The concept of a Warrior Poet is not new. The Spartans, Knights Templar and Japanese Samurai all honored writing as much as fighting.
Ryan McDermott is a West Point graduate who earned his Ranger tab and served in the Army from 2000-2006. Ryan led an infantry platoon during Operation Iraqi Freedom, and his platoon was the first unit to cross the Euphrates River and reach the tarmac of Saddam International Airport in April of 2003.
Ryan shares a poem inspired by a fallen Iraqi soldier he witnessed while crossing the Euphrates. He states that what surprised him wasn’t the trauma of combat, but rather the quiet collapse that came after.
Ryan wrote “Downriver: Memoir of a Warrior Poet” in order to help others learn from his experiences and develop resources and techniques for facing their own trauma. The book is filled with his own poetry as a method of highlighting major points in each chapter.
We spend some time discussing his very powerful article published in Real Clear Politics titled “Why PTSD Isn’t Just a Veteran’s Problem.” In the article he points out that many of the symptoms that haunt combat Veterans are now manifesting in schools, boardrooms and at the family dinner table. Ryan proposes that our nation as a whole is currently experiencing trauma driven by uncertainty.
Ryan shares some of the tools and support that helped him along the way. One of his most important points is the need to destigmatize counseling and encourage people to seek help. He emphasizes that traumatic experiences can be transformed into personal growth with the right attitude.
We briefly discuss the writing process and how others should consider poetry or other writing as part of their own healing journey.
TAKEAWAY: “Keep going downriver until you find a safe place to cross.”