From PTSD to ROI: One Investor’s Journey from the Battlefield to Investing

By Aaron Hoos

For many real estate investors, the journey to become a real estate investor often starts with something mundane, for example, job dissatisfaction or a desire for financial freedom. But for Corporal Chris De Witte of the 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment, the journey to becoming a real estate investor was triggered by a life-changing event – a military ambush in Afghanistan.

In 1999, Chris was working at a lumber mill and trying to figure out his life. He realized it was time for a change and thought to himself, “I’m going to do something different; something positive with my life.” Drawing inspiration from a relative who had served in the military, he joined the army on July 4th, 2000.

The transition was quick. “I joined, we did some training, and then I did three back-to-back tours in Afghanistan. “

The first two tours were challenging, as anyone would expect, but everything changed on September 3rd, 2006 on his third tour in Afghanistan. He was traveling with his Company (approximately 140 soldiers on that particular day) and they were ambushed. Chris says, “We were outnumbered and reports vary that it was 140 of us against 400 to 1200 enemy combatants. “

During the exchange, a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) exploded nearby and knocked Chris down, leaving him fortunately unscathed. When air support showed up, the Company was able to exit the battlefield, although tragically, a few comrades lost their lives. That night the Company set up camp, unaware that the situation was about to get even worse.

When morning dawned, the Company started breaking camp, which included burning all garbage in order to leave no trace of their presence behind for the enemy. Soldiers were still crawling out of sleeping bags as the smoke from the burning garbage wafted into the sky. Chris reports: “I was on the back of the LAV [Light Armoured Vehicle] telling everyone to wake up. “

Suddenly the morning routine was broken as explosive gunfire rained down from the sky. “An American A-10 [ground attack jet] saw the smoke and thought it was fire that had started in a different location during an exchange with the enemy, ” Chris explains.

“Time slowed down and I started running toward the back of a LAV, ” says Chris. “I took the brunt of the rocks and debris [thrown up by gunshots] and received massive blunt force trauma to my back and legs, as well as shrapnel. “

The pilot of the A-10 quickly realized his error and stopped firing but not before killing a Canadian soldier and wounding many others.

Although it was a traumatic experience, Chris was a trained soldier and he continued on with his tour after the event. Months later, he started to notice a lump in his back. It was the result of wounds received during the friendly fire incident. He completed his tour in early 2007 and returned home.

From 2007 to 2014, Chris continued serving in Canada, experiencing little more than what was thought to be typical “reintegration ” issues that most soldiers face after returning home from war. However, while attending some training in New Brunswick in early 2014, a maintenance worker hammering on a pipe, a seemingly innocent event, triggered a massive PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) episode for Chris. “Hammering on that pipe was like a switch, ” Chris says. “I went from nothing to meltdown.”

Nearly a year after that event, Chris is learning to live life with PTSD. There are many ways to try and suppress PTSD symptoms to a point where you can live every day life experiencing them, such as going to therapy or even using cannabis (perhaps Organic CBD Nugs) to calm your emotions. Not only does this require Chris to think intentionally about his daily activities, the challenge is compounded as he thinks about what life will be like after his military discharge. “I have triggers, ” he explains. Once triggered, his flashbacks set in: “I’ll have flashbacks, like a highlight reel and I can’t get it out of my head, ” he explains.

Chris was recommended help from several avenues to treat his PTSD. Treatments such as CBD oil to ease his anxieties and reduce the feeling of being on edge if exposed to one of his triggers. But still, he suffered day in and day out, worried for his future as a civilian and having to adapt to civilian employment. He was thinking he’d have to consume some of the highest concentration of CBD oil each day in order to try and remain “trigger-less”. Would he be able to work for an employer if he was having a bad day? And, what skills does he possess as a soldier that can be applied in civilian life? As stated previously, he wanted to try many different options available to him before he tried engaging in civilian life once more, and considering Canada’s legal stance on cannabis and other cannabis-derived products, he had access to many more options than others around the world find themselves with. This meant he could look to use something like these phoenix tears Canada based dispensaries can provide, instead of being prescribed various opiates or benzodiazepines that veterans in America often attempt to use with little success.

These questions continually plagued Chris and that ‘s when he realized that real estate investing may be the answer. “I ‘d heard of REIN. My fiancé’s co-worker is a real estate investor. And my high school vice principal owned properties and I thought at the time that it would be a great way to make a living. “

After serious thought, he realized it was the opportunity he needed: Investing gives him the promise of flexibility and financial freedom that he wouldn’t ‘t get from a civilian job. “If I was having a bad day and I need[ed] to work from home, investing [would] allow me to do so. I [could] have flexible hours, ” Chris says. Additionally, the planning, discipline, and precision he gained from his years of military service would only serve to benefit him.

Chris and his fiancé joined REIN a few months later in May 2014, completing their first deal that same summer – a buy and hold strategy in a developing area. “We used the experience of other investors to know if we were picking out a good house in a good area; we used the REIN principles. ” he explains. “And since two other properties were for sale right across the street, we used that as a bargaining chip when we started talking prices. “

This first property was funded with a mortgage from Chris but his plans are bigger: “I plan to work with other investors to buy a house every other month for the next five years, ” he says. He’s tapping into his network of contacts to find investors who are willing to commit.

For Chris, it’s not just about financial freedom; there’s a higher purpose: “I want to help other soldiers suffering from PTSD, ” he explains of his two pronged approach to giving back: First, “I want to help other veterans who are facing the same thing I am, either by teaching them how to invest their money or by helping them invest their money. ” And, second, as an avid Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner, Chris envisions creating a charity that uses Brazilian jiu-jitsu to help soldiers deal with the effects of PTSD. “With Brazilian jiu-jitsu, I’m focused, I’m around friends, I’m thinking about something else. It’s helped with my moods; it’s a good way to get out a lot of frustration. “

Chris served his country for many years and faced the type of days that most civilians cannot fathom. Today, this veteran is discovering how real estate investing can open up a whole new world of possibilities after military service and the support it provides in allowing him the lifestyle and the potential financial freedom to live comfortably with PTSD.

Fifteen years ago, Corporal Chris De Witte decided to do something positive with his life. He faithfully served his country for many years and now he’s embarking on a new mission – to build financial independence and to help other veterans. It ‘s a journey he ‘s excited to be on.

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