‘Don’t bear that weight alone’: Wichita veteran turned his trauma into advocacy

Editor’s note: This story talks about suicide and may be triggering for some viewers/readers.

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – The suicide rate among service members is higher than those who did not serve. KSN spoke with a Wichita veteran who is turning his trauma from the battlefield into advocacy and hope for others.

“There does need to be processing. There does need to be time to heal,” said veteran Timothy Gwynn.

For Gwynn, the constant threat of explosions while serving in the Middle East for years took a big toll on him.

“The number of explosions that were happening was beginning to pile up. The platoon was taking a lot of heavy hits. I buried it like I buried everything else,” he said.

When he returned home, everything began to resurface. He says the loss of fellow soldiers and what he saw in his deployment haunted him. Years later, a roadside crash triggered him.

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