‘This place saved me’: How one Veteran found purpose after pain

Veterans Community Project employee Dave Myers reflects ahead of Memorial Day

U.S. Army Veteran Dave Myers spends a lot of time walking in circles. Today, he’s an operations team member at Veterans Community Project and often makes a point to visit the labyrinth on site at VCP of Kansas City.

“This is where I was when I got my job offer at VCP,” he said, adding, “I cried.”

His journey to the role is more than a bit out of the ordinary: He began as a court-ordered volunteer three years ago in the wake of his life spiraling out of control.

When Dave tells this story—his story, he starts in the early 2000s. He enlisted in the Army in 2002, feeling it was the right thing to do after 9/11. After basic training, he was deployed to Iraq and served in the Battle of Baghdad. Later, his artillery unit received a stop-loss order, which is a Department of Defense policy that meant their time would be extended beyond the completed tour.

Then on April 29, 2004, while doing a route clearance south of Baghdad, came the moment that has shaped the past two decades of Dave’s life. “This car comes up. The driver had a dark look in his eyes. The last thing I remember was one of our guys telling him to stop. Then, my ears started ringing and I felt a heat wave.” It was an improvised explosive device that killed nine service members. Dave was one of four survivors.

Shortly after, he completed his service and began his civilian life as a Veteran. Things felt different, though, Dave explains, “When you’re deployed, all you want to do is go home—but when you get there, it’s not the home you remember. It’s just different.”

At home, Dave dealt with untreated post-traumatic stress and turned to drugs and alcohol to cope. “Years go by, and I wasn’t there... just empty. I couldn’t find anything to fill the void. That’s when I started selling drugs. Not even for the money. Really, for the excitement.”

Things continued to trend downward. He and his wife spent four years experiencing homelessness, first couch surfing and then shuffling around motels before ultimately living in a homeless encampment.

The turning point in Dave’s life happened when he was arrested on drug charges and sentenced to prison. There, he got clean. He also began to work on his mental health and, for the first time in a long while, turned his eyes toward the future. He aspired to honor his past and those he served with by dedicating his life to helping Veterans not make the same mistakes he did. Ahead of a resentencing hearing after three years of incarceration, he wrote the judge a letter saying exactly that. “I wanted to change my life,” he said.

Unbeknownst to Dave, the judge, who is also a Veteran, started working behind the scenes to give Dave an opportunity to do that. Through the Veterans Justice Outreach (VJO) Program focused on recidivism and homelessness, he opened up conversations with Veterans Community Project leaders Bryan Meyer, who is a former attorney, and Jason Kander, who is also a former attorney as well as previously Missouri Secretary of State. The judge spoke with the two combat Veterans about how the nonprofit could help Dave.

“VCP was founded with many of the same underlying principles as Veteran Treatment Courts and Veteran Justice Outreach Programs,” said Meyer, a VCP Co-Founder and now our Chief Executive Officer. “Like a fundamental belief that military service can have profound and lasting impacts on a person’s mental health, behavior, and life circumstances, and that those impacts should be considered when Veterans become involved in the criminal justice system or experience homelessness.”

He continued, “A core value of VCP is: ‘Do what’s right, not what’s easy.’ It was clear to us that providing Dave with an opportunity was the right thing to do.”

At that time, Dave wasn’t yet familiar with VCP. But he smiles reflecting on the judge’s words to him, “He told me, ‘You’re going to spend so much time with these guys that they’re either going to love you or hate you ... I hope it’s the former, and that they offer you a job after,’” Dave remembered.

A year later, that was indeed the case. Dave is now a full-time operations employee at VCP and is fulfilling his dream to help Veterans. Every time a new previously homeless resident moves in, he’s there showing them how to use their HVAC setup to stay warm or cool. When it snows a foot, he’s there plowing and shoveling pathways to help them get to their jobs, doctor’s appointments, and more.

In between, he takes the time to get to know residents through military humor and an openness to deep conversations. “With my unique background, you know, I can connect with our residents in some ways that not a lot of other people can,” he said, adding, “I’ve been in their shoes.”

He aims to help them understand how things can change. Today, Dave is 100% connected to VA services, which is critical to help him manage the lifelong effects of his traumatic brain injury. He is married to someone he “loves with all his heart.” He goes home to a house that, as of recently, he now owns.

But before leaving work, Dave regularly makes a point to visit the labyrinth. The labyrinth, which is designed based on centuries of therapeutic value, was installed several years ago by construction and engineering firm Kiewit as a tool to help Veterans—residents and staff alike—address their mental health needs.

This time of year, Dave spends a lot of his time in the labyrinth thinking about those he served with. And although his steps may be in circles, he knows he’s moving forward in their honor. He still stays in touch with those still living and the families of those lost and, for the first time, he is proud to tell them about his life.

“I have honor and dignity and purpose again,” Dave said.

Adding, “This place saved me.”