RICHMOND, Va. -- A longtime Washington football fan, Richmond veteran Ben King was recently honored by the team on the 17th anniversary of his “Alive Day.”
That's the day King survived an IED blast while serving overseas.
“Time slowed down. I saw this bright light and these kind of sparkling little pieces of metal and glass kind of rushing toward my face,” King said of the IED blast that hit his Humvee during a deployment to Iraq in 2006.
Recognized on the field during Sunday’s game versus San Francisco was even more meaningful to King because of the work he’s put into recovering from war.
King’s physical injuries could have been catastrophic, but he counted himself lucky to have been able to return to duty a week later and finish his one-year tour.
He returned home in April 2007 with a Purple Heart.
“I felt like I had accomplished my objective as a soldier. I came home and was treated as a hero. It was really a special time,” King told CBS 6 News.
But eventually, things began to unravel as his military service came to an end in 2010, he said.
In the years after he came home, PTSD took hold.
“My inner world became a kind of a toxic mix of survivor's guilt, suicidal ideation, incessant analysis, and self-criticism,” he said of the years he tried to hold things together before realizing he needed an internal paradigm shift.
King tried multiple coping mechanisms for soothing his fight-or-flight instincts but said ultimately many were unsustainable.
Mindfulness lessons from a teacher at the Veteran’s Administration changed everything.
He’s spent more than a decade of working on his ability to be in a non-judgmental, present state.
Almost like a superpower, mindfulness has not only helped to calm his nervous system but also allowed for a world of nuance, gratitude, and love.
Stepping onto FedEx Field at the end of 2023 was an experience King says he could treasure because he was present in a way that he could not have been 15 years ago.
“Ben in 2008 would have been appearance oriented. It would have been, ‘What can I do to capitalize on this? How do I spin this into more? Who do I need to talk to and get business cards?’” he said.
On his journey to wellness, King began a blog called “Armor Down,” and held events such as Mindful Memorial Day or partnering with the Wounded Warrior Project for Mindful Marksmanship programming. He continues to coach other veterans in adapting their military skills for civilian life through a weekly Zoom session.
Emotionally and mentally healthier Ben King now serves as the Operations Director for the Virginia War Memorial.
“It was just a really nice experience,” said of the Commanders game despite the team’s loss. “In reality, what I really care about, and what I find meaningful is the participation. Part of what I feel like life has offered me is an opportunity to participate in the hardest places.”
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