this is written about me.

Yeah. You know what I mean? It really right off the bat, it gives you kind of slap in the face, real world of like,

oh, like this is me. Like this is thing I'm feeling. And it and it makes you read the rest of it, right?

So, I definitely say go with that first.

PJ: What about podcasts?

Freddy: Oh god, I listen to so many podcasts.

PJ: What's your favorite?

Freddy: Honestly, my favorite is um what is the name? Why can't I remember the name of stuff now?

PJ: Cuz you're on camera.

Freddy: Yeah, that's probably what it's right. It's his history podcast, right? And

PJ: is it Hardcore History?

Freddy: Hardcore History. That's it. That's a good one.

And like listening to like, you know, the Genghis Khan era and all those things like I love history.

Yeah. I love I just love it. And um

Hardcore History and it's it's it's explained in a way that helps me retaining it. Right. And I like that. Um, a lot of information based podcasts, you know, a lot of pe obviously everyone loves Joe Rogan, right? But like

I like to follow the professors and stuff that he has on, right? And not even necessarily ones I have the same views on. It's like different ones. Well, I'm like, good for you.

I love hearing both sides of the aisle. You know what I mean? Like I thrive in that information. Great information that comes from both ends. Yeah. And then you know it's your choice as a person to pick which one obtaining information.

So

absolutely and obviously the Prize Podcast obviously

once you asked me to be on here I started looking up the other ones. I was like this is amazing. I was like what's this guy doing here?

PJ: I appreciate that. Um, yeah, man. I I I would I guess the last thing and we covered a bit of this, but if there was one resource you wish that all veterans heard of or if you had like one bit of advice, you know, for someone who is getting out like now, and it doesn't need to be to the veteran, it could be to their families.

— Yeah. Yeah.

PJ: What would that be?

Freddy: I would definitely say when you're getting out and you understand where you're going and where you're relocating to, start looking up the organizations in your area that provide certain things.

PJ: Yeah.

How can people get a hold of you?

Freddy: So, uh you could definitely look us up on um the Veterans Brotherhood Lehigh Valley chapter Facebook page, which is just facebook.com uh Veterans Brotherhood Lehigh Valley.

PJ: Cool.

Freddy: And uh you can reach me there. Um, also my email freddy ree40gmail.com.

— Oh man,

— we get so many messages.

— Yeah.

Freddy: Well, that that's the goal.

Just uh no pics, please.

PJ: Oh, no.

Freddy: I shouldn't have said that either. But no, that that's where you can reach me for anything. any veterans have any type of questions, navigating anything whatsoever, resources, um, information on how to get, uh, you know, questions about paperwork with the VA, anything like that. Just anything and everything, we can figure out how to help you.

PJ: Yeah, I appreciate that.

Yeah. Hey, thank you for coming on. I appreciate you being raw and and sharing your experience and and providing an example to to people who are getting out that may think it's just them.

Freddy: Yeah.

PJ: Because I think that that's a lot of times why people don't go and seek the help because they realize or they think that they're the only ones going to what they are when in fact it's just not at all.

Freddy: Right.

PJ: Um as always I appreciate you you know watching this podcast. If you have any questions or comments or feedback or there's people that you think that we should bring onto the show or you've questions that you think we should ask, please drop them in the comments. And as always, please like and subscribe. That would be much appreciated. Um, lastly, I wanted to say thank you to my Voc Rehab counselor, Angie. You made a huge impact on my life because as I was going through everything and thought that I was alone getting out not on my own accord, you helped me find purpose in my life and Struggle Well. So, thank you. See you all.