Vet to Vet: An Examination of PTSD Through Writing
P.W. Covington attended High School in the rural, South Texas community of Cuero. After four semesters of Junior College, he enlisted in the United States Air Force, where less that 6 months after finishing his initial training, he was deployed to the African nation of Somalia, with a joint-service rapid deployment force as one of the first handful US military troops on the ground in Mogadishu for OPERATION RESTORE HOPE. His military decorations include multiple awards of the SouthWest Asia Service Medal, the Liberation of Kuwait Medal, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Somalia), National Defence Service Medal, and two awards of the US Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, among others. Covington's experience throughout East Africa and the Persian Gulf region of SouthWest Asia feature prominently in his writing, as do the daily issues encountered as a Service-Connected Disbled Veteran in American Society. After leaving the USAF, Covington lived a homeless lifestyle punctuated with periods of incarceration, willful isolation from society, and ex-patriate living in Mexico and Central America. He has driven trucks, worked the ramp for Continental Airlines, served with the US National Parks Service, worked as a zookeeper, and sailed as a Merchant Mariner on Tug boats and Oilfield re-supply vessels. He credits the VA's excellent treatment resources for those affected with PTSD/TBI issues with helping him to "restore his life". He currently resides in rural Lavaca County, Texas where he works as a Peer Facilitor, aiding Veterans, Active Duty members, and their families with issues stemming from Traumatic life experiences. Covington also travels often, speaking, reading, and hosting writing workshops for Combat Veterans.