CHEVIOT, Ohio — On a large stage at church, Timothy Grant tells a story. But in a small room down the hallway, he tells another version.
“The van burst into flames,” Grant said. “Needless to say, all seven people were dead on arrival.”
Before he became a firefighter, Grant served more than two decades in the Air Force. He was a flight medic. And he tells me he saw a lot of blank stares. The kind of stares that suggested nothing was OK — even if the patient would survive their injury.
“I’ve seriously questioned my faith,” Grant said. “Because you witness something, and you can’t believe God would let that happen.”
He stopped going to church for years. But now, on the first Sunday of every month at Vineyard Westside Church, he sits on a stool in front of a couple of veterans. They get the real story.
Because they can take it. And he knows they might need it.
See why in this video:
“I’ve seen what war does to people,” Grant said. “You don’t forget things like that.”
Back at his West Price Hill home, he polishes his motorcycle. He calls her Lady Red.
“I like to ride alone a lot and clear my mind. It’s actually part of my PTSD therapy," Grant said. “I’ve done counseling. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t.”
But he says what always helps is honest conversations with other people with similar experiences.
That's why Grant became an ordained chaplain in May. Because he wants to help veterans and first responders who might have lost their way, like he says he did. He started meeting with a Vietnam veteran this summer, once a month after the typical service.
In September, the church’s pastor lets Grant address the congregation. Some don’t recognize him, because he usually sits in the back corner — constantly scanning the room.
“I’m Tim — or Timothy — the strange guy in the hat,” Grant said. “I’m not a therapist. I’m not a counselor. I’ve just been there.”
In the small room down a hallway, Joseph Drake says that’s important. Because when Grant asks how everyone is doing, the loud groans are accepted.
“I almost took my life in 2011,” Drake said. “I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was dealing with PTSD. Since I found the lord, that’s kind of what has helped me keep mentally sane since.”
On Sunday, Grant ends with a prayer.
“Heavenly father,” Grant said. “Thank you for letting me share my story today.”
Vineyard Westside Church:
Grant’s group meets on the first Sunday of every month after the church’s typical services, which start at 10 a.m.
3420 Glenmore Ave.
Cincinnati, Ohio
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