MSNBC documentary to feature Marine vet & latest WSOF signee shane krutchen 11-2 fw

http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Shane-Kruchten-22808 11-2 fw



With millions of Americans preparing to honor those who sacrificed by serving in the armed forces on Veterans Day this Monday, MSNBC is using their Sunday, November 10 “Taking the Hill” slot to premiere the debut episode of their new documentary film series Wounded: The Battle Back Home. Produced in conjunction with the Austin, Texas-based Flow Nonfiction, the series commemorates the 10th anniversary of the non-profit Wounded Warrior Project, which helps raise awareness and enlist public aid for injured service members while also honoring and empowering Wounded Warriors from all military branches.

Wounded: The Battle Back Home will help to shed light on the often immense struggle that wounded soldiers much face, both physically and psychologically, when returning home from battle. Each episode will focus on an injured service member’s resiliency and strength as they adjust to life back in the States. This Sunday’s premiere focuses on Shane Kruchten, a Marine Corps combat veteran who returned from Iraq with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Kruchten, now a married father, turns to mixed martial arts (he recently signed to the World Series of Fighting organization) to turn his life around after a 2009 suicide attempt. The episode follows Shane just days before a professional MMA bout.

In the above Parade.com exclusive clip from the episode, Kruchten discusses his back tattoo, which includes the names of his nineteen Marine brothers from the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines killed in Iraq. Shane, who got his signature tattoo on Veterans Day in 2009, says that it serves as a tribute to all his fallen brothers and sisters.

“I deal with survivor’s guilt a lot,” the veteran told Parade in an exclusive interview. “I wasn’t able to be there for a lot of brothers that were killed in action, and that’s really hard on me. I just wanted people to never forget them because I never forget them. I live with their names embedded in me now for the rest of my life. I’m a walking memorial. I look at myself as a walking reminder of the sacrifices they made. It’s a way to remember what freedom is all about.”

Arriving home from Iraq with problems like TBI and PTSD can make the transition to civilian life incredibly difficult. Kruchten says he felt lost, and finding the Wounded Warrior Project was the thing that turned his life around.

“I felt that, if I turned to somebody for help, that I would be looked down upon for being weak,” he said. “I was a Marine, and you don’t ever ask for help or say something is wrong because you were looked at as being weak. When I did look for help, I was, more or less, ostracized from my unit and taken away from my brothers. I was like the black sheep. It was really sad. The people at the Wounded Warrior Project never looked at me that way. They empowered me to give me the strength to get the help I needed.”

Wounded: The Battle Back Home (Shane) airs on Sunday, November 10 at noon EST as part of “Taking the Hill” on MSNBC. Additional episodes will air over the course of the coming year.

http://www.parade.com/227406/scottneumyer/exclusive-video-msnbcs-wounded-the-battle-back-home-profiles-wounded-vet-to-commemorate-the-wounded-warrior-project/