After Being Shot by a Sniper, He Started a Business to Help Other Veterans Beyond the Front Lines

Sergeant (Retired) David Kendrick discusses his drive to help veterans struggling with mental health issues

Courtesy of David Kendrick.

By Sergeant (Retired) David Kendrick

I deployed to Iraq in 2006 as a cavalry scout. I was shot in my legs by a sniper the following year. My recovery took over three years and during that time I saw many of my fellow veterans succumb to mental illness in the form of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.) Suicide runs rampant in the veteran community and after a group therapy session one day a veteran told me he planned to commit suicide until he heard how I recovered from my injury. After graduating from college with my bachelors, I started my professional speaking business dedicated to talking about mental health.

There are some statistics you wouldn’t believe about veterans who have deployed to war. According to the Department of Veteran Affairs, an average of 17.8 veterans a day die from suicide. After my first three months of giving speeches about my experience, my eyes opened to the power of using my voice to save America’s heroes. Here are a couple of things that I learned about becoming an entrepreneur dedicated to helping them.

Veterans Appreciate Help From Veterans

The biggest lie that you can tell a veteran is “I know what you are going through.” The need for me to start my business was because of what motivated me intrinsically. You will never get the number of bookings you think you deserve when you start. Secondly, you will never get paid what you think you should. What kept me going is talking to other veterans and even some members who were still on active duty. After every speech, I can sit and speak with the veterans who are in the audience. “I can’t tell you how important it was to hear from another veteran.” He went on to tell me about all the mental health experts who talk to them directly from a textbook.