PTSD camp created for veterans, first responders

Photo cover: South Kansas Citian Josh Krasovec is the community director for The Battle Within, a camp for vets and first responders dealing with post traumatic stress disorder. 

South KC Resident Makes a Huge Impact in the Public Service Community

By Christina McDonough Hunt

South KC resident, Josh Krasovec, is making a huge impact on the men and women serving Kansas City in public service careers through the organization The Battle Within.  Krasovec hopes that through this program, those who have been through traumatic experiences will have the tools to cope and become the complete person they were meant to be.  

Krasovec has served with the Kansas City Police Department for 14 years.  He’s served as a patrol, Mayor’s detail, narcotics detective, academy teacher, and more.  And it was through his experiences that he discovered The Battle Within program.

“I personally had some issues in the narcotics unit,” Krasovec said.  “So, I found this program. I couldn’t just say ‘Hey, I’m struggling’ at the police department.  The perception of weakness is not accepted in a position like that. And then they will think that you can’t do your job.  [The Battle Within] experience made me figure out how to be a complete person.”

The impact that the program had on Krasovec caused him to become highly involved with The Battle Within organization, and he now serves as the Community Director.  He plans to retire from the police department.

The Battle Within is a 5-day program that originated 4 years ago when two soldiers, who fought in Iraq, came home from war and wrote the curriculum for the program.  They studied how the brain responds to fight or flight and traumas, and how the brain deals with chaotic situations. The program was designed to help veterans coming home from war, and was called Save a Warrior.  It has since evolved to include veterans, first responders, nurses, and others that are in the public service industry, and has changed its name to The Battle Within.

“There was nothing that existed for first responders,” said Krasovec.  “First responders may get shot at during the day and go home and sit down to dinner with their family that night.  There are no programs that help you with when you shut down those feelings because of your career and then can’t have that deep connection with your family. The Battle Within program helps with that.”

The program uses holistic methods for mind, body, and soul.  These methods include meditation, yoga, healthy nutrition, cathartic sharing, equine therapy, fitness therapy such as a rope course, and much more.  

The premise of the program is to focus on accountability and face personal issues with a head-on perspective.

“It’s not about how great we are at what we do,” Krasovec commented.  “We tell everyone, ‘You got here because of what you did. But you are sitting here because you’re a bad boyfriend, or a bad mom.  It’s about being accountable to yourself. You’re here as a human being because you’ve had this experience. You have to figure out who you are.  It’s okay to have a career in public service and be one of these people, and it’s also okay to take a week to figure out how to have a relationship with your kid.’”

Over 300 participants have attended the program since conception.  The cost to attend is fully funded by private donors, and the program is run by volunteers.  Transportation is included, if needed.

The Battle Within is located in Parkville, MO.  The organization is currently looking for a facility in the metro area that they will be able to call their own.  For more information or to sign up for a class contact Josh Krasovec atjosh@mybattlewithin.org, or visit mybattlewithin.org.