‘Don’t bear that weight alone’: Wichita veteran turned his trauma into advocacy

Editor's note: This story talks about suicide and may be triggering for some viewers/readers.

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – The suicide rate among service members is higher than those who did not serve. KSN spoke with a Wichita veteran who is turning his trauma from the battlefield into advocacy and hope for others.

"There does need to be processing. There does need to be time to heal," said veteran Timothy Gwynn.

For Gwynn, the constant threat of explosions while serving in the Middle East for years took a big toll on him.

"The number of explosions that were happening was beginning to pile up. The platoon was taking a lot of heavy hits. I buried it like I buried everything else," he said.

When he returned home, everything began to resurface. He says the loss of fellow soldiers and what he saw in his deployment haunted him. Years later, a roadside crash triggered him.

"We were driving on a gravel road, and the scenery looked much like the scenery that I had seen in deployments close to Afghanistan," said Gwynn.

He says his mind snapped within a couple of months of seeing it, and he attempted to take his own life.

"By the time that was over, they had me rated in the 99th percentile of PTSD," said Gwynn.

Now diagnosed, Gwynn began his recovery journey, working on his mental, physical, and spiritual health, leading him on a path to help others with similar struggles.

"I think that is really where I continued an oath of enlistment so that that duty of our country, it's still in my blood," he said.

Gwynn says he now uses "weapons" of education and empathy.

"Everyone's story is different, but you're not sharing your time alone. Speak out. Don't bear that weight alone," he said.

There is help for veterans who are facing thoughts of suicide. The Suicide Prevention Lifeline has a specific line just for veterans. To reach it, dial 988, then press 1.

The VA says that between July 2022 and 2024, the Veterans Crisis Line answered over $1.6 million. That's a 22.7% increase since before the three-digit number was created. On top of that, texts are up 76.7%, and there are 27.5% more chats per day.

For a list of additional mental health resources,.