Hidden Wounds is more than just a safe place for veterans

Some wounds go beyond the physical. In fact, some of the longest-lasting pains remain in the heads and hearts of those who have endured the unimaginable. When you pair that mental pain with isolation, fear and the physical hardships of homelessness and poverty, you get the unfortunate reality of many veterans. Some of what is experienced in service to one's country can be so traumatizing, the feeling stays even when a service member gets back home.

United States Marine Corps veteran Lance Newman remembers how it felt leaving the service and not having anyone to talk to, burying how he felt inside, hidden away from even his family. The resources Newman needed were not readily available to him, but he wants better for his fellow veterans. That is why he created Hidden Wounds.

"All of us have these dark secrets that we tend to hide, and when you hide them […] sooner or later, the pipes are gonna burst," Newman said. "That's not a good thing because when those pipes burst, it lands on everybody you love."

Hidden Wounds is not just a want but a need for a community that has a high number of veterans like Sumter does. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Sumter County has an estimated population of more than 10,000 veterans, making up 13.2% of Sumter's adult population. So, when an area has a large number of veterans, it needs enough resources to take care of them, and Hidden Wounds is one of those resources.

Beyond a safe physical space full of people who understand what veterans go through, Hidden Wounds supplies basic needs for veterans, too. From electricity bills to housing to a full gym and food, the sky is the limit for what Newman and his team are willing to do for Sumter's veterans.

One of the largest resources Hidden Wounds provides to veterans is the beginning of mental healing, and this is a critical need for veterans everywhere. The number of veteran deaths by suicide a day is about 19, though Newman attests the number is higher, with some veteran suicides slipping through the cracks.

"The moral injury that goes on with a lot of veterans, you really never see it," Newman said. "That's why they are still able to put their clothes on, take a bath and get a haircut and look normal, but on the inside, they're just so dark, and they've been in that black box."

Hidden Wounds provides mental counseling from veterans and support groups while helping with the outside factors that can make continuing on even harder. The mental struggles of veterans are the namesake of Hidden Wounds, representing that what veterans may struggle with the hardest is imperceptible to the eye.

"We've all had issues with suicide," Vietnam veteran and U.S. Marine Ben Marich said. "In my case, Vietnam. We lost an entire generation because no one took care of them through Agent Orange, through the inability of the system to adjust to us, so we didn't know what PTS [Post-Traumatic Stress] was until 1980."

Some veterans, including Marich, call what is more commonly known as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder by PTS instead. This comes from the belief that Post-Traumatic Stress is not a disorder but instead a response to traumatic events.

It took Marich himself almost 50 years before he was diagnosed and treated for PTS.

Now, the veterans who know how it feels to lose a friend to suicide and who have struggled with suicide themselves are working to pull the veterans around them out of the darkness they are so familiar with. There is another member of the Hidden Wounds team who helps with suicide prevention, and that's Flash.

Flash is a trained service dog who, according to Marich, has saved 22 veterans from suicide. He is able to point out who in a room needs help and sticks near that individual, offering companionship. Right now, Hidden Wounds is working on training three more puppies to assist veterans.

As for training humans, Hidden Wounds also offers mental health first aid training in six different disciplines: youth, adult, military/veterans, law enforcement/corrections, higher education and senior citizen. The training gives a three-year certification to those attending it and educates the attendee on how to provide aid to those suffering mentally.

Hidden Wounds is made up of a small but mighty group of volunteers, of which Newman is the executive director, William Oden is the board chair, William Bailey is the administrative assistant and Paul Quarrella is the volunteer coordinator.

When you enter Hidden Wounds, at 21 S. Washington St., the atmosphere isn't one of a business, nor does it act as a business. For veterans visiting Hidden Wounds, there is no expectation. They can sit and play checkers, read a book, talk or even just take a nap. In the lobby are couches, a coffee bar and free snacks. Walking farther into the building reveals tables to eat at, more comfortable seating and inspirational messages on the walls.

"One of the best compliments we get is that when veterans come here, they say, 'I feel comfortable,'" Newman said.

Transforming the Hidden Wounds building was a community effort done with the help of local businesses such as Dixie Products, which helped put new floors in for free; Gregory Electric, which provided electrical supplies; Farmers Telephone Cooperative, which provided internet and phones; and Hines Furniture, which donated furniture.

Even though Hidden Wounds has only had its brick-and-mortar location for a short time, Newman has been helping veterans for 17 years, amassing a total of nearly 8,000 veterans whose lives he has touched.

"We have so many veterans that have fallen in the gap or need temporary help or need guidance. Having these resources and partners, believe me, it goes a long way," Newman said. "We're able to do everything from a food pantry to helping someone get lined up with mental health help."

Hidden Wounds does, in fact, keep a food pantry, but it also has a dry goods pantry with hygiene items, clothing and goods that some veterans cannot get for themselves. And, for veterans who need a ride, Hidden Wounds offers dropoffs and pickups for appointments.

Newman does not always wait for veterans to come to Hidden Wounds for help; he often goes to them, too. There is a population of veterans in Sumter who are homeless, and Newman will bring goods to them in an effort to gain their trust and eventually help them on a larger scale. There have also been times when Hidden Wounds has put a veteran in a hotel for a week while searching for their family or more permanent housing for them.

Hidden Wounds has most recently partnered with veteran housing organization VAlanthropy to provide inexpensive housing to veterans across from the Hidden Wounds resource center. The ground has already been broken on the project, which would provide 12 units for veterans to live in.

Grants help pay for services provided to veterans, but those grants do not help keep Hidden Wounds' doors open. At the end of the day, they have their own bills to pay, and they rely on donations to keep going. Hidden Wounds takes physical donations, including food and money, at its physical location from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Go to hiddenwounds.org to donate online and learn more.