By Conor Harrison on January 13, 2014 in Texas Hunting
Image: Lone Star Outdoor News
El Paso Air Force Staff Sergeant Josh Solorza spent more than a year in Iraq training local Iraqi police forces.
When he returned from the war, he was hit with devastating Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. Two servicemen he fought with took their own lives upon returning.
Along with the PTSD, one of the toughest things about returning home was reconnecting with his three children.
“I have three children, the oldest of which is 6,” he said. “I had trouble dealing with the casualties I saw. It affected how I dealt with my children. I have come a long ways since returning home through counseling and educating
myself, along with turning over my life to God. I have a 17-year-old cousin, Randy Lujan, whose mom raised both of us.
“He doesn’t have a dad — I’m the only father figure in his life.”
Solorza wanted to reconnect with his cousin in a meaningful way, so his Air Force Wounded Warrior representative hooked him up with Gino Attardi, executive director of Tomorrow’s Hunter, an organization that lets returning veterans reconnect with their children through the outdoors after long deployments by paying for them to go on hunting and fishing trips.