Edward Santos was an infantry soldier who served two tours in Afghanistan. In his second tour he was sent home early for medical issues, which began to affect him more than just physically.
Eventually he stumbled upon painting and photography as an outlet which helped improve his overall mental health.
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Scott DeLuzio: 00:00 Hey everybody, this is the Drive On Podcast where we talk about issues affecting veterans after they get out of the military. I’m your host, Scott DeLuzio. And now let’s get on with the show.
Scott DeLuzio: Hey everyone, thanks for tuning into the Drive On Podcast. Today my guest is Edward Santos who served with me in Afghanistan in 2010 and he also deployed to Afghanistan in 2006. Since getting out of the military, he’s found a more creative outlet, which I wanted to talk to him about that might help other veterans who are coming back from deployments or getting out of the military. So, Santos, I don’t want to give too much away here about what you’re up to and things that you have been involved with but why don’t you go ahead and tell us a little bit about yourself.
Edward Santos: 00:51 Oh, first of all, let me thank you for inviting me onto your show. This is a real honor. It’s been a while since you and I chatted and it’s great to be able to reconnect here on your show and I want to congratulate you first on this show. I think it’s amazing what you’re doing and getting the word out to other veterans is something that a lot of veterans are extremely passionate about because when you return home, it’s not always an easy thing to transition back into society. We all need those different outlets. Thank you so much for inviting me on and hopefully I can share a little bit of my experience and different outlets I’ve found in helping me readjust and stay on that right path.
Scott DeLuzio: 01:50 And thank you for being here. Why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself and your journey, your path.
Edward Santos: 02:01 I’m Edward Santos and I was born and raised in New York City in the Bronx. Right before 2001, I was an electrician when the whole 911 tragedy happened. That whole patriotic movement is what actually inspired me to join the military. I enlisted in the New York National Guard transferred to the Puerto Rico National Guard, served with them. Went off to basic training here in Ft. Benning, Georgia where I’m living now. And then I transferred to Connecticut National Guard in 2004, shortly after we went on our first deployment in 2006. It’s been a long road from 2006 to now. We volunteered for that 2009-2010 deployment and just so much has happened since then.
Edward Santos: 03:03 I had to leave a little bit early, so I struggled a lot.
Edward Santos: 03:13 I was one of the older veterans, I can confidently say. My body wasn’t as fit as the young 20 and 25-year olds, so I had to leave earlier than I wanted to. Having to leave my team and my platoonmates behind really took a toll on me. I felt a lot of guilt. I felt like a failure when I got home. My team got home and I was still stuck at Fort Drum for another year after that. Then another six months at West Point after that until the army medically retired me. So, it was a long struggle. It was bitter sweet getting out and I struggled with that.
Scott DeLuzio: 04:06 Yeah, sure.
Edward Santos: 04:15 So, struggling with that, it was really tough and I think one of the...
