LIFE IS TOUGH BUT SO ARE YOU

After high school, I knew exactly what I wanted to become: a soldier. A cool job with lots of action, just like in films and series, sounded perfect for me. So when I was 17, I was dropped off at the military barracks to start my adventurous career. That the adventure was a lot less fun than in movies I did not know then, but I would soon find out.

While my school friends indulged the carefree student life, I grew up faster than anticipated. Discipline and responsibility were key. As my friends were partying on Ibiza, I was sent to Afghanistan for the first time at the age of 19. After my second mission in Afghanistan, I felt disconnected with myself when I returned to the Netherlands. I felt sombre, tense and downright exhausted. The things that I had experienced in the war zone had affected me more than I thought and allowed to feel. I was diagnosed with PTSD.

After a dark period I started to get back on track with therapy, perseverance and  lots of love from my friends and girlfriend. I am now back to who I was – yet a lot wiser – and I am working and studying hard to make a new start.

I am Thomas and IAMTORO.