It's no secret to people I've been friends with since, or before, my time in Iraq that after coming home I went down a really dark path. Feeling abandoned by the government, having been lied to about the war I served in... 1/4 (via @cnn @afantz) https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/12/us/military-extremism-capitol-riot-invs/index.html

and left vulnerable with severe PTSD and little support -- I started adopting conspiracy theories, became a hardcore "libertarian," and was incredibly self-destructive.

How did I pull out of it? A whole lot of therapy at the VA -- and perhaps more importantly... 2/4

...being able to go to school, finding purpose, with the VA's Vocational Rehabilitation program.

It was my experiences as a soldier, and as a veteran, that started me down that dark path. It was the VA that pulled me out, which is exactly what it's designed for. 3/4

A lot of the vets involved in the siege on the Capitol probably went down similar paths for similar reasons. After they pay their debt to society -- they did cause harm that day -- they should be given the rehabilitative support that's required to bring them back into society 4/4