Active-duty soldiers and veterans struggling to live up to the “hero” persona are coming forward to urge others to seek the help they need. One soldier stepping forward is Adam Moore. He began his service as a teenager, not even old enough to drink.
“I started my career as a reservist, hurt my left knee while I was a reservist. Didn’t get any help, but I was still a minor,” Moore said. He would, after six years in the reserves, join the Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians) armoured unit.
He says this was not a move that benefited his mental health . During his service, his injuries held him back and he struggled with the perception of being a hero, when he felt others were more deserving of the title. “I didn’t do anything really special in my career.
I did fires, floods, just typical stuff,” Moore said. “So, it felt like maybe I knew I needed help, but there were guys that did more things that also needed help and aren’t getting help. Eventually, Moore left the military, but his mental struggles persisted.
“I got out of the army; I was so fed up. I didn’t really have a plan. I got some free training to run equipment and then COVID hit, so I was kind of just grasping at straws to keep everything afloat, which led to me getting a divorce and everything just kept snowballing from there.
” The battle facing soldiers and veterans is often silent and one that is fought alone. “It’s hard to say, ‘I’m not OK’ and admit that to yourself,” M.