Local Vet Looks to Give Back After Struggling with PTSD

Shawn Reardon always knew he had a calling to fight for his country. He didn't know that fulfilling his lifelong dream would leave him with nightmares.

Reardon, 27, a Chelmsford High School graduate, served in Iraq from November 2007 to February 2009. But the hardest part of serving wasn't the day-to-day life overseas - it was adjusting to life at home when he returned, he said.

Now, after receiving treatment at the Home Base Program, he's looking to give back by raising money for the organization at the Run to Home Base .

"When you see the first bomb, or you're in the first gun fight, everything got serious real fast," he said. "And that’s pretty much how it all went. It was constant combat missions after high-value targets, kicking in doors, raiding houses every day. The people who are with you become your family, they become your brothers."

So when Reardon returned home, his body was still on guard constantly and he found himself dealing with traumatic stress and emotions he hadn't dealt with for 15 months while in Iraq.

"Anytime you hear something loud, it brings you right back to gun fire, so I was really on edge all the time. When I was over there, I didn’t have to deal with my emotions, all I kept doing was fighting every day so I had no down time to reflect on what was going on," said Reardon.

Reardon found driving difficult, with the tendency to drive in the middle of the street so as to avoid road-side bombs. Nightmares were common for him.

"I had a few friends who commited suicide, that was hard to deal, and I was suffering from the same things when they did that. I thought it was my only option, that was my own way out. It was a hopeless state you feel like you're never able to get back from," he said.

Eight months after returning home, Reardon's parents convinced him to seek help at Home Base Program. He received life-saving treatment there, he said.

"It's hard to go through all that and admit you’re having problems. I almost felt weak, it was a pride or an ego thing," he said. "I knew I had to get help at some point but it was so hard to do, just getting out of bed  was hard, never mind going to talk to someone about my problems."

Reardon credits his parents for getting him into treatment and saving his life.

"My parents have been there for me through thick and thin," he said. "Compared to how I was, this is like a transformation. It's not like I'm cured, but I deal with it a lot better now and I want to continue to do more outreach to help other vets coming home in that hopeless state."

Reardon said he's excited to run around Boston in the Run to Home Base, but more excited to give back.

"It's sad our troops go over and fight and then come home and commit suicide. I know what that feels like, I came close. I wouldn’t want anybody else to go through that," he said.

Donations to the cause can be made here or by filling out the PDF attached to this article.

Reardon - who will run the race with his sister - is also organizing a to help raise money.

"We're losing our country's heroes on our own soil because of this problem," he said. "(There are more vets) out there hiding somewhere, they’re suffienrg and I don’t want that to happen. If I can help prevent it, I'll do whatever I can."