Combat Veteran And Author Shares Message Of Hope With VMI Cadets
A message about living successfully after experience trauma was shared recently with a Virginia Military Institute audience by retired U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Michael “Mac” McNamara, author of “From Trauma to Joy,” and “Colleen Can’t Forget.”
McNamara spoke to the corps of cadets about how he has seen and experienced significant trauma and loss. He is a combat veteran who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He was a close-up witness to a helicopter crash during a training exercise at Twentynine Palms, California, in which the pilot was decapitated in his seat.
His family experienced deep hurt and pain when his sister Peggy’s husband shot and killed their two sons, then after beating her, turned the gun on himself. Another sister died horrifically. Instead of dwelling in a dark place, he chose a better way.
His methods of helping others overcome suffering are based on building relationships and sharing testimonials of personal traumatic ordeals. He told his audiences not to be afraid to sit down and talk to people who are struggling. “I don’t want you to hit the ejector seat as soon as they start getting serious, saying, ‘It is not a place where I belong.’ You do belong there because you’re in their life.”
McNamara equipped his listeners with helpful ideas they can implement immediately, and provided them with a wealth of additional resources including reels, online seminars, and podcasts accessible on his website www.fromtraumatojoy. com.
VMI Superintendent Lt. Gen. David Furness ’87, who personally invited McNamara to post, served with him in the Marine Corps and has known him for over 35 years. Furness introduced McNamara to the audiences by sharing his own heartbreaking experiences from 2018.
“I took over the command of Second Marine Division in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and in my first three months of command, I had five suicides. I reached out to the mental health professionals and asked, ‘Why is this happening? What can we do about it?’ I wasn’t going to accept continuing what had always been done, because it wasn’t working. I knew Mac was doing a radio show called ‘All Marine Radio,’ and was interviewing lots of combat veterans, hearing common themes and finding trends in trauma and healing. I asked him to develop a program that would help my Marines with stress and emotional health, and he agreed.
“In 2019, right after the Christmas holidays, he came to Camp Lejeune with his presentation and gave it to a total of 14,000 over a one-week period.” The impact the seminar had on the Marines was successful and immediate. Furness was pleased. “I couldn’t go anywhere without Marines coming up to me, thanking me and telling me it had changed their lives.”
Each of the four cadet classes attended separately McNamara’s three-hour seminar, “Post-Traumatic Winning,” which has been presented to more than 150,000 civilian and military audiences across the United States since 2019. It highlights lessons learned by McNamara from years of interviews and discussions about living a great life after traumatic events. He also shared his message with faculty and staff.
