The United States Army Parachute Team celebrate mental health awareness month by conducting tandem jumps May 3 at the Laurinburg-Maxton airport with Team Unbroken and the Steven A. Cohen Clinic at Centerstone in Fayetteville, NC to bring awareness of veterans and military family’s mental health and it’s complexities of care.
Since 1949, the United States has observed May as Mental Health Awareness Month. Each year, the Mental Health America organization fights stigma, provide support, educate the public and advocate for policies that support people with mental illness and their families.
According to the website, the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic is one of 19 clinics in the Cohen Veterans Network that provides client-centered therapy for a variety of mental health issues to veterans, active duty and their families.
“We want to bring down those barriers of seeking treatment behind mental health. Anyone can overcome their adversities,” said Sharjuan Burgos, the Outreach Director of the Cohen Clinic of Fayetteville. “Resilience is the key,”
The Cohen Clinic partnered with ‘Team Unbroken’ and together they conducted tandems with the Golden Knights to raise awareness.
‘Team Unbroken’ is a team of veterans that have participated in the Fiji Eco Challenge event of the ‘World’s Toughest Race’.
Gretchen Evans, the founder of Team Unbroken, says to not let injuries, illnesses, and/or traumas that has happened in your life define who we are.
Evans is a retired Army command sergeant major that has endured multiple injuries while serving.
Every member on the team had injuries that they had to overcome whether if it was a physical injury or mental health trauma.
“The whole purpose of ‘Team Unbroken’ was when people looked at us they saw something that they thought perhaps was broken, said Evans. “But we’re a team of mixed abilities we’re not disabled.”
