Navy veteran and Legionnaire Vic Martin works to support veterans in crisis, provide peer support and improve access to mental health services. He shares his story story on this week’s episode of Tango Alpha Lima.
Navy veteran Victor “Vic” Martin actively works to support veterans in crisis, provide peer support and improve access to essential mental health services. Martin’s leadership extends to public speaking, advocacy, and facilitating veteran-focused programs, ensuring that those who have served receive the care and recognition they deserve.
Martin, commander of American Legion Post 275 in La Jolla, Calif., served as a mineman, specializing in underwater explosives and working alongside MK5 sea lions as part of the Navy’s Marine Mammal Program. After he was medically retired in 2012 due to a brain injury, Martin returned home feeling extremely guilty.
“I was unsure how to navigate the mental health diagnosis I had received — severe anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, PTSD and something called panic disorder, which I didn’t even know was a thing,” said Martin, who shares his story as this week’s guest on the American Legion Tango Alpha Lima podcast. “The panic disorder was the most challenging, especially as a father. My wife was yelling at me to get out of the house, because I had lost my purpose and had no direction.”
Nine months after his transition, Martin himself dealt with suicide ideation before he found his purpose.
“I struggled. I saw the pain I was giving my family. I saw the challenges my daughters were facing with a father who was screaming, running through parking lots and hiding in bushes,” he said. “A lot of times that’s where veterans find themselves. It is something you don’t want to talk to people about. It is life and death.”
As he recovered, Martin learned there are resources for veterans in crisis available, especially in San Diego where he lives. The issue is making the connection between veterans and the resources, and that’s where The American Legion’s Be the One mission comes into play. Martin, an advocate of Be the One, put together this event at his post.
Now he serves as American Legion California District 22 commander, the 2nd Vice President of the San Diego Veterans Coalition and as the National Director of Community Engagement for Solara Mental Health, a veteran specific mental health and substance use disorder treatment center.
He’s driven to help others, based on his own experience. “I don’t want others to feel they are alone,” he said.
Also, co-hosts Stacy Pearsall, Joe Worley and Adam Marr chat about:
• Military nicknames like “Old Blood and Guts,” “Chaos” (not “Mad Dog”) and others.
• American Legion Family Day, this coming Saturday, April 26
• As part of World Autism Awareness month, there are military members with autism now serving.
You can also check out the more than 300 Tango Alpha Lima podcasts available in both audio and video formats here. You can also download episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify other major podcast-hosting sites. The video version is available at the Legion’s YouTube channel.
- Tango Alpha Lima