Still Rising

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Today marks 1 year since I was released from Federal Prison. Of all of the words, emotions, and memories- I'll simply say this. There is no price greater to pay for the rights that we have as Americans, than the ones that our heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice have, so that we can have the freedom to speak. In loving memory of the other half of my heart, I choose to continue to use this voice to seek justice for our entire family impacted by the failures of the Savannah VA Clinic. And no amount of imprisonment can change my mind on that. #speak #firstamendment #goldstarfamily #veteran #firstresponder

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Wounded Warrior Project’s stated mission is: “To honor and empower wounded warriors.” Today I learned there’s apparently an asterisk attached to that. @Wounded Warrior Project I reached out to Wounded Warrior Project because I’m a veteran with a traumatic brain injury and I need help. I served honorably. Instead of someone picking up the phone and asking what happened, what I’m going through, or what kind of help I need, I got an email telling me they would not approve my registration because of a prior criminal conviction. And here’s the part that really pisses me off. They specifically said they reviewed “publicly available records.” Okay. So did you review ALL of the publicly available information? Because I’m right here. My TikTok is public. My Instagram is public. My podcast, Still Rising, is FREE on Spotify. It’s not hidden behind a paywall. I openly talk about my life, my legal situation, my husband, the VA, the federal system and what has happened to my family. They didn’t have to spend a dime to hear another side of this story. They could have listened. They could have looked. I would have gladly had that conversation. Instead, they apparently decided that one category of publicly available information was enough to judge whether I was worthy of their help. That’s bullshit. I’m not hiding my legal situation. I never have. My case is public. My story is public. My fight is public. And my legal fight is far from over. But my military service is not my criminal case. My brain injury is not my criminal case. And needing help doesn’t magically disappear because somebody has a complicated story. This is exactly why I choose to speak. My husband, Garrett Briggs, was a combat Army Ranger Veteran. He raised his right hand and swore an oath to defend the freedoms that allow me to stand here today and say when I believe something is wrong. I raised my right hand, too. And after Garrett shared that he was having thoughts of ending his life, the Savannah VA failed him when he desperately needed care. Fifteen days after our daughter was born, Garrett died by suicide. I was presented the same flag he served under. I will never forget that flag. I will never forget why I received it. And I will never forget that I still have the freedom to speak. So I spoke. I sued the VA over Garrett’s care. I have publicly alleged retaliation and misconduct by federal officials and agencies in the years that followed. Those are my allegations, and people are completely free to research the records, listen to what I have said, question me, disagree with me and come to their own conclusions. Wounded Warrior Project’s own mission says: “To honor and empower wounded warriors.” Their own FY2024 federal tax return reports $112,787,541 in salaries, other compensation and employee benefits. $112.8 million. An organization operating at that scale, whose stated mission is to honor and empower wounded warriors, could have afforded me a fucking phone call. Because if you have time to search public records for reasons to exclude a veteran, you have time to type that veteran’s name into Spotify. You have time to look at her public Instagram. You have time to look at her public TikTok. This is why I speak. This is why I continue telling the parts of my story that would be a hell of a lot easier to bury. Because somewhere there is another veteran with an ugly, complicated story. Another widow who wouldn’t stop asking questions. Another person whose life doesn’t fit neatly into a nonprofit’s marketing campaign. They still deserve to be heard. Garrett raised his right hand for my freedom to say this. I raised mine too. And the folded American flag I was handed after his death is something I will carry for the rest of my life. So Wounded Warrior Project, I’m using that freedom. And I’m still asking you to pick up the phone and have the conversation you never bothered to have. #WoundedWarriorProject #Veterans #TraumaticBrainInjury #VeteranSuicidePrevention #StillRising

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