and should not be used more than once a day. breo may increase your risk of pneumonia, thrush, osteoporosis, and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking breo. ask your doctor about b-r-e-o for copd. first prescription free at mybreo.com welcome. i'm patrick murphy. thank you for joining us. it's been a big week for the military and the national security of our nation. u.s. forces are once again deploying to iraq as sunni militants conquer a large swath of the country. the alleged benghazi mastermind is captured in libya, and the nation salutes our newest medal of honor recipient. we have a great show ahead. i'll be talking to jed bartlett

about his work with veterans courts and how he honors his six brothers who served in the military. and in this month's installment of "wounded the battle back home," by the wounded warrior project, we'll have a searing portrait of ptsd which affects one in five iraq and afghanistan veterans. and we'll celebrate pride month and introduce you to our latest segment. but first, our guest is former marine and naval acadkadcademy graduate montel williams. welcome to the show. >> thank you so much for having me. >> montel are folks surprised when you're out there being such a champion for our fellow veterans to know that you're a veteran and the fact that you're a marine and naval academy graduate? >> what's really funny, 17 years doing the montel williams show and while i was on the show i think everybody knew that. but now i've been off the daily show and a whole generation of people don't even remember or look back to figure out what my past was. and i have 22 years in. i did 17 years really all active

duty. and my last five were in the reserves. even while in reserves i went on and off active duty speaking around the country and doing other things. and since i took the uniform off officially, i've served every year. i'm a board member right now, and i've done shows about our veterans just like you have. i applaud you, what you're trying to do here on the show. thank you. >> i appreciate it. this has been a crazy week for veterans in the military. >> yeah. >> let me dive into it. as you know the sunni extremist group isis they've taken over four towns. they've now taken over two of the border crossings, one in jordan, one in syria. and president obama has said himself, this is not a military solution. it needs to be a political one in iraq. he's spending 300 of our special forces in there. you know what do you think they're going to be doing once they're there? >> let's remember what was said. one of the things you started with at the top of the show we're going back into iraq but we have to tell people at home we're going into our second theater of war. remember, america, we're at war.

we've not declared the war end in afghanistan. now we're going to send guys into a second theater. the president talked about 350 two days ago. you remember r5550 marines were going to hit the ground to be part of the distraction force. there are already 300 marines on the ground, right? >> because we have the largest embassy in iraq the largest embassy in the world is in baghdad. >> so when we say 300, stop not telling the whole picture. there's over 1,000 on the ground now. >> yeah. >> tomorrow if one of them gets injured, come on, patrick. why can't we say right now if that guy who gets injured tomorrow on the ground in iraq we're going to do everything we need to do to take care of you for the rest of your life? we haven't done it yet. >> wow. well, there's a lot going on there. how do you think the veterans community is reacting to the fact that we're going back into iraq now? i'm sure you're hearing it. >> i'm hearing from different guys. fortunately, i'm blessed that i have an opportunity to stay in contact with a lot of people who are on active duty just the

fact a lot of retired admirals colonel, and i hear from guys. and everybody has a little trepidation thinking wait, you're going to sign me back in the fight, but remember you still have to fulfill a promise to the other guys who just fought. and if you're going to send me in there you know we talked -- we didn't get a chance to talk about this backstage, but i was just talking to somebody else asking a question. before we were in iraq we at least thought we had an objective. what is the objective right now? can we even define it? if the objective is trying to find out how to create a democracy in this country, a lot of people need to -- >> yeah. >> -- be slapped silly, i'm sorry, i'm trying to figure out the way to say it the right way. >> my argument is if it's to buy time for maliki so we get a new leader, because i think we need a new leader in iraq. i think maliki has ruined the chance. he has not reached out to the sunni minority or the kurds. so i think that is where it is. but we have a lot to cover. let me go now to benghazi. >> yes, sir. >> we got the mastermind the delta force and fbi went in deep into libya this week.

we got khattala. we captured him this week. let me ask you this. now that we've captured the mastermind behind benghazi do you think it's still going to be politicized? >> of course. >> what's going on. >> of course! we will not let this go! there's a certain faction in our congress that has to make sure that between now and the time that the president leaves office, they make sure they can again it as ineffectual as they can by bringing up things that are not important. i'm going to say to you if this becomes any part of the discussion this week everybody watching right now should follow me on twitter. monday stel underscore williams and follow va surge. part of the reason why is because if they bring this up this week, knowing what they know, it's nothing more than a way to deflect us the american public, from thinking about the things that need to get done. >> yeah. talking about things to get done, v.a. crisis. >> oh my god. >> now, we know 22 veterans commit suicide a day. >> a day. >> tens of thousands are waiting to get in there. what needs to be done? what more needs to be done to help solve the crisis? >> patrick, i have been

screaming at the loudest voice -- you know what? maybe it's because of the messenger, people don't want to hear it out of my mouth. i'm hoping you can tell them the same. two days ago the news got deflected by the fact that we have 60,000 children flooding our borders in a terrorist activity because other countries are doing this deliberately to make the united states deflect interest, put resources there to work on this issue. but in the middle of this whole crisis, just like this we decide we can take these 60,000 children and send them to d.o.d. facilities to take care of them. and we are right now not allowing our veterans who have left body parts in the field to go to these same facilities for help. patrick, something's wrong. >> we need research. >> we need a big surge. >> you've been out after it on twitter, the v.a. surge hashtag. we're going to continue this conversation. please. >> there's a lot more we need to

do to wrap our arms around these men and women when they come home. >> thank you for what you're doing. even this network. once a month you're on. you need to be on once a week. i'm saying it! you do! i'm sorry. >> montel thank you very much. we have the army/navy thing going up here. >> we kick his butt every year. up next an interview with martin sheen. and make sure that you have voice your heard using the the #takingthehill. i spent my entire childhood seeing the world in reverse, and i loved every minute of it. but then you grow up and there's no going back. but it's okay, it's just a new kind of adventure. and really, who wants to look backwards when you can look forward? look at what i put together. cheddar and honey nut chex mix. get outta here!

i made this belt with traditional, bold, and peanut butter chocolate chex mix. you guys are cute! i've got trail mix, peanut lovers, chipotle cheddar, dark chocolate, hot n' spicy... turtle, cookies 'n cream italian herb & parmesan, sour cream 'n onion, and brownie supreme chex mix. and it rotates. 20 flavors, lots of pieces. chex mix pick your mix. now try popped in white cheddar and sweet and salty. discover card. hey, i heard you guys can help me with frog protection? yeah, we help with fraud protection. we monitor every purchase every day and alert you if anything looks unusual. wow! you're really looking out for us. we are. and if there are unauthorized purchases on your discover card, you're never held responsible. just to be clear you are saying "frog protection" right? yeah, fraud protection. frog protection. fraud protection. frog. fraud. fro-g. frau-d. i think we're on the same page. we're totally on the same page. at discover, we treat you like you'd treat you. fraud protection. get it at discover.com something big has been erupting all around us. a renaissance of sorts recognized

by those that understand that they too, are big. but to shape the universe that, in turn, shapes them... ...they must align with the best, the network that has the capacity to help them be the best. as it's not just about speed and reliability. it's about being a part of a movement that moves you. for best results use verizon. welcome back to "taking the hill." i'm patrick murphy. martin sheen and melissa fitzgerald starred in the nbc hit show "the west wing." i got a chance to speak with both of them recently to discuss the work they're doing to advocate for veterans courts. there are more than 200 veteran

court as cross the country. they offer alternatives to incarceration for veterans suffering from mental health and substance abuse problems. it's a great program helping some vets get their services and their lives back on track. here's my interview with martin sheen, and i began by asking him why he's so passionate about the veterans community. >> well whenever i am associated with anything to do with veterans my mind flashes immediately to one of my heroes who happens to be my brother, john, a vietnam veteran, was a marine corpsman and who had his whole life turned around in a lot of different directions and came back strong and heroic. he's still my hero. and we're grateful to him, as i'm often bragging about him. but he was the first member of our family. there were nine boys in my family. six of them were in the service. and he was the first one of us to join a.a. and he encouraged all of us to get in.

>> he came back and you did the movie "apocalypse now." >> i had a veteran -- again, a street naught veteran, joe lowrie, whom i honor to this day. he often jokes about his injuries. he was regular army and he was ambushed in a rice paddy with about a dozen guys. and he was one of two to survive. and when he came to train, he came into my backyard. he said oh my god, this looks where i was shot because there were two treelines in an empty field where i lived at the time. anyway, joe was so badly injured that the perpetrators robbed him. they assumed he was dead. they took his wallet. they took all his money. they took his ring took everything that they could pull off him. and he survived. they sent him to me. they couldn't have sent a better guy. i honor him as well. joe taught me and assured me

against my better thoughts that i would have made a good soldier. he assured me you would have done well. and you would have survived. yes, i'm sure. and he gave me great confidence. if there's anything in that film that gave me credibility as a soldier, it was a reflection of joe lowry. again, i'm indebted to another vet, and i honor him. in the beginning, the film was not a very big commercial success. in fact, it was the veterans who made that film a success. the veterans began to see it. and passed the word among them. they said, i think these guys are on to it. they really got it down what it was like. you want to know what it was like? go see "apocalypse now." and that's what started the success of that film. >> do you think we'll start seeing more iraq and afghanistan films now that the wars are -- the iraq war has ended, the afghanistan war is winding down? >> what is more important and what i think really lasts longer in our culture is the written history and the oral history. soldiers have written their history.

and there's going to be more and more of that coming out. that is also where so much of the healing occurs in some of the new therapies that the v.a. has been experimenting with. i saw recently we talked before that was filmed on "60 minutes" segment where some of these very, very difficult situations a lot of these guys have been through, they're being brought to themselves and able to free themselves by dealing with each other and telling their story over and over and over again so that it gradually begins to lessen the impact it has on them, and they can see where they're going. because as we talked before you didn't train on your own. somebody didn't come into your backyard like they did me and train me to be a soldier. you trained with a unit. you trained with a fellow soldier. you went there with them. you served. you fought. and you returned together. you left some there. and part of you is still there. but you can only become yourself

and only become free by working with each other, sharing your stories over and over and over again so that they have less and less power over you. and you're free to help other guys who are still locked in that horrible tragedy and resentment and fear and anger. >> veteran courts which i know you're a champion of veteran courts -- >> yes, very much so yes. >> just like drug courts. but veteran courts have that mentorship of fellow veterans through the process. >> it takes one to know one. there is nobody but a fellow soldier, particularly a combat soldier, who can understand what -- where you're coming from and why you're where you are because in large measure, you're still back there. but it takes someone to know where you were. and to help you get back to where you should be, to where you are projected to be. and thank god for them. there are more and more drug court veterans that are coming in because of other veterans who have gone through the program

and have become mentors. and the bottom line is it takes one to know one. >> do you think veterans court is an avenue that will help them get back on the straight and narrow? >> there isn't a better medicine been devised yet. there's nothing you can wash down with alcohol that's going to help you. you know where that's going to take you. that numbs and reinforces the fear and the anger and the resentment. i think what drug court and particularly veterans drug court is doing is lowering that barrier and realizing that you have a friend on the other side. it's not someone just trying to break in. it's someone who has been there, who's standing with you, who is encouraging you to come out. and they can, together, it's just like a.a. that i know about personally. it's doing it together. you cannot do it alone. and you can't be expected to do it alone.

that's one of the great tragedies, as so many lads have disappeared and have destroyed themselves because they tried to do it alone or just tried to carry it alone. you can't. it's too heavy. you know one of the great parts of being human is being broken. and i've heard the term we are beautifully broken. i think that veterans more and more, are becoming aware of just how beautiful it is to be vulnerable and broken because that's the only way you can come to yourself. and really become strong because we are only strong in those broken places. >> my full interview with martin sheen and melissa fitzgerald is up now on msnbc.com/takingthehill. coming up, this month's installment of "wounded: the battle back home." first we salute a marine on a mission close to the hearts of many in our country. ♪ ♪ ♪ yeah ♪ ♪ don't stop now, come on mony ♪ ♪ come on, yeah ♪ ♪ i

say yeah ♪ ♪ yeah ♪ ♪ yeah ♪ ♪ yeah ♪ ♪ yeah ♪ ♪ yeah ♪ ♪ yeah ♪ ♪ 'cause you make me feel ♪ ♪ like a pony ♪ ♪ so good ♪ ♪ like a pony ♪ ♪ so good ♪ ♪ like a pony ♪ [ male announcer ] the sentra with bose audio and nissanconnect technology. spread your joy. nissan. innovation that excites. ♪ mony mony ♪ we're moving our company to new york state. the numbers are impressive. over 400,000 new private sector jobs... making new york state number two in the nation in new private sector job creation... with 10 regional development strategies to fit your business needs. and now it's even better because they've introduced startup new york... with the state creating dozens of tax-free zones where businesses pay no taxes for ten years. become the next business to discover the new new york. [ male announcer ] see if your business qualifies.

when folks think about what they get from alaska, they think salmon and energy. but the energy bp produces up here creates something else as well: jobs all over america. engineering and innovation jobs. advanced safety systems & technology. shipping and manufacturing. across the united states bp supports more than a quarter million jobs. when we set up operation in one part of the country people in other parts go to work. that's not a coincidence. it's one more part of our commitment to america. if you're living with moderate to severe crohn's disease, and it feels like your life revolves around your symptoms,

ask your gastroenterologist about humira adalimumab. humira has been proven to work for adults who have tried other medications but still experience the symptoms of moderate to severe crohn's disease. in clinical studies, the majority of patients on humira saw significant symptom relief and many achieved remission. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal events, such as infections, lymphoma or other types of cancer have happened. blood, liver and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions and new or worsening heart failure have occurred. before starting humira, your doctor should test you for tb. ask your doctor if you live in or have been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. tell your doctor if you have had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have symptoms such as fever, fatigue, cough, or sores. you should not start humira if you have any kind of infection. ask your gastroenterologist about humira today. remission is possible.

welcome back to "taking the hill." this month, we salute marine rodrigo garcia who is a chairman of the student veterans of america and served three tours of duty overseas post-9/11. he's also the son of two mexican immigrants and is helping lead the effort of veterans for immigration reform. it's a growing movement that brings awareness of the role of immigrants in our nation's military. since 9/11 92,000 noncitizens have served in the u.s. military. i served with one, salomon bangen, who was killed in action in 2004. all members of our armed forces have earned their citizenship, and we salute marine rodrigo garcia and everyone fighting to pass immigration. we'll be right back with an inspirational story in honor of ptsd awareness month.

♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] momentum has a way of quietly exploding onto the scene. ♪ ♪ the new ram 1500 ecodiesel. with 28 highway miles per gallon 420 pound-feet of torque. ♪ ♪ guts. glory. ram.

[ male announcer ] don't just visit miami. [ jackhammer pounding horns honking ] [ siren wailing ] visit tripadvisor miami. [ bird chirping ] with millions of reviews, tripadvisor makes any destination better.

welcome back. in this month's installment of "wounded: the battle back home," we meet john an army veteran who served three years in iraq and returned home with both ptsd and a traumatic brain injury. ♪ >> when you look back at past generations of warriors when you look back particularly at world war ii you see a generation of warriors come back and not only heal with the support of their communities but become leaders in their communities, leaders in business, turn around the economy. and i think selfishly for us as a country, we will miss an opportunity to not only meet our obligation to the warriors that have sacrificed for us but to also give them the opportunity to become the next generation of leaders. these are young men and women dedicated to public service, bright, intelligent, articulate. and if we really want to move our country forward again, help the economy, help you know

bring back that divide that we seem to be in in our public discourse, i think warriors would play a huge role in that and we're missioning an opportunity if we don't help them get there. ♪ >> i've been working with animals off and on for over 17 years. even in the military for some reason i always ended up in that role. animal behavior to me is fascinating. to them their needs are basic. food, shelter, water. a reptile doesn't understand complex emotion. but at the same point in time animals do have a tendency to feed off the emotions of what they're around.

and if i go into a situation with a king cobra bent out of shape over something that happened, they can feed off that. and this animal can kill you. it forces me to turn to a state of calm before i even deal with them. you know you slow yourself down and really try to tune yourself into something else. if you get bit, it's on you. you know, you know what they are. you're dealing with a cobra. expect what a cobra does. there is no changing in stripes. but the same can't be said for humans. and seeing both the good and the bad side of humanity. i find reptiles a lot easier to read. they're really really tough, yet so fragile. and i like the simplicity of

their behavior. ♪ i am obtaining a bachelor's degree in herpetology, the study of reptiles. and i want to actually get into endangered species conservation. i was trying to find my own way in the civilian world. and then i got into the wounded warrior project. in the track program. track helps combat vets fund jobs or start going back to school. it was a way to try to bring some type of order to the chaos many of us face when we're out of the military. i like going to school.

and i've been fortunate enough where a lot of the instructors are trying to be accommodating. instructors like that are necessary for people like me. the original diagnosis was ptsd. tbi. i had to have neck fusion. and there was damage to the light receptors in my eye. and the best course of action is unfortunately to wear sunglasses. growing up out in west texas, i gave up a scholarship for some major colleges to go into the military because i didn't think i was college material. to me going back to school is a chance to start something new. >> all right. this chapter is about academic argument, which is kind of the core of this class.

so someone give me an example of the primary source. >> wouldn't that be like a quote from somebody? maybe? >> yeah. interviews are good. mm-hmm. good. yes? >> provided the individual has experience in that subject matter. >> yes. right. that's correct. the others -- >> i like the structure of a classroom setting. but at the same point in time it's really hard when everyone is half my age. it makes you feel old for the first time. and a lot of these kids their opinions to the military have been very hard to swallow. because they don't know what we've gone through. i joined the marine corps before i was the age of 18. my dad told me if you didn't make it through boot camp, don't

come home. i looked at it as you know if you don't think i can do it, i'm going to prove you wrong. i did three classified combat tours and one humanitarian tour. but i really didn't grow up like i thought i did. i was cocky. i was tired of rules and regulations. and i just couldn't stay with it. it bothers me today that i wasn't mature enough to realize what i had until i started trying to find my own way in the civilian world and really struggled, bounced around from civilian career to civilian career. but i had a nasty temper. and i was looking for a way back into the military. 9/11 happened. and with the civilian population knew it or not, those of us that were military we knew there was a fight coming.

it was only a matter of time and where. this was my second chance. this lieutenant was telling me how quick the national guard was getting ready for the retaliation. he introduced me into unit hopping. we'd go from a unit that just got home to a unit that's going to deploy. so we're constantly sticking ourselves back into the deployable unit. my wife at the time, we had kids. and struggling in the civilian world to try to keep a family afloat, the benefits that you'd get while you're over there to me outweighed the risk. abby was young enough she wouldn't remember daddy being gone. so from '04 to '07, i was over there constantly. people like me were picked up quickly because it brought combat experience, so i ended up going on missions with several

different platoons. being involved in so many ieds and explosions to where you really can't count how many times you went through it it's really hard to describe. going into an area where it might be the last time you see the light of day, i don't think anybody can describe that. the last unit i was with we got a call for a vehicle recovery. in what we called the tier one hotspot. we picked up the vehicle, but on the way back the road bubbled up right in front of our truck. and you had that oh [ bleep ] moment. i've had many of those moments but not like this. the shockwave blew us almost into the median. and i remember being a human pinball in the turret. training kicked in. our vehicle was still able to

drive. and at the time i thought, you know, it didn't kill me. of course from past experience i knew after going through something like that you've have headaches for about a week. this last ied, i went about three months but i didn't want to leave my unit. i finished up the deployment. and i made it absolutely clear to them that you know, i wasn't done yet. she's being temperamental this morning. >> a little bit. the other two are in the back. just look in here make sure you doesn't -- >> yeah, i got him.

the internship was a part of the track program. and it is designed to give track students real-world experience and taste for what they're going after. the san antonio zoo never had an intern in the reptile department until me. and the wounded warrior project did a phenomenal job to get me in there. >> lizard. just grab a handful. and crickets. >> in the beginning, they were really apprehensive because of the fact they were getting an injured soldier in there. but after working with me and having an open communication, everything went really, really well. >> there you go. >> my past experience with animals, i could help them out and be their gopher. and i was able to start putting

effort into what was going on. that helped me start looking to the future because it took a little while for me to come to terms with the fact that i was being retired. '07. came back stateside. the headaches persisted. light was killing me. and my memory went south. we never heard of tbi or ptsd. but i always tried to make clear when doctors stop with the medication. stop with the medication. let's fix this. but the more i kept fighting to go back to the unit and deploy the more they found wrong with me. i really started having problems

with family life. and without going into too much detail she left with the kids. i felt like i'm trying to fight two different battles at the same time. so when the orders came down that i was being retired, it tore me up. i understand why, but i really didn't like that i was leaving. something that i loved. i couldn't -- i couldn't understand. i really couldn't understand. going through hell with a group of guys doing what i thought

was best for my family. then here i was. i lost my family over this. i felt who i was trying to be it felt like a second chance. and i ended up letting everybody down. so yeah there was a lot of hate there. it feels like your identity is stripped. shortly after all that happened i met michelle.

>> after the break, more on john's story and how he gets a second chance. get outta here! i made this belt with traditional, bold, and peanut butter chocolate chex mix. you guys are cute! i've got trail mix, peanut lovers, chipotle cheddar, dark chocolate, hot n' spicy... turtle, cookies 'n cream italian herb & parmesan, sour cream 'n onion, and brownie supreme chex mix. and it rotates. 20 flavors, lots of pieces. chex mix pick your mix. now try popped in white cheddar and sweet and salty. i'm m-a-r-y and i have copd. i'm j-e-f-f and i have copd. i'm l-i-s-a and i have copd, but i don't want my breathing problems to get in the way of hosting my book club. that's why i asked my doctor about b-r-e-o. once-daily breo ellipta helps increase airflow from the lungs for a full 24 hours. and breo helps reduce symptom flare-ups that last several days and require oral steroids, antibiotics, or hospital stay. breo is not for

asthma. breo contains a type of medicine that increases risk of death in people with asthma. it is not known if this risk is increased in copd. breo won't replace rescue inhalers for sudden copd symptoms and should not be used more than once a day. breo may increase your risk of pneumonia, thrush, osteoporosis, and some eye problems. te hell ask your doctor about b-r-e-o for copd. first prescription free at mybreo.com so this board gives me rates on progressive direct and other car insurance companies? yes. but you're progressive and they're them. -yes. -but they're here. -yes. -are you... -there? -yes. -no. -are you them? i'm me. but the lowest rate is from them. -yes. -so them's best rate is... here. so where are them? -aren't them here? -i already asked you that. -when? -feels like a while ago. want to take it from the top? rates for us and them. now that's progressive.

call or click today. the largest enterprises in the world are the largest targets in the world for every hacker, crook and nuisance in the world. but systems policed by hp's cyber security team are constantly monitored for threats. outside and in. that's why hp reports and helps neutralize more intrusions than anyone... in the world. if hp security solutions can help keep the world's largest organizations safe they can keep yours safe, too. make it matter.

welcome back. here's part of two of john's story, "wounded: the battle back home" produced in part by the wounded warrior project. >> you've got to walk with my face now. >> oh yeah. i forgot. >> when i started seeing michelle i don't know if she really understood what she stepped into. i slept all the time. i didn't move around. a lot of that was because i didn't know what else to do. i wasn't familiar with on your own schedule. i wasn't familiar with this every-man-for-yourself mentality. michelle adapted really quickly to someone i actually relied on maybe more than i should.

>> he is a very misunderstood creature. i think that's why he can relate with reptiles. because they are a misunderstood creature. but most people are fake. john is not fake. i can be me. he can be himself. we're not trying to put on a facade for each other. it's like we're just us. i really enjoy being around him. he's completely different from anybody else i've ever known, and within three months of knowing each other i moved in with him with my son. when him and i first got together, we would sit and play video games and just sit there and we would talk about everything. he was really angry, but i knew it wasn't at me. you know to hear what he saw, what he dealt with it is hard because me i want to be able to take that pain away. and i can't. i want to understand everything.

and i can't because i wasn't there. but that was just the thing about it. it's not about me. i just need to be right there beside him, taking care of my family, however i could take care of him. >> so it's your turn, right? >> mm-hmm. >> cheater. >> i know. >> you know him and i talked about the importance of education for our children. and he started thinking about it and he's like well how can i get on to them about making sure they finish high school and go to college if i haven't even done that? and i said, well, why don't you? >> a friend of mine was already in the track program. michelle did most of the research. and when i got with this group, i think i started being shown, i'm not the only one that's dealing with this. >> i do all of the interviews

for the track program, so i remember when i first kind of met john and worked with him and talked about what his goals were. you know, he was kind of in spiral that most vettens are in before they come here to track. in the military you have a purpose. you know why you're moving forward. each day you have structure. you know where you're supposed to be and when you're supposed to be there. and in the civilian world, you don't have that. >> you go into the military. your job is your identity. >> but part of what i want them to understand is that they're not just this ignorant ground pounder that got hurt. they have value. and they need to be able to showcase that not only to themselves but to potential employers and people in the educational field, too. >> it just takes some time to transition, you know, and maybe in the military they were a staff sergeant or a lieutenant colonel. but now you're going to be dropped into a classroom where 17 and 18-year-olds who are working for this guy who just got out of college. that's why we put them in a cohort so they have guys that have same or similar backgrounds as them that they can work with and talk to each day, and they

all go to the same classes. >> we have resume-writing closs. we perform mock interviews they'll create a bio and really start to showcase who they are. >> and they're working towards that externship working towards that job once it's over. you're going to have to work for your own success, but the point for this year is to come together and help each other. >> from the get-go it was like being in a combat unit. you know you had that kind of camaraderie. it felt like a family. it felt like being back at home. i graduated from the trac program in 2013. and actually going back and talking to the cohorts that's there, taking what i've learned and passing it on to try to give them that hope try to give them that sense that they're not alone. >> all right, guys.

at ease. at ease. today i brought john uzner. he's been out of trac almost a year, okay? so he's going to talk about his transition afterwards and his successes and failures. and if you have any questions, please feel free to throw them out there. thank you. >> good morning, guys. >> good morning. >> i am john one of the members of cohort 4. i have definitely experienced some highs and lows, like most of y'all. when i got here i had a lot of inner demons to overcome. in some cases, i still have to face them although i've actually learned that what i did in the military and who i was in the military hasn't gone away. it's still a part of me as it is still very much a part of you. i know i have new limitations like many of you do. and i'm constantly finding some of my limits again.

but at the same point in time, i don't want us to be defined by this new norm. i want us to be defined by the reputation you build and what you want for yourself. i am an alumni here. i am one of you guys. coming into this i was one of the ones that was being carried. now i'm hoping that i can actually start giving back. >> i spent eight years in the military. was in iraq. i was in the marine corps from '91 to '98. >> from "desert storm" all the way to "iraqi freedom" and afghanistan. >> everything i know about being a man or being an adult or being responsible i learned from the marine corps. >> and then i was injured on my second deployment to iraq. >> '04, '05, was blown up a couple times. >> ended up with a lot of back issues. >> ptsd and all this stuff. >> i wanted to go right back to duty.

my leg had other ideas. >> i got a violent shove into the civilian work life with no guidance. all i had was military experience and a ged. i didn't have anything to roll on. so i was making 9 bucks an hour. >> i was a house dad for about six months. worst experience ever. >> mental stuff started to pile up, and i started drowning. i lost my job. tried school. was doing pretty good. and then you know, my support system fell out. i sat down on the sofa and i took my bag of chips out. >> and each surgery, it took a little piece away from me as far as my confidence and what my success would be. and i had to relearn to walk three different times. and it's difficult, you know because each time, i wasn't as good at it at the end. >> my wife said get off your ass. we need to go do something. and she showed me the it will trac pam let. >> i remember sitting here thinking i don't know if i can do this. i'm such a train wreck right

now. >> what kept me going is my contact with my fellow soldiers. >> from day one, we've been there together. there's never been a person left behind or left all by himself. if we don't succeed as one, we don't we don't succeed as one, we don't succeed. >> i'm getting back to the person i used to be. i've gotten back with my brothers and that's really helped as well. >> i finally feel like i'm transitioned finally making that cross into the civilian world. >> i know exactly what i want to do. i couldn't say that when i first got here. >> i've worked since i've been in jack but, hey, i can run, you know. >> getting school knocked out, understanding that. not scared of it anymore. got ptsd under control. i'm grateful i'm here. >> grateful for the opportunity to sit at this table with you

all. >> this has been quite a ride and i look forward to seeing where it goes. >> we do a lot of talking about what the next step is and how to deal with a certain situation. but a lot of what we do is just being there, being that example. i feel like i've successfully transitioned and i want to see that for them. they are going to be future leaders. their success is our nation's success. they want to be part of something again. >> that tenacity and integrity and placing that in classrooms placing that in corporate america, placing that in public service, that's a game changer. >> so many guys mentality, what they did in the military was the pinnacle of their life. i remember that. can you be proud of your service but your life isn't over. you still have things you can achieve.

>> come on. >> don't give up. you got this. there you go. there you go. >> how is he doing that? he's so good. >> make me realize that the military was a chapter that eventually was going to have an end. >> he was able to learn to trust people again. they were always there. they always helped him out. you know we have these goals that are set in place. we know that, you know we're going to reach them. when he sets his mind to what he wants, he's going to achieve it. i'm the one right there beside him helping to achieve those

goals. i can't see my life without them. that's what's kind of cool. >> there's more to me than the years i spent in uniform. once that kind of sunk in i felt a sense of renewal. i'm not trying to get away from it but i'm trying to move on. i didn't lose anything. all i did was start a new chapter of my life. >> next, my final thoughts on pride month.

when i served in congress i had the honor to repeal don't ask don't tell a policy that kicked out 13,000 americans from the military. three and a half years since, 19 states and district of columbia

have marriage equality. the advocates-free quality that made america a more perfect nation. thanks for joining us on "taking the hill" i'm patrick murphy. up next, "meet the press." (mother vo) when i was pregnant... i got more advice than i knew what to do with. what i needed was information i could trust on how to take care of me and my baby. luckily, unitedhealthcare has a simple program that helps moms stay on track with their doctors and get the right care and guidance-before and after the baby is born. simple is good right now. (anncr vo) innovations that work for you. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. [ female announcer ] there's a gap out there. that's keeping you from the healthcare you deserve. at humana, we believe if healthcare changes if it becomes simpler... if frustration and paperwork decrease... if grandparents get to live at home instead of in a home... the

gap begins to close. so let's simplify things. let's close the gap between people and care. ♪ ♪ we're moving our company to new york state. the numbers are impressive. over 400,000 new private sector jobs... making new york state number two in the nation in new private sector job creation... with 10 regional development strategies to fit your business needs. and now it's even better because they've introduced startup new york... with the state creating dozens of tax-free zones where businesses pay no taxes for ten years. become the next business to discover the new new york. [ male announcer ] see if your business qualifies. if you're living with moderate to severe crohn's disease, and it feels like your life revolves around your symptoms, ask your gastroenterologist about humira adalimumab. humira has been proven to work for adults who have tried other medications but still experience the symptoms of moderate to severe

crohn's disease. in clinical studies, the majority of patients on humira saw significant symptom relief and many achieved remission. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal events, such as infections, lymphoma or other types of cancer have happened. blood, liver and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions and new or worsening heart failure have occurred. before starting humira, your doctor should test you for tb. ask your doctor if you live in or have been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. tell your doctor if you have had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have symptoms such as fever, fatigue, cough, or sores. you should not start humira if you have any kind of infection. ask your gastroenterologist about humira today. remission is possible.

next on "meet the press," president obama's war on terror in the middle east. will anything short of american military action prevent the creation of an al qaeda linked terrorist state stretching from iraq to syria. i'll be joined exclusively by israel prime minister benjamin netanyahu. plus my interview with senator rand paul of kentucky that's already making big news. his surprising assessment of president obama's handling of iraq and a warning benghazi could haunt a hillary clinton presidential run. political mudslinging. the inside story on this week's