ROANOKE, Va. – Ray Wier knows sacrifice.
He served in the army for seven years, completing one tour in Iraq.
Wier’s best friend Matt Parry, by his side ever since boot camp.
“He was actually the best man in my wedding,” Wier said.
Parry served a tour in both Afghanistan and Iraq, but was never the same.
“He wasn’t the way he was before Afghanistan,” Wier said.
He struggled severely with PTSD, or what Wier calls it, a mental injury.
“I call it a mental injury because I want to change the perception of mental illness,” he said.
Last month, Wier got the call that Parry had committed suicide.
“He just couldn’t get out of that hole that he dug himself,” Wier said.
Wier said Parry didn’t die in May, but years ago in the mountains of Afghanistan and Iraq.
“He was wounded in Iraq. Just like a missing limb or a bullet wound. It just took nine years for him to so and so bleed out,” Wier said.
Through his own struggles with depression, and through helping Parry, Wier realized his own passion for helping people through their battles with PTSD.
“Sometimes people need more,” he said.
That’s where Avalanche Veteran Support comes in.
Wier created the organization by veterans for veterans to help them navigate what can be a tricky mental health system.
“I share my experiences, my struggles with depression and anxiety that I’ve been able to fight and battle and in my opinion beat. We guide, and whatever they need we’re here to help,” he said.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, over five million veterans experienced a behavioral health condition.
But more than half of those veterans received no sort of treatment.
Avalanche Veteran Support bridges the gap between veterans and the system — with intervention, financial support, and connecting people with the services they need.
“There’s a certain comfort. We speak the same language. Anyone can tell you, military language is its own thing,” Wier said.
Before he passed, Parry gifted one last thing to Wier — a handmade wooden sign for the organization.
Wier wants everyone to know, there’s always another option.
“He didn’t think there was any other way, and we need to change that,” he said.
Avalanche Veteran Support is a 501c3 non-profit, and runs entirely off of donations.
For information on how you can donate, click here.
If you are a veteran in need of services, you can contact Avalanche here.
A list of veteran resources can be found here.