ORLANDO, Fla. — Great Britain's Prince Harry, former President George W. Bush, and service members from each of their nations recently led a discussion at the 2016 Invictus Games Symposium on Invisible Wounds presented by the George W. Bush Institute. 

Former First Lady Laura Bush said she and the Bush Institute leadership were grateful the symposium was addressing an issue that affects so many veterans, as well as their family members, many of whom become their caregivers. 

"George and I are committed to caring for our veterans and their families through the Bush Institute," she said. "We celebrate the service and sacrifice of our veterans at the 100-kilometer bike ride we host at our ranch and at the Warrior Open, a competitive golf tournament held in Dallas. We listen to the warriors tell their stories – their triumphs and their struggles. Through these testimonies, we've recognized that the invisible wounds are not treated in the same way as the visible wounds, and that's why we're here today, to educate more people about those invisible wounds." 

GETTING HELP QUICKLY 

Prince Harry said the Invictus Games in 2014 in London smashed the stigma around physical injuries, and that he hopes this year's Invictus Games can do the same for invisible injuries. 

The prince, who served in Afghanistan as a combat helicopter pilot, recently acknowledged that he has post-traumatic stress to bring light to the importance of recognizing invisible injuries. He said the key to fixing the problem is speaking out and using the resources available. 

"I've spoken to everybody who has severe PTSD, through to minor depression, anxiety, whatever it may be, and everybody says the same thing: if you can deal with it soon enough, if you deal with it quick enough and actually have the ability and platform to be able to speak about it openly, then you can fix these problems," he said. "If you can't fix them, you can at least find coping mechanisms. There's no reason why people should be hiding in shame after they've served their country." 

SPECIAL FORCES USING SUPPORT NETWORK 

Air Force Master Sgt. Israel Del Toro, known as "DT," was severely burned over 80 percent of his body by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan. He said he found that many focused on his physical injury, but that he needed help with his invisible injuries as well. He said he comes from a career field, Air Force tactical control party, in which service members don't want people to know they're hurt mentally. 

"We want to show we can still do the fight and can still go out there and do what we want to do, so we hide it," he said. "'Luckily, I had some good family support and friends and teammates who were there." 

Royal Marines Lance Cpl. John-James Chalmers, a commando who goes by the nickname "JJ," was caught in the center of a blast in Afghanistan, and half of his team was killed or injured. 

Chalmers said that he was able to avoid the most troubling aspects of PTSD by reaching out, early on, to his friends and family for help -- something he said no warrior should be afraid to do. 

"I came back from Afghanistan broken physically," Chalmers said. "But mentally, I was still the same person that went to Afghanistan and came back. And that was more or less either a stroke of luck, or that I was lucky enough in hindsight to have done the right things at the early stages and to have probably had a great support network from my family, my wife now, and a few people along the way. If I hadn't had just some casual conversations, there's a good chance I wouldn't be sitting here doing this now." 

Seeking help, he said, should never be an issue, because relying on each other is something engrained in service members from the very start of their training. 

"One of the best chances we have of addressing this issue is if it comes from the guys themselves," Chalmers said. "We are taught from the very beginning of training, day-one, week-one, that you look after each other. It's a buddy-buddy system, and that should not stop ever. And it certainly shouldn't stop the day you leave the military. If somebody is going to want to find help, they should be able to come first and foremost to their friends." 

NOT ALL WILL ADMIT THEY NEED HELP 

Prince Harry said not all commandos will admit they need help. "Commandos and paras are very strong minded, and they're probably the last people to come forward if they had a mental health issue," he said. "The first step is admitting you need to seek help. Just being able to talk about it early on is a huge, huge deal." 

Chalmers said service members are trained to block away their emotions and get on with the job, but that at the end of the day, "we're just human beings." 

"I consider myself extremely lucky I came back in one piece," he added, "but this has been a struggle, and I've had my friends beside me throughout this process." 

Former President George W. Bush fist bumps with Air Force Master Sgt. Israel Del Toro during the 2016 Invictus Games Symposium on Invisible Wounds in Orlando, Florida. The symposium, hosted by Bush and Britain’s Prince Harry, sought to destigmatize the victims of post-traumatic stress and other injuries that are not readily visible. (DoD photo by EJ Hersom)

BETTER AWARENESS 

Both the prince and the former president said people with invisible wounds need better education about the resources available for them and better access to care. They also said symposiums like the one at the Invictus Games offer a chance for leadership and athletes from different countries to share knowledge. 

Del Toro said the Invictus Games also gives the athletes a chance to showcase how the athletes can overcome their invisible wounds and hopefully inspire others who may still be battling their injuries. 

"I want the opportunity to give everybody a voice and be able to change the narrative," Del Toro said, adding that while their stories have elements of tragedy, at the end of the day, "they are stories of triumph." 

Bush said he's pleased 13 other nations are participating in the Games, because invisible injuries relate to everyone. "This is an issue that relates to every vet, not just American vets," he said. 

Prince Harry said he encourages business leaders to hire service members who leave the service. "If I ran a business, I would want individuals like them, for the training they've had and for the values they stand up for," he said. 

PERSONAL STORY 

Medically retired Army Staff Sgt. Randi Gavell, who will compete in track and field and swimming, shared her personal story at the symposium.

"Events like this really bring awareness to things that other people may overlook or just don't understand so being able to, although shaking like a leaf, being able to go up there and speak about who I am and show people that this is who I am now, who I was and where I'm coming from and who I still am is great," she said. "It's still a big part of my life. It's an opportunity for me to speak for other people and to hopefully give them a piece of hope at the same time." 

Gavell said the panel was phenomenal. 

"It was fun to hear them, with DT and JJ kind of [going] back and forth, and see their humor come out a little bit and embrace the seriousness of the issue, but also know that we military members still find the humor in our everyday lives. It was pretty fantastic," she said. 

Del Toro said he enjoyed it as well, and that Bush always "busts my chops." He was honored to be on the panel, he added, and to spread the word about invisible injuries. 

"We really need to fix this," he said. "If you keep saying everything's great, it's never going to change. As long as you stay vocal, that's when things start changing. If you have the opportunity to talk to somebody, especially somebody who can make a difference, be vocal." 

VETERANS CAN MAKE HUGE CONTRIBUTIONS 

Bush said many U.S. citizens say they have a miserable life, but do not have nearly the comeback stories as disabled veterans like the ones competing at Invictus. 

"Our vets want help, but they don't want pity," the former president said. "Our vets can make huge contributions. Our vets set such an incredibly good example for people." 

Prince Harry said veterans deserve more than just thanks you for their service. 

"You lead by example, which is incredibly important in today's world, and it's an amazing foundation to start with but now we've gotten to where it needs to be more than that," he said. "We need to open our doors to these amazing individuals because we value these people. They're the ones who've put their lives on the line. Their families have sacrificed everything. They deserve so much more than a shake of the hand and a thank you." 

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