Helping Others in the Military Helped Me | Male Sexual Abuse

Описание: "The biggest problem I had as a now-survivor was...working through the things that I did not know or learn as a child."

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Find information and support related to male sexual abuse and assault: https://1in6.org
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Sitting down for his Bristlecone interview, Glen recounts a conversation he had with a Holocaust survivor many years ago. He learned a lot from the elderly gentleman about the human desire to survive even in the face of pure evil. It is a fitting beginning for Glen’s interview. Glen’s childhood was a personal Holocaust. Glen and his twin sister were born three months early. Only Glen survived. Home from the hospital, he was sadistically tortured by his mother from birth throughout his childhood years. He was locked in closets and in cellar-dungeons and ultimately he was thrown outside to live in the elements. After years of abuse, he was deliberately fed to a neighborhood pedophile who repeatedly raped him. When the state removed him from his mother’s custody he was sent to an orphanage and sexually abused by his caretakers.

The mystery of Glen is how a human being can survive such relentless horrors as a child and still look out on the world with an intense love for life. The mystery is partly explained by Glen’s openness to the suffering of others around him. As a child runaway he was befriended by hobos who fed and protected him. A blind couple let him do chores, sheltered and fed him.

When Glen left the orphanage he was quickly headed down a path of self destruction. Thankfully, the draft diverted him into the Army. There, he was mentored into a leader. The mentoring shaped Glen into a productive soldier and truly started his healing process. Glen served 30 years in the Army, retiring in 2002 with the rank of Command Sergeant Major.

Today, Glen’s true passion in life is his writing, motivational speaking and helping his fellow survivors of child abuse. He sponsors several survivors’ groups where he mentors, assists and shares his story.

“I survived what should have killed me!!!”

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1in6 is a national nonprofit organization supporting the estimated 1 in 6 men who have experienced sexual abuse or assault. At 1in6, we believe that the tens of millions of male survivors who have had such experiences deserve to live whole, meaningful lives, but we know that isn’t always easy. Entrenched myths about masculinity, the stigma and silence around the issue, and a lack of male-specific services are just some of the barriers men face to seeking help and addressing emotional wounds in a healthy way.

Men who feel unsafe to disclose and seek help may risk exposure to social dysfunction and mental and physical health issues, including but not limited to: depression, PTSD, suicidal ideation, addiction, isolation, fear of intimacy, confusion about sexuality, interpersonal violence, and feelings such as anger, guilt, shame, and distrust.

We help men overcome the negative effects of past experiences and reclaim their lives by offering information, outreach, and free and anonymous services for men and their loved ones, as well as service providers working with men.

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