When courage falters and the battle within rages, where does a veteran turn? John Schrey, a Marine Corps veteran and our guest from Haven for Heroes, shares his harrowing yet hopeful story of confronting the invisible wounds of war. From the dust of the Afghan conflict zones to the cold grip of homelessness and addiction, John’s journey is a stark reminder of the cost of service. His candid reflections on dealing with PTSD and finding his footing after military life reveal a path marked by loss, struggle, and ultimately, redemption. With vulnerability comes strength, and John's narrative is a powerful testament to the resilience that can emerge from the depths of despair.
The camaraderie forged in service doesn't end on the battlefield; it is a lifeline that can pull one from the brink. As we examine the crucial role of peer support for veterans like John, the conversation underscores the life-altering impact of organizations such as Haven For Hero's and nonprofits like the HERD Foundation. By fostering connections rooted in shared military experiences, these groups offer more than just companionship; they provide a beacon of hope for those navigating the turbulent transition to civilian life. Ending on a note of joy, John's reunion with his family encapsulates the beauty of a second chance. Join us on this profound exploration of recovery, where every end is also a beginning, and every story of adversity carries the promise of a brighter tomorrow.
When courage falters and the battle within rages, where does a veteran turn? John Schrey, a Marine Corps veteran and our guest from Haven for Heroes, shares his harrowing yet hopeful story of confronting the invisible wounds of war. From the dust of the Afghan conflict zones to the cold grip of homelessness and addiction, John’s journey is a stark reminder of the cost of service. His candid reflections on dealing with PTSD and finding his footing after military life reveal a path marked by loss, struggle, and ultimately, redemption. With vulnerability comes strength, and John's narrative is a powerful testament to the resilience that can emerge from the depths of despair.
The camaraderie forged in service doesn't end on the battlefield; it is a lifeline that can pull one from the brink. As we examine the crucial role of peer support for veterans like John, the conversation underscores the life-altering impact of organizations such as Haven For Hero's and nonprofits like the HERD Foundation. By fostering connections rooted in shared military experiences, these groups offer more than just companionship; they provide a beacon of hope for those navigating the turbulent transition to civilian life. Ending on a note of joy, John's reunion with his family encapsulates the beauty of a second chance. Join us on this profound exploration of recovery, where every end is also a beginning, and every story of adversity carries the promise of a brighter tomorrow.
Scott McLean:
Welcome to the podcast. I'm Scott McLean. My guest today is John Schrei, John's with Haven for Heroes in West Palm Beach, Florida. Now, Haven for Heroes isn't a nonprofit, but they help veterans and I talked to John and we had a good conversation. John has a very interesting story to tell. So with that, how are you doing today, John?
John Schrey:
Doing well. Thanks for having me Excellent.
Scott McLean:
Yeah, my pleasure, buddy, my pleasure. So tell me a little about yourself.
John Schrey:
I spent eight years in the Marine Corps, hence why I work with veterans now. I did eight years in the Marine Corps, two tours in Afghanistan, injured in Afghanistan. I'm 100% disabled. So I like to say I check all the boxes, I'm in recovery. So it's a no-brainer why I work in this field, in this industry, with these type of clients veterans what kind of clients do you work with? Yeah, veterans specifically, not to say clients. Do you work with? Yeah, veterans, veterans specifically. Um, not to say that I also work at 12 step fellowship, so I'm involved in recovery on all different uh levels.
John Schrey:
But, uh, I found, you know, I don't want to say the most gratifying cause, really anyone I can help, you know, any, any, anyone in our in recovery. Uh, it's all the same to me. But the story that my story, it really resonates with veterans because I'm a veteran, you know, and I found that you know, and I don't know how not to get too into it, but it's so there's not too many of us, there's not too many veterans who have been to combat, who have been homeless, who have, you know, again, checked all those boxes and actually been able to recover. So I found that my story is not. It's not that unique, except for the fact that I've recovered and I'm still alive, for that matter, because I know far more guys like myself who have died, you know, fighting this either PTSD or substance abuse um than than are alive and doing well.
Scott McLean:
You mentioned homelessness. Was that you? Yeah?
John Schrey:
Oh yeah, um, good three, four years. I got out of the Marine Corps by the end of 2014. Um, I'll go back a little bit. You know I came back from Afghanistan my second deployment, 2010. Uh, I had been involved in a couple IED blasts. I have all my limbs I like to always say that, especially on the podcast, where people can't see you, because you know that's usually what you see you know if you lost a limb or anything. But what happened to me was I got concussions. On my second concussion, I was medevaced because of how close the concussions were to each other, and it was, you know, dangerous to be how close the concussions were to each other and it was, uh, you know, dangerous to to be involved in a third one. So I got, I got, medevaced when I came back from, uh, from Afghanistan.
John Schrey:
I finished my deployment and I was non-deployable. Uh, and that's when life kind of took a turn. Uh, I had a beautiful wife you know, baby on the way and my second, um, I spent my second four years at Parris Island because I was non-deployable and life kind of uh, slowed down when you're not, you know, not getting ramped up for deployments and shit like that, um, and so what I didn't realize. And I'm big on purpose, you know at this point, you know now that I'm in recovery. Hope and purpose are two things that I kind of hang my hat on. And uh, the the Marine Corps gave me purpose for a long time. When I lost that purpose like when they told me I couldn't deploy anymore it really took my drinking picked up pills started. They started putting me on all kinds of medication and so while I was in the Marine Corps I was a full-blown alcoholic drug addict. For the end of my second four years, by the grace of God, I was given an honorable discharge after being put in a PTSD facility for a month while I was in the Marine Corps and got out of that facility, went right back to it didn't really, it didn't stick. I wasn't really willing to do any work on the things that were going on.
John Schrey:
So as soon as I got out of the Marine Corps, within six months, I was back in treatment. I had a newborn at that point. I had my beautiful wife, had a beautiful house. Everything I you know, you think you need, looked. Everything looked great from the outside and I was dead. I was dying inside. Um, that beautiful house was the most uncomfortable place in the world for me to be, because it was so calm and my mind was the exact opposite. And so, you know, after that first time in treatment, two months later I ended up homeless on the street. So I spent three, four years homeless.
John Schrey:
I figured that it was better for me to separate myself from my family than to be with my family. I was causing nothing but wreckage. I was strung out on drugs. I could not go a minute without some sort of substance in my body. I would have to go In order to go home and hold my baby girl. I would have to be intoxicated on something, and the street was a perfect kind of the exact opposite of that. The street was where I could actually like kind of like that life and death was kind of there, those those kind of like those risk-taking, you know, things that would make me feel alive. Um, they were prevalent all over. So it really worked out for where I was. In my head, in my mind, my sick, you know, twisted mind, I thought it was better to be on the street than you know in my house.
Scott McLean:
So your time homeless led you to eventually say I need to change this shit. How did you do that? How did that transition go?
John Schrey:
Yeah. So it's funny, I it took a lot. Okay, the VA and you know I work closely with VAs now the VA would put me in different treatment centers. I would be in the VA and you know I work closely with VAs now the VA would put me in different treatment centers. I would be in the VA in West Palm Beach probably you know double-digit amount of times in the psychiatric facility on 3C and I would get out of there and I would go right back to it.
John Schrey:
For me, what it took and this is the brutal honesty and some people probably wouldn't drugs and alcohol stopped working. You know, the substances were really keeping my mind at bay. I really believe that I probably would have taken my life as, as some of my best friends have, um without those substances to numb out and to quiet what was going on inside and um, without sharing the details. There was a point in my life I I was sitting in a homeless, I mean in an abandoned apartment, no running water, no, nothing, and I had a you know, I like to say a spiritual awakening due to the fellowship that I follow, but I had this realization that drugs and alcohol was no longer an option, that it was no longer going to make me feel okay that it was no longer going to do what it had been doing for a long time, no longer going to make me feel okay that it was no longer going to do what it had been doing for a long time. And, um, and that was it, I.
John Schrey:
I, I reached out for help. I got into a nonprofit, little nonprofit facility and I started, you know, working steps. Um, a little place it was in, it was in Texas, it was called solstice recovery. Um, it's no longer even there anymore because it was a nonprofit. They weren't able to keep the funding through COVID. I'm still very close with the owners. Um, he's like a big brother to me. Along the time I lost my big brother to drugs and alcohol as well. So it was kind of this guy, you know, he, he still he's like my big brother and and it's kind of, it was kind of like a year after my brother died, I met this gentleman and his wife and they put me in their facility and that's where the journey really began and I really found that purpose that I had lacked for so long. I found it in recovery, which brings us full circle to why I started on this journey, as we said before, in recovery and helping guys like me.
Scott McLean:
How did you end up at Haven for Heroes?
John Schrey:
So I ended up at Haven for Heroes. I've worked at a few different facilities since I got sober, which I've been sober like just over five years, which is amazing. It still blows my mind when I say it, so I always pause, I kind of can't wrap my head around what I just said, you know. But I started working just regular, you know, like a PhD, like an overnight tech, and I just kind of worked my way up, worked my way up, started to kind of understand that again as a sober veteran, combat veteran, ex-homeless veteran, that there was a place in the job, that there was a place for me finally, after all, this place in the job and that there was a place for me finally, after all this just, you know, thinking I'm this piece of shit that I'm, that I have nothing to offer, um, I started to realize that like there's actually not only is there a place for me in the, in the job market, if you will, but there's a a need for guys like us that are in recovery, um, and so I worked my way up, and Haven was always you know, I'm from South Florida.
John Schrey:
They were always kind of on my radar for the work they did and, you know the things just matched up. You know it, just lined up they were. We have a mutual friend of the owner. I like the idea of how they operate, that they have a facility that's strictly for veterans down here in South Florida and I like the idea that it's one owner. You know, again, this is no, I'm not here to bash anyone else, but a lot of what recovery has become is like this you know, amazon, like people want to be the Amazon of recovery. People want to. You know, I can't think of the term, but like you know, like hedge funds are getting involved and all this other bullshit, this is one owner getting involved and all this other bullshit.
John Schrey:
Uh, this is one one owner. You want to make it a corporation, right, yeah, they want to. They want to blow up, yeah, you know. And and uh, this is one owner who, who spoke to me personally and who I built a relationship with and, um, everything just lined up and it's just been a great place. I, you know, I'm just very proud of what we do. That's why I'm able to do podcasts and actually like mention it you know what I mean and not just kind of go go over it.
Scott McLean:
What's the? What's the history of Haven for Heroes?
John Schrey:
Yeah, so about eight years ago, haven, they got involved first with the TRICARE. They had a TRICARE policy, you know. They were able to take the active duty military and with with the TRICARE insurance and from there, you know the the VA kind of opened their community care network, the CCN network, which is when the VA is getting inundated they're able to refer clients out. And they kind of got involved in that and it's very close to the West Palm Beach VA and they started building it out and they started. You know the owner saw that there was a need for it and just you made a decision to take this new building, the new residential building that they had built, and make it veteran-only programming and we named it Haven for Heroes.
Scott McLean:
This is a big facility.
John Schrey:
It's pretty sweet.
Scott McLean:
It really is.
John Schrey:
I haven't shown you the barbershop yet.
Scott McLean:
It's a pretty nice facility. So how long have you been with Haven for Heroes?
John Schrey:
So I've only been with Haven for Heroes a couple months now. Like I said, I was working for some other facilities doing some other things no-transcript, I don't know the right term to say, not jaded, but it got a little dark for me working with the VA and community care. Again, the VA saved my life on numerous occasions. I'm not here to like they're the most amazing people at the VA, but this system and I think we can all agree and they would agree is a broken system and I was noticing veterans kind of falling through the cracks too much system. And I was noticing veterans kind of falling through the cracks too much. And I was seeing it from the other side of where.
John Schrey:
When I was homeless on the streets I couldn't get what I was looking for. And the truth of the matter is, if I had knocked on the right doors I could have got the help I needed when I needed it, but I didn't know. And that's the problem. Right, when we're drug addicts and alcoholics, we're looking for an excuse to turn around and go back to the drugs and alcohol. So if I knock on the door, you answer, you say sorry, I can't help you.
John Schrey:
Oh sweet, now I can go back and shoot heroin, you know, and and that's, and so that started to eat at me a little bit and spiritually it was. So I took a break from it for the last year until I came over back to Haven. And I came on to Haven and because I realized again like my story is unique and it needs to be, like there's no reason, like I have to help whoever I can, you know, and some people, yeah, I can't help everybody, but that's all. Like I'm not, who am I? God, you know? So it's like whatever I could do to help and this is the best place I found to do it.
Scott McLean:
It's giving back right, for sure. Yeah, what's your job title here? What do you do at Haven for Heroes?
John Schrey:
So my job title is National Director of Military Affairs, so that encompasses, you know, we also have Haven for Heroes in Arkansas, indiana, on Cape Cod and then here in Florida. So my job is to not only get the word out about what we offer but to kind of bring cohesiveness to the team, to the programs, because, again, when you're dealing with these different states and, as you may know, all VAs are different, so there's not like a one, veterans too, it's not, it's not a one-size-fits-all. So it's about kind of seeing what works best with all of us and bringing that together to, yeah, bring cohesiveness and just bring some um, I don't know what the word is, but not solidarity, but make everything kind of connections connections yeah yeah, do you ever work with non-profits?
Scott McLean:
do you ever have relationships with with nonprofits, with your patients or anything like that?
John Schrey:
Yeah definitely so. As I kind of mentioned to you before this, I do probably three, four, maybe more Zooms a day, you know, or conversations a day with different nonprofits around the country. We're big on content Now, obviously we're getting veterans from different states Right, so so they can't big on content Now, obviously we're getting veterans from different States right so, so they can't continue in our care forever, obviously, and we don't know what's going to happen when they get back to the VA. So we find that nonprofits are the best place to you know if we can have a nonprofit in your area when you go back, say you go back to Georgia, and we get you involved with the farm, one of the farms that we deal with, and we're able to connect you with them and you're able to get a fellowship.
John Schrey:
Because, again, I am a 12 step guy and I don't care if anyone works 12 steps or not it's not my decision to make, but I think everyone needs fellowship. I think one of the big things that I lacked when I left the Marine Corps was fellowship. Didn't call it fellowship, right, called it the Marine Corps. And I think that nonprofits bring that. Nonprofits are always, you know, it's always a fellowship, it's always a group of people trying to help and like-minded people, and so, yeah, definitely, we're all about facilitating that relationship between veterans and the nonprofits. I know you're a part of one, yeah.
Scott McLean:
Heard Foundation. Heard Foundation is a great one. Herd, yeah, herd Foundation. Herd Foundation is a great one. Yeah, yeah, herd Foundation.
They do great work and I'm proof positive of that. I will would consider it, but it's called Project Rebirth and what it is is a for lack of a better term conglomerate of peer support specialists. I myself am a certified peer support specialist as well, but it's, it's. It's a really cool organization that's, you know, really gaining steam nationally as well, and it's, and it's it's based on peer support just what it sounds like, but certified, you know, going through the correct channels and getting the certifications and actually getting the licensing, which comes with hours and actual engaging in the community. You can't just, like you know, go online and get it. You have to put in the work.
John Schrey:
But I think that, again, that's a peer-to-peer thing, that therapists are great. I have a great therapist at the VA in Albany, you know a great therapist and I think they definitely have their part. But I think it's all it's like. You know, you need every piece of the puzzle and I think one thing that was lacking is that peer-to-peer it also gives people that are maybe earlier in recovery, that haven't really found a way to give back, where they can help someone that's behind them.
John Schrey:
Again, it's based on what they do in 12-step fellowship. Right, it's like one alcoholic helping the other, one peer helping the other. You know, if I've been, you know, say it's just PTSD, not substance abuse, and I, you know it's been a year since I've had a, maybe a suicide attempt. There's somebody who may have had a suicide attempt a couple days ago and they need to hear from me who can actually look them in the eye and say not me, but a peer like myself who had a suicide attempt and survived it and where they're at now, a year later, and I think there's so much value in that.
Scott McLean:
It's someone that's walked in their shoes or they're walking in that person's shoes. Correct, Absolutely. I always say I'm 32 years sober. So I always say, uh, you'll, you'll get there, it's awesome.
Scott McLean:
You'll get there one day at a time? Yeah, exactly. But uh, I tell people and it's the same thing with PTSD or whatever you're going through you have to be able to talk to someone that can relate to you. Like another alcoholic is really the only person I could talk to about my alcoholism. Right, you know how many people have we talked to? How many people have you talked to that? They mean well, right, they mean well, but they don't get it. No, they really didn't. So that is important. The peer to peer. It's very important especially with veterans.
John Schrey:
Yep, oh, definitely, and I think there's a part of that with veterans where they're almost not even open to hearing anything. We come from a place and I'll say Marines, specifically, who I'll never fucking show excuse me if I cut it I'll never show you weakness. I've been taught not to. In fact, it is a strength of mine to not show weakness, because the enemy will take advantage of that. Right, we're going to attack at the softest, at the belly of the vehicle. We're going to attack you at your weakest point. So if you show weakness and that's what we're taught from bootcamp on Right, and so when we come into recovery or we need need recovery, and I don't like, I can't like you as a man across from me, like I, I can never show you weakness.
John Schrey:
But what happens is you know that's no longer true, right? That's no longer, um, those rules of war and those rules that we've lived by, that code of being a man that we've probably been taught since we were little. Forget about the Marine Corps, those are no longer applicable, right? Because now I need to get vulnerable. And not only that, I know that you and I, as men standing across from each other, when you're able to get vulnerable with me. That's the strongest thing I've ever seen.
John Schrey:
I've seen guys run into, I've run into gunfire. The strength that it takes to do that is the same strength that it takes for me to like break down and say, my brother, I need help, I don't know what to do, you know and to share about some of the things that I did to my family, to my little daughter. That takes a lot, you know, and and uh, and I think that that's one of the narratives that you can only hear from someone else who's been through it to be able to get vulnerable. Because there's I have Marines that know what I've done and they know what a fucking lunatic I was and they know that I was, you know, looked at as one of the tough guys and now I'm able to cry in front of you Come on, man Like there's some serious value in that and some power in that.
Scott McLean:
Absolutely. How can someone get in touch with you? So you sound like a pretty open guy that you really want to help people, and if somebody is listening, is that too much to ask? That you kind of say, hey, if you need to get in touch with somebody?
John Schrey:
Yeah, I mean, I'm an open book. I'll give you my personal number. Here's the thing we can't. We know, speaking we as in the company, as in Haven, we know we can't help everybody. But what again, with the nonprofits that we have relationships with, with situations like this, where I know you and the Herd Foundation, for instance, all these different organizations that I've been introduced to, I can give you my word that if us the opportunity to help you and not us as in the Haven, not us as in you, and I us as in anybody call, because if we don't know we can't help. So I mean my number's area code 512-620-4038. Again, this is. You know, my email address is jshrey S-C-H-R-E-Y at havenhealthmgmtcom. But that's a lot to remember. Just call me, that's it and we will get you. I know the VA system left front to back, left to right, upside down, we'll get you to the VA. Whether we can help you or the VA can help you, we'll see.
Scott McLean:
Or another connection you have with a nonprofit that might be able to help you. Exactly. That's the whole thing about this podcast is it's connecting Connecting we all need to connect.
John Schrey:
Yep.
Scott McLean:
And there's a lot of clusters out there that are connected. But the goal of this podcast is to get everybody together and I know that's a it's a it's kind of overwhelming but it's a big ask of this. But every little bit helps.
John Schrey:
I say this to the VA we just want to be. We don't want veterans to fall through the cracks, like you said, like I don't care how big the cluster is, if there's still a crack, there's a possibility the veteran falls through that. And I agree with you 100% If everyone's on board there can be no cracks, you know, and we can be that glue, as I said, you know, to fill in those cracks. So 100 percent we will. We will get you to somebody that can help you.
Scott McLean:
Right, You're an inspiration man. I appreciate that. You're an inspiration and you know, unfortunately not everybody can fight the battles you fought Right and you know firsthand and well, you're a good man, I can tell. Uh, well, you're a good man, I can tell you that you're a good man. I know we just met right. We had like two, three minute phone calls. It was good, they were good, but your energy's good man. You got good energy, you got a good attitude, you're positive and I hope we stay in touch, oh, absolutely I think now I think yeah, I think that's kind of a
Scott McLean:
lock now damn right, all right, buddy. Well listen, uh, I'm going to do my outro and then we'll just kind of wrap this up. Thanks, I appreciate it, man. Well, there's an update. After the interview, john and I were talking and he wanted me to let you know that he eventually did get back together with his beautiful wife and his beautiful daughter, so that's a happy ending. John is truly an inspiration and, as usual, I would like to thank you for listening. I appreciate your time. I appreciate your interest in the podcast. You are the engine that runs this machine and if you'd like to get in touch with the podcast, you can email me at vetsconnectpodcast at gmailcom. If you're a nonprofit that thinks you might want to come on and do an episode, email me at vetsconnectpodcast at gmailcom. I release an episode every Monday and, as I always say, we built a bridge today and you'll hear me on Monday.