SAN ANTONIO – They’ve fought for you in one of the most maximum antagonistic spaces on the planet. But now that they’re house, they need your help.
Have you heard of Combat Controllers?
According to the U.S. Air Force, they’re “battlefield Airmen assigned to special tactics squadrons. They are trained special operations forces and certified FAA air traffic controllers. The mission of a combat controller is to deploy, undetected, into combat and hostile environments to establish assault zones or airfields, while simultaneously conducting air traffic control, fire support, command and control, direct action, counter-terrorism, foreign internal defense, humanitarian assistance and special reconnaissance in the joint arena.”
Basically, CCTs do all of it. They shield the U.S. within the air, at the floor and within the waters. However, many of us don’t know they exist. That’s an issue, as a result of when CCTs go back house after being deployed, a lot of them fight to search out their means.
That’s what took place with Eric Hohman, a local San Antonian and retired Combat Controller. He spoke with about his problem adjusting to civilian existence.
“It was hard to get in front of people and tell about what I did, or talk about my teammates or some of the missions that we’ve done. But the public needs to know, because if it wasn’t for [Combat Controllers], there would be a lot more dead operators,” Hohman mentioned.
Hohman admitted he nonetheless struggles with survivor’s guilt.
“The hardest part of knowing that there was these great guys that you were with…you suffered together through the pipeline, and then you went to war and you came back, and and he was just killed,” he mentioned.
After his revel in and listening to the studies of his fellow CCTs upon returning house, Hohman created the First There Foundation; the nonprofit connects CCTs with occupation, monetary, and psychological well being assets. It additionally is helping the households of fallen CCTs.
“[We’ve] sent out baby blankets when [their families] have babies. Gold Star families, we check on them,” Hohman mentioned.
The First There Foundation is in its 2d yr. It’s already helped dozens of CCTs. But Hohman informed such a lot of extra ex-CCTs need help.
On Saturday, Sept. 9, the nonprofit is keeping a fundraiser. If you’d love to donate to the First There Foundation, click here.
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