Corena Mitchell served her country in Iraq, then came home with PTSD so severe she considered suicide. It’s a tragic spiral that’s far too common for men and women who serve.
Today, however, Mitchell is a Program Director for a Dallas-based nonprofit that helped turn her life around. It’s a remarkable comeback accomplished through grit, gumption and the assistance of two agencies that she says made the difference.
Mitchell grew up in a military family, enlisted after high school, and spent 16 years with the Army, including a war zone deployment to Iraq. By 2012, she had married another soldier, left active duty, and started a new life in Dallas. But the transition out of the Army was harder than she anticipated.
At that time, she and her husband had a 5-year-old, and she was pregnant with a second child. She faced roadblocks finding a job, juggling child care and, more important, fighting depression caused by the traumas of her active-duty service. She had received the PTSD diagnosis but had not been given the tools to overcome it. She was not OK.
“I was in a bad place, physically, mentally and spiritually,” she said.
Then she learned about Carry the Load, a nationwide series of symbolic, civilian marches and rallies that converge in Dallas on Memorial Day weekend. The nonprofit organization raises awareness and funding for military members and first responders. It was begun by two veteran U.S. Navy SEALs who wanted to remind Americans of the real meaning behind Memorial Day. The first march was a 20-hour trek around White Rock Lake in 2011. Today, it’s a sprawling 32-day annual campaign that will culminate Sunday in Reverchon Park.
Ten years ago, Mitchell saw a TV news story about a veteran who was hiking from West Point, N.Y., to Dallas as part of the campaign, and it inspired her. She soon joined the movement, motivated to become part of a larger lifeline to help other veterans. Carry the Load lifted her spirits and helped convince her she could turn her life around.
Through Carry the Load, she found another Dallas-based agency called Attitudes & Attire, designed to help women facing major life transitions. It introduced her to a network of female veterans struggling with issues like her own. It was a life-changing moment for Mitchell.
“They saved my life,” she said. “They gave me hope by showing me I wasn’t alone, and that help was available. I had never considered reaching out to other women like me.”
The nonprofit also helped her with an improved resumé and a new wardrobe. “I was a new woman, ready to serve,” she said.
Attitudes & Attire, which also began in Dallas, provides tools to raise self-esteem and develop life skills for women struggling to overcome domestic violence, drug abuse, or, in cases like Mitchell’s, disabilities triggered by military service.
The Rotary Club of Park Cities first donated to the charity in 2004. That’s where I learned about it.
“Our Rotary club identified this organization as a real game-changer. We knew it was important work, and we wanted to help,” Karen Farris told me. Farris is a Rotarian and a member of the Attitudes & Attire board of directors.
Today, Mitchell is an accomplished executive, with a supportive family and a powerful message of survival. In fact, the producers of a new documentary on Carry the Load profiled Mitchell as a spokeswoman for the movement. That film debuted Sunday night at the rally at Reverchon Park.
These are two Dallas-based charities, doing valuable work supporting our veterans. Both meet important needs. Both need our support.
So, on this Memorial Day, when we stop to pay tribute to those men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation, remember that you can do more than thank a veteran. You can write a check. Volunteer. Donate. Go on a short hike carrying a flag. Or even join a Rotary Club. Service comes in all sizes. And we can serve our veterans best when we return the favor.
Jeff Brady is the director of communications for the City of Farmers Branch and a member of the Park Cities Rotary Club. He wrote this for The Dallas Morning News.