Warriors Next Adventure!

HOMEFRONT SITREP

Hello and welcome to the warriors next adventure. My name is Nick Rahn and I am an Air Force Security Forces veteran. I spent 6 years active duty, with 4 tours overseas. I have experienced a lot during my time as a .50 cal gunner on area security operations, quick reaction force, route clearance, and presence patrols. After years of mortars, IED's, loss of brothers, and other close calls, I started to get burnt out. Afghanistan 2012, not long before I was set to come back to the U.S., there was an IED blast. That blast killed multiple members of an explosive ordinance disposal team. They all had families, who no longer had a father, brother, uncle, or son. That night when I got on Skype to see my daughter, I knew my time in the military had to come to an end. I went to a therapist when I returned home to try to cope with my survivors guilt and PTSD caused by all the stressful situations and near death experiences. After 6 months of sessions I left North Carolina to come back home to Minnesota. After a few months of taking antidepressants I realized they were not for me. I had issues adjusting, I felt alone, even though I had a lot of loved ones who cared about me. I wanted my brothers and sisters back. The depression got worse and I needed to find a way to get out of he hole. 2015 I was in a hole and couldn't get out. I decided my life was not worth living anymore and I attempted to end my own life. I pulled the trigger, but the primer was a dud. I took my failed attempt as a sign to find out why I am here.

I found jiu-jitsu again, then mixed martial arts and fitness. New passions kept popping up and the more missions I started and completed, the better I felt. I started traveling and hiking mountains, climbing rock walls, going fishing. Every adventure brought me closer to finding that sense of accomplishment I had in the military. I started reaching out to my veteran brothers when I noticed they were having a rough time and taking them with me on my adventures. Through recreational therapy I realized I have a lot to offer the veteran community. ​

​Warriors next adventure will bring that sense of accomplishment and create a new brotherhood outside of the military for our veteran community and help our armed services overcome the mental health crisis they face today. I feel this is very much needed program that will lift the spirits of those who truly deserve some inner peace. Check the blog section for a closer look into what myself and many others from the veteran community are trying to cope with and how I dug myself out of what seemed like a bottomless pit.