SAN DIEGO — The scars that wounded veterans have may not be as visible but the Warrior Foundation Freedom Station has a clear purpose: helping injured veterans overcome the physical and mental challenges they face after their service.
For many of the veterans living at Warrior Foundation Freedom Station, they learned that their injury does not define who they are but provides dignity to their service.
“God gives the toughest battles to the strongest soldiers,” said Sgt. Seth Lynch (Ret.) U.S.M.C.
His marching orders came when Lynch was driving to work at the Training and Support Division at Camp Pendleton and crashed on Interstate 5. It was a stormy Valentine’s Day, 2019.
“My car hit a huge puddle, hydroplaned, it flipped three times and hit a tree,” said Lynch.
The marksmanship, martial arts, and physical fitness instructor was hospitalized for six months.
“I suffered a broken neck, traumatic brain injury, and divorce,” said Lynch.
His daughter, Scarlet, was only four years old when the Marine had to learn to walk again.
“What am I going to do now? I used to play with my daughter, play with all the kids at the school, coach soccer, run around with the kids,” said Lynch.
But he says it was his faith that kept him from accepting death.
“I'm not going to give up. It was a true testament to my heart, my courage, my grit,” said Lynch.
That determination guided Lynch to the non-profit, Warrior Foundation Freedom Station, where he and his daughter lived in their own cottage, and a roadmap to achieve his dream of becoming a music producer.
“Since the third grade, I wanted to be a rapper or something,” said Lynch.
Warrior Foundation Freedom Station just broke ground on the third village that is designed for ill or injured service members to transition into civilian life and overcome unimaginable challenges.
“They lined them up, so I can knock them down,” said Lynch.
Warrior Foundation Freedom Station sees them even when their traumatic brain injury or PTSD is not visible.
“There's a lot of things that are underlying that you can't really see. We never know what's really impacting somebody behind closed doors,” said Lynch.
Warrior Foundation Freedom Station is opening doors where a warrior's average stay is 18 months. The villages are close to the Naval Medical Center for appointments and rent is discounted to help lay the foundation in their next chapter.
“All I needed was a chance just to get some breathing room,” said Lynch.
He served ten years in the U.S. Marine Corp. Lynch is now retired and graduated from barber school and from the Studio West Recording Arts Center.
Last month he and his daughter moved into their Mission Valley condo that he recently bought.
“I had hunger in me, not that I was starving, but I was just eager to just make something happen,” said Lynch.
He was determined to fight the toughest battles with the strongest comrades at Freedom Station.
“One hand washes the other, both wash the face. You take care of your brother; your brother takes care of you. And then we will take care of each other, we'll take care of the Marine Corps, take care of the country,” said Lynch.
CBS 8 is a proud partner of the annual Warrior Foundation Freedom Station Give-A-Thon. Donations will help bring its warriors home for the holidays, each trip costs six hundred dollars. Join CBS 8 on Thursday from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. and call (619) 578-2615.
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