The G2 Connection

Come join us! This is a free program, anonymous if you choose, and open to all veterans.

Patriots Day! Yesterday I had the honor of meeting a true patriot, Jessica Lynch, former U.S. Army PFC and POW, at the Hats Off For Veterans 9/11 Memorial Luncheon in San Marcos. Not only did she survive one of the most intense early moments of the Iraq War—the ambush near Nasiriyah on March 23, 2003, where she was seriously injured and captured—but her rescue on April 1 became the first successful rescue of a U.S. POW since WWII.

In the years since, she’s poured grit and authenticity into her work—substitute teaching, acting, motivational speaking—and now leads the West Virginia Women Veterans Program, helping women veterans navigate benefits and healing resources.

Jessica’s journey—from surviving trauma, both physical and mental, to advocating for others—is as raw and real as bravery gets. It’s also a powerful example of Posttraumatic Growth. Her story isn’t one of myth, it’s one of survival, resilience, and paying it forward. Proud to have met her.

I came home from Iraq in 2004.

Physically, I was here.
Mentally? I was still in the fight.

The flashbacks kept me locked there.
The guilt whispered I didn’t deserve peace.
And every outburst at home reinforced the voice saying:

“See? You’re still the problem.”

This wasn’t just PTSD.
It was moral injury too.
And together, they created a hell I wouldn’t wish on anyone.

New blog: The War We Carry: Understanding Moral Injury and PTSD
➡️ Read it here: https://g2connection.com/the-war-we-carry-understanding-moral-injury-and-ptsd

Joy isn’t betraying your pain. It’s proving you survived it. You’re allowed to feel lightness—even in a heavy world.

Joy is resistance. What’s one thing that made you smile today?

Malcolm X’s journey from pain to purpose demonstrates that the past doesn’t define you—only the meaning you assign to it does. His story is one of resilience, reflection, and radical transformation.

What purpose are you creating from your past?

If you or someone you know is supporting flood recovery in Texas or New Mexico, please share this free webinar with them. Disaster recovery is both tough and extremely rewarding; however, it can take a toll on you mentally during the process and long after.

My dear friend Jolie Wills and the Hummingly Foundation have over a decade of experience in helping to "protect the protectors," drawing on lessons learned after the 2011 Christchurch earthquakes in New Zealand. I promise the webinar will be informative and time well spent.

Post copied from LinkedIn:
The floods in Texas and New Mexico changed homes, streets, and lives. But the deepest impacts aren’t always visible.

Hummingly Foundation invites those helping on the ground to a free webinar series: Supporting Emotional Recovery: First Steps, Lasting Impact

✨ Tools, science, and stories to help those impacted by the floods recover emotionally — not just physically. Because real recovery is about humans, not just houses. The emotional journey after disaster is often overlooked — but it shapes everything.

Supporting Emotional Recovery: First Steps, Lasting Impact is a free, practical webinar series for those who’ll walk alongside flood-affected communities now and in the years to come.

Walk away feeling equipped to support the human aspects of recovery — with practical tools, resources, and real-world insights you can put to use right away. Practical, frontline-focused, and free.

🗓 Starts August 4
🕓4:00 pm, Central Daylight Time (Chicago, GMT-05:00)
💻Register here: https://lnkd.in/gBStE92a

Thanks to the team at for supporting this crucial webinar series.