Little Rock native Jacob Purvis joined the Air Force in 2003. He served for six years as a Pararescueman. “I went on missions in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Horn of Africa; I had a great time.”
Upon leaving the military, he worked as a medic and did search and rescue for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement. He received a degree in Health Care Management in 2011. “I had been dabbling in drugs my whole life. In 2013, I began really using and got arrested. I stayed clean for six years and later became a firefighter. But when my dad died, I relapsed.”
Mr. Purvis married shortly after his father died, but the drugs took a toll on the relationship. “I have twins- a boy and a girl. I was sober while my wife was pregnant but it didn’t last. I began having drug-induced psychotic breaks, I didn’t care about anything. I resigned from the fire department. My wife and I went into marriage counseling through the VA, but we split up. We had bought a house we couldn’t really afford and I couldn’t stay there anyway so I came here. The VA has been very generous with therapy for PTSD and getting me here; I’m taking them up on all of it.”
Mr. Purvis is continuing to work on his mental health and sobriety and when not in groups or other activities, Mr. Purvis can be found swimming and working out. “I’m trying to figure out the next chapter. I like active jobs, but because of my history, I can’t go back to firefighting. I’ve always wanted to fly, but I don’t know if that’s a possibility any more. I love sky diving and would love to become an instructor. I’m not sure what’s really possible right now, but I’m working on it.”