According to data from the Department of Veterans Affairs, Idaho is home to more than 100,000 veterans.
Thousands of veterans and first responders around the country battle PTSD, and a pair of Idaho veterans are working to help support those struggling.
Brent Rowe and Jarad Webb know firsthand what it's like to battle PTSD. Brent served for more than a decade in the military, and Jarad served as a marine and a police officer for years.
Both men say PTSD took them to a dark place in their lives, battling addiction and the emotional toll it took on them.
"When you're in the military, you're strong and you stay strong. You drink heavily, and there's no weakness. And I had to get rid of that," said Rowe.
Webb struggled with the same thing. He served as a police officer for 16 years after his time as a Marine. Getting his PTSD diagnosis meant having a better understanding of what the disorder was.
"Those blowups I had in the living room with my family, where I'm angry and there's no reason to be. That's PTSD and I didn't understand that before," remembered Webb.
The men met in Vet Court, a treatment program for veterans. After talking over a cup of coffee and getting to know each other, they realized they had a special opportunity to help others going through what they went through.
"You know life is just fantastic today. There are vets and first responders out there that don't realize that yet, and I want to help them," Rowe said.
"When he pitched the idea of using the coffee to give back to vets and first responders with PTSD, the struggles we went through--to pull the next guys and gals out, I was all in," Webb said.
So Zero Dark Thirty Coffee was born. The nonprofit sells coffee, and most of the proceeds go back to PTSD treatment programs.
The two men say they want to be there to support their fellow brothers and sisters who served: one cup of coffee at a time.
"There's a lot of help out there, and a lot of it doesn't cost you anything: just your time--and it's worth it," Webb. said.
Rowe and Webb have found the recipe for a moment of peace and it's pretty simple: helping others, and appreciating the little things.
"Now we get to help people. That's what this is all about. I'm sober today because someone reached out and helped me," Rowe said. "You grind (the coffee) the morning before you drink it, and you sip it slowly, and you enjoy life."
If you'd like to check out the nonprofit, they deliver all around the Treasure Valley! You can order their coffee here.
If you or someone you know needs help, please don't hesitate to reach out. Here's a list of mental health and addiction resources:
Idaho Suicide Prevention Hotline:
Phone: (208) 398-4357
Website: https://www.idahosuicideprevention.org/
Veteran's Crisis Line:
Phone: 1 (800) 273-8255 (PRESS 1), or you can text: 838255 to get help from professionals, 24/7.
Website: https://www.boise.va.gov/
Crisis Hotline:
Phone: 208-788-3596
Website: http://thecrisishotline.org/
Marimn Health:
Phone: 208-686-1931
St. Luke's Psychiatric Wellness Clinic:
Phone: 208-706-6375
211 Idaho Careline:
Phone: Dial 211 or 1-800-926-2588
Code 4 Northwest:
Phone: 425-243-5092
Crisis Intervention:
Phone: 208-334-0808
Addiction hotline:
Phone: (888) 659-7510
Website: https://addictionresource.com/addiction-and-rehab-hotlines/idaho-numbers/
Idaho Department of Health and Welfare:
Website: https://healthandwelfare.idaho.gov/Medical/MentalHealth/tabid/103/Default.aspx
Phone lists: https://healthandwelfare.idaho.gov/ContactUs.aspx
