Guest Author
Every day in America, 17 veterans die by suicide. I nearly became one of them.
After serving with the 82nd Airborne Division in Iraq, I came home physically injured and mentally broken. In 2007, while on a combat patrol in Tikrit, my convoy was hit by a stack of improvised explosive devices. The blast left me with spinal and neck injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and deep emotional scars. I was diagnosed with severe post-traumatic stress, and my daily reality became a cycle of migraines, memory loss, depression, and addiction.
Like too many veterans, I was prescribed opioids. They didn’t help — they just masked the pain and made things worse. I drank to forget. I lashed out at loved ones. My brain was stuck in survival mode, long after I left the battlefield. And when I finally decided to reach out, desperate for help, there were no traditional resources immediately available for me.
That delay nearly cost me my life.
But then something extraordinary happened. A fellow veteran helped me find a therapy called electroencephalogram Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (eTMS). This non-invasive, FDA-cleared treatment uses magnetic pulses to target brain activity linked to depression and PTSD.
Each 15-minute session is tailored to the patient’s unique brain map, allowing for precise treatment of various neurological conditions.
I was skeptical but had nothing left to lose. And just a few sessions in, the fog started to lift. My migraines eased. I could sleep again. I could read a book again. I could breathe again. And for the first time in years, I started to believe I had a future.
That program didn’t just save my life — it gave me a new purpose. Today, I work alongside other veterans helping more of our brothers and sisters reclaim their lives through the same treatment. I’ve watched a Vietnam vet find relief from 50 years of migraines. I’ve seen a fellow soldier walk confidently into a room after years of living in fear. This therapy works.
I became an advocate for an eTMS pilot program in Ohio. The therapy program is now expanding to Florida, and I have relocated here to provide support.
Florida has the chance to lead alongside Ohio. This state has a proud tradition of honoring service members — not just with parades, but with practical, life-changing support. It’s time we expand access to eTMS. Not only does this therapy work, but the programs that provide it also help veterans heal together. Peer-to-peer support is built into the DNA of the eTMS program, and it’s one of the reasons the outcomes have been so incredible.
Not only are the results incredible, but the program is also free for all veterans, first responders, and law enforcement personnel.
Imagine a Florida where every veteran battling invisible wounds has access to a therapy that could change everything. Imagine what it means for their families, their communities, and their futures.
I kept two promises to the men who helped save me: to earn a degree in social work and to help as many veterans as possible. I’m living those promises every day.
Now, I ask Florida’s leaders to make one of their own: give more veterans access to the tools that work. Please don’t let us fall through the cracks when we come home.
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Dirk Harkins serves as a peer mentor for eTMS in The Villages.
