How one Ferris family is creating PTSD awareness

FERRIS - It is a condition many military men and women face when they return home from combat.

A condition law enforcement officers face after seeing so much drama during their career.

Often it goes untreated until it is too late.

I have personally witnessed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) over the course of the last few years.

I have seen it play out while living with a roommate who struggles with it due to his three tours in the military, and witnessed it in the life of a dear friend and law enforcement officer retired in Miami who can’t cope with a healthy relationship.

As disturbing as those two experiences are, there are more disturbing stories many families are left to tell.

Rick and Cheree Barrett in Ferris are one of those families.

Rick, both a former mayor and city councilman from Ferris and his wife lost their 33-year-old son to suicide several years ago due to PTSD.

Now they have started a foundation named the James R. Barrett Foundation for PTSD Awareness and Education.

Cheree, the president of the Blue Star Mothers of Ellis County, has always been involved in supporting military families, and she said after their son was living with them and going through all the symptoms of PTSD, they thought he was getting help.

He ended up taking his life in their front yard in the middle of the night with a gun.

“Our family decided, after the death of James, that his death had to mean something,” Cheree said. “He had talked about wanting to help other service members.

“We decided we were going to start the foundation with the purpose to bring awareness to those who have not heard about PTSD and provide an education to servicemembers on ways that have proven successful as treatment.”

The James R. Barrett Foundation for PTSD Awareness and Education received its 501c3 in May 2017, and since that time has been holding events and fundraisers.

The next fundraiser dinner will be Saturday, Nov. 9 at the Waxahachie Civic Center, and one of the guest speakers will be Taya Kyle, the widow of Chris Kyle of “American Sniper” fame.

“We are so excited to hear Taya speak,” says Cheree. “As we saw in the movie, she lived the symptoms and recognized a problem before there was a name for it.”

Another guest speaker at the fundraiser, Aaron Martinez has prepared a documentary called “Struggle Through the Decade.” Martinez has been exploring alternative treatments such as artwork, yoga, mountain climbing, mixed martial arts and other outside activities in addition to counseling.

The organization provides a $500 scholarship for those graduating from First Baptist Academy in Dallas (also attended by James) to Hardin Simmons University. The foundation also paid for Aaron Martinez to speak to the Mothers of the Military at the National Blue Star Mother Convention in Virginia last August.

All the funds raised at the fundraiser and through other events held by the foundation are used for veterans to receive help.

Cheree says she believes the United States is failing these men and women.

“Obviously, they are, or should I say we all are, if there are 8,000,000 people in the U.S. who suffer from PTSD – and we are still trying to teach citizens what PTSD is,” she concludes.

“I believe the VA failed my son. He went to the VA three times trying to get signed up without help because Fort Bliss didn’t tell him what to do. Finally, I took off work to take him and told them – I wasn’t taking him back home in the shape he was in. The president finally signed to authorize treatment at more than a VA hospital, but that was too late for James.”

According to the National Center for PTSD, there are currently about 8,000,000 people in the United States living with the disorder. This includes civilians, first responders and military personnel.

Another alarming truth is there are 22 enlisted service members and one law enforcement officer that commits suicide daily.

That means 8,400 commit suicide annually.

Symptoms include restlessness, flashbacks, angry outbursts and the inability to be in large crowds, to name a few.

“Putting on a good face, but you know something is not quite right,” Cheree concluded adding, “Our son went on patrol every night.”