Beyond Your Limits

EP 22: Vietnam Veteran to Veterans' Champion, with Lon Hodge

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Episode notes

Vietnam Veteran to Veterans' Champion, with Lon Hodge. Lon Hodge voluntarily enlisted in the U.S. military in 1973, during the Vietnam War. He later taught at the academy Health sciences headed for OCS and BEcame and Eod trained Ordnance officer. He holds Graduate Degrees in communications and psychology, counselor education, and an MFA in literature/creative writing. He is a past national endowment for the arts fellow in literature. Lon served as a professor of psychology and literature in Japan, China, Macau and the United States. He has been running Operation Fetch voluntarily, without pay, for nine years. In that time they have raised over $3 million for other veterans groups and their initiatives and done hundreds of seminars on PTSD, suicide awareness, Service Dog issues. He has led hundreds of planned acts of community kindness thanks to the celebrity of Service Dog May, and dearly departed Service Dog Gander. He works with homeless veterans around the country and has traveled to 46 states. They have done over 300 seminars for law enforcement, community groups, national conferences, colleges, medical schools, service organizations, and corporations about veterans, PTSD, suicide awareness and service dogs.

7:00 We did with it was then decided to start educating about PTSD, suicide prevention, because Ghana saved my life. I literally would not be here if I hadn't had Ghana in my life.

12:19 We've traveled the country, we've done over 300 seminars for law enforcement, medical schools, you know, talking about PTSD, suicide prevention, which I think service dogs are, are an absolute key to suicide prevention, especially among veterans.

20:38 It's part of that impostor syndrome. And all through my life, you know, I've had great successes and monumental failures, too, but but with the successes have always felt like somebody else should have gotten this, you know, somebody else should be on your podcast besides.

24:22 I said, you and I need to go outside because I'm gonna kick your ass. And you know, I don't think those words that ever come out of my mouth before the end. And the guy looked at me and his face fell. And he goes, Do you really hate me that much?

30:00 It's a huge expression of courage as well to seek that, finally see, oh, yes, to actually ask for help to actually accept it and are walking through the process of healing.