CAS CONNECT 2019

Heart of a Volunteer Veteran offers help and encouragement to others through podcast When Chris Noell’s best friend and mentor took his own life, Noell wanted to understand why. So, the veteran of both the Marines and Army with five deployments decided to come back to school and major in psychology and philosophy. “His name was Chris too,” Noell said. “I looked up to him, and I never saw it coming. So, when he did that, I realized I could be vulnerable too.” He added, “War is a philosophical problem, and I want to be able to understand that.” From a psychological perspective, Noell wants to explore “the unfamiliar territory of mental health in the armed forces” and help his fellow veterans who are struggling to adjust to life after combat. “You give them some tough love and put your arms around them,” Noell said. “Be able to recognize it, that’s the important part.” To reach and inspire others, Noell started the Heart of a Volunteer: Veterans Podcast. He invites veterans and active duty military members to share their stories with topics focusing on the transition frommilitary to civilian life for veterans, getting an education and just taking care of themselves. “I don’t control what they say. I just steer the way, it’s more organic,” Noell said. “We don’t have to dwell on bad things, but it’s important to talk about those who sacrificed because that matters.” During the conversations, which are often explicit, people explain why they chose to serve, details of their service and how the lessons they learned are affecting their lives. Noell encourages guests to discuss whatever they want, and wants veterans to reach out to each other to help with the transition. He hopes to bring in professionals to STORY LORRAINE CHEN | PHOTOS JASON WALLACE AND COURTESY CHRIS NOELL help highlight altruism and volunteerism, evolution and historical knowledge of warfare and service, business, health, education and employment. Noell thinks philosophy has “more of a place in a veteran’s mind and processes.” He believes it’s essential to develop and communicate that philosophy to veterans to help with psychological distress through the podcast. The podcast focuses on many issues veterans face during transitioning —mental health issues, career changes, substance abuse and other coping mechanisms. “I joined the Army a month after I got out of the Marine Corps,” Noell said. “If I could do it again, I might do it differently. I should have stayed out.” “When you’re surrounded by people you know and who know how to do their jobs, it’s like a tribe,” he added. Since the death of his friend, Noell has worked hard to find an effective coping mechanism to help veterans transition to civilian society. He explained how quickly trauma-caused chaos can take over a person’s mental state to the point where he or she can’t overcome it. “I think everybody who has gone [to combat] has had a life-altering situation,” Noell said. “Everybody had some trauma from it. I want to put something good in front of veterans and propel them forward.” Combining his military experience and education, Noell has an idea to build a resource center for veterans in need —whether physical, emotional or anything in between — to “be somewhere for someone.” But first, he needs 24 CONNECT 201 9