MICKEY MIDDAUGH

I served 24 years in the U.S. Air Force Security Forces, including deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. For most of my adult life, I was trained to protect others, lead airmen, and keep moving no matter what was happening around me.

What I didn't fully understand until later was how much I had carried home with me. You learn how to survive deployments, but you aren't always handed the tools to navigate the quiet space inside your own head once you get home. Like a lot of veterans, I was good at handling things. Handling things is not the same as healing.

I first came to Healing Warrior Hearts as a participant. I walked in guarded. I wasn't looking for pity, and I didn't want to explain every part of my story. What I found was a place where other veterans understood more than I expected. No judgment, and no need to translate.

I came back as a volunteer, then as retreat staff, and now I serve as an instructor. That progression means a lot to me. Healing Warrior Hearts helped carry me when I needed it. Now it's my turn to help carry the next warrior who is still trying to find the way forward.

I won't say I'm fixed. I don't think healing works that way. PTSD, transition, and the weight of service don't always show up where other people can see them. For me, healing is a continuing process built on honesty, humility, service, and the willingness to keep doing the work. That's how I try to show up for the veterans I meet at retreats: not as someone above them, but as someone beside them.

Outside of the retreat room, I serve on the Board of Directors for Texas for Heroes, supporting veterans as they heal, rebuild, and reconnect.

No warrior should have to walk the road home alone.