BTM102 - General Gregg Martin - A Two-Star General’s Battle with Bipolar Disorder
Show Summary
On this episode of Behind the Mission, we feature a conversation with Army Major General Gregg Martin as he shares his experience as a senior military officer experiencing undiagnosed Bipolar Disorder, his diagnosis and recovery, and subsequent advocacy to bring awareness to mental health and wellness.
About Today’s Guest
Gregg F. Martin, PhD, Major General, US Army (Retired), served on active duty for 36 years
until May 2015. He is a combat Veteran, Bipolar Survivor, Airborne-Ranger-Engineer qualified
soldier, and Army Strategist.
He holds a Ph.D. and two masters degrees from MIT, masters degrees in national security
strategy from both the Army and Naval war colleges, and a bachelors degree from West Point.
He commanded an engineer company, battalion, the 130th Engineer Brigade in combat during
the first year of the Iraq War in 2003-04, including the attack from Kuwait, up the Euphrates
River Valley, to Baghdad and beyond.
He served multiple overseas tours, and, as a general officer, commanded the Corps of
Engineers Northwest Division, was Commandant of the Army Engineer School, commanded
Fort Leonard Wood, was Deputy Commanding General of Third Army/US Army Central,
Commandant of the Army War College, President of National Defense University, and Special
Assistant to the Chief of Engineers. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal (twice),
the Bronze Star Medal, and the Combat Action Badge.
He is married with three sons, two of whom are Army combat veterans, and one an artist. His
daughter in law is also an Army combat veteran. His wife is an “Army brat” and heroine for
persevering though their Army career and surviving and overcoming their bipolar ordeal, which
has been the toughest fight of their lives. They live in Cocoa Beach, FL, where he is writing
speaking, and sharing his story of “battling bipolar disorder” to help save lives and stop the
stigma.
PsychArmor Resource of the Week
This week’s PsychArmor resource of the week, is the PsychArmor course, Bolstering Resilience, part of the Brian Health & Wellness Series sponsored by the Wounded Warrior Project. This mini-course series on resilience, sponsored by Wounded Warrior Project, spotlights five supporting factors that bolster resilience: SMART goals, mental health, nutrition, sleep, and exercise. Each element builds upon a person’s foundation and increases the ability to cope successfully with high levels of stress and pressure. You’ll learn why these supporting pillars are so important to overall well-being, their application in daily life, and how it’s never too late to make a lasting change. You can find the link to this resource here: https://learn.psycharmor.org/courses/WWP-BHW-bolstering-resilience.
Links Mentioned In This Episode
General Martin’s Web Site
International Bipolar Foundation: General Gregg’s Corner
Theme Music
Our theme music Don’t Kill the Messenger was written and performed by Navy Veteran Jerry Maniscalco, in cooperation with Operation Encore, a non profit committed to supporting singer/songwriter and musicians across the military and Veteran communities.
This Episode Sponsored By:
This episode is sponsored by PsychArmor, the premier education and learning ecosystem specializing in military culture content. PsychArmor offers an online e-learning laboratory with custom training options for organizations.
Producer and Host Duane France is a retired Army Noncommissioned Officer, combat veteran, and clinical mental health counselor for service members, veterans, and their families. You can find more about the work that he is doing at www.veteranmentalhealth.com
