This Veterans' Day Special episode features United States Military Veteran, CEO of eZara, Inc and Veterans Mental Health Advocate Pasha Palanker.
Pasha talks about:
- The uptick in suicides during the pandemic and Pasha checking himself into Walter Reed Medical Center for help.
- Emigrating from the Republic of Moldova at 16 to Los Angeles, CA, living in a rough area of the city and trying to buy a Big Mac with Food stamps.
- Coming face-to-face with a Suicide bomber during a deployment to Baghdad, Iraq and seeing horror on a daily basis.
- Standing over an IED Explosive and surviving not only the blast with all body parts intact, his unit thinking he was killed in action, but also coming to himself and walking away from it.
- Seeing US soil for the first time returning home after injury and being a walking miracle.
- Not thinking he would be impacted by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), but underestimating the true extent of his injuries.
- Getting hurt again in 2015 on another deployment to Iraq and having a Panic attack after coming back home from the deployment.
- The internal conflict of being deployed in a mission but feeling emotionally overwhelmed.
- Having so much pain and feeling dangerously numb internally.
- Speaking transparently due to losing many friends to suicide and reaching those struggling with Mental Health issues.
Connect with Pasha at pasha@pashapalanker.com