Chad F.

I'll try and keep this short. I was raised in a dysfunctional family where my mom had been married and had kids and my dad was married and had kids and then they found each other and had me. There was always something going on with one of the brothers or the only sister i had going to jail or just getting in trouble. As I got older, my dad became real abusive toward me and by the time i was in High School he had beat me unconscious in the kitchen and my mom had to get me out of there. The rest of my High School time I lived with different people and in and out of the house as I knew he was gone on business. I knew my HS diploma was important, so I made sure I stayed in school. In 4 years of HS I buried 24 friend. All do to drugs and alcohol and I was with some of them when this happened. This was all in the mid 80's. My next door neighbor was retired Airforce and I stayed with his family the most. He talked me in to going in the military and shortly after I graduated, I joined the Army. 3 years after I got out, I was drinking a lot and prayed that God would put someone in my life to save me. Shortly after that I met a girl and 6 months later we were married. We had 2 girls, I got involved in the church that she was attending and got involved in the Youth and my journey I went through helped other kids that went to Youth Camps that wouldn't talk to anyone except for those that had been through what they had. As far as my father was concerned, he had a outstanding relationship with my daughters and wife and over the years we were able to talk about things and get shit patched up. Scares are always there but healing took place during that time. He died of Alzheimer's and that chapter was closed. I still deal with things sometimes when my past tries to sneak up on me. I train in Krav Maga and is my therapy for the anxiety I sometimes go through.