Picking Up the Pieces: Rick Strack’s Journey from Soldier to Citizen

STORY SUMMARY

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Rick Strack doesn’t like the term post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). “It’s not a disorder,” he said. “It’s a normal response to an abnormal situation.”

The 61-year-old retired veteran prefers to refer to his condition simply as PTS: post-traumatic stress. Strack served 24 years in the Air Force and the Air National Guard, deploying seven times to conflict areas such as Afghanistan, Bosnia and Kosovo, and was also a Raytown, Mo., police officer. In 2014, the weight of his experiences and the turmoil of his PTS drove him to near suicide. He drank. He lashed out. His marriage was on the rocks. “I almost ate my gun,” he said.

But a program called Save a Warrior brought him back to his life and his family. He learned the skills to manage his condition and regained a commitment to community and service. Now, he is a mentor at a local program called The Battle Within, similar to the one he attended. And every week he meets with a veterans group at the Elk Lodge. He’s even a member of the school board in Excelsior Springs.

Strack’s days aren’t always easy. He often finds himself in his “man cave,” an outdoor sanctuary where he can sit peacefully and gather his thoughts. But when it comes down to it, he is an airman through and through. “I miss the military,” he said. “I’d go back in a heartbeat.”