At Vets4Warriors, we see every day how tough it can be for veterans to move from military service back to civilian life. Army veteran Matthew Montemurno’s story shows just how much difference peer support can make.
Matthew served eight years in the Army with the 1st Cavalry Division. He left active duty in 2016 to start a new chapter while staying in the Army Reserve and going to Rutgers University. The transition wasn’t easy. “I ran into a lot of difficulties with that transition back,” he said.
In 2014, he hit one of the lowest points in his life and nearly became one of the 22 veterans a day who die by suicide. “That was probably when I was at my lowest low,” he recalled, before finding Vets4Warriors which Montemurno described as “empowering.”
That’s when he found Vets4Warriors and our 24/7 peer support line run by veterans and military family members. Talking with other veterans who had been through similar experiences made a big difference. “I sort of realized there was a big connection between me and the people I was talking to,” he said. “Vets4Warriors is an organization that offers peer support from veteran to veterans, meaning that veterans or active military members that call, they’re talking to veterans of the military branches as well.”
Today, Matthew works at Vets4Warriors himself, giving back by supporting other veterans who reach out. “You know you can help them because you know what that feeling felt like,” he says.
Stories like Matthew’s are exactly why peer support matters so much. Vets4Warriors is a peer program in the Bob Woodruff Foundation’s Got Your 6 Network, and we’re truly thankful for the Bob Woodruff Foundation’s long-time support. They’ve played a big part in helping us reach more veterans and military families with confidential, round-the-clock peer connections — especially for those dealing with the stress of transition, mental health challenges, or just feeling alone.
Thanks in large part to this partnership, we’ve now made over 1 million human connections. As Major General (Ret.) Mark Graham, our executive director, put it: “One million human connections proves the power of peer support and signals a real decline in the stigma surrounding mental health.”
You can read Matthew’s full story on the Bob Woodruff Foundation site:
How This Army Veteran Unlocked the Power of Peer Support
Learn more about our work and the impact of these connections:
Vets4Warriors Reaches 1 Million Connections
Share your own Warrior Story
https://vets4warriors.com/warriorstory
If you or someone you know is a service member, veteran, or military family member and needs someone who truly understands, Vets4Warriors is here 24/7. Call 1-855-838-8255 or chat online.
Everything is confidential, and a fellow veteran is ready to listen.
A big thank you to the Bob Woodruff Foundation for their ongoing partnership and for helping us bring this kind of real, veteran-to-veteran support to even more people who need it.
