Bill Klingenberg is a veteran and Peer Support Specialist at the VA in Lexington. He’s using a personal challenge to help others who might be in a similar situation.
“Air traffic controller,” said Klingenberg, who served in the U.S. Navy. “Was in it for 11 years. I was on three different ships,” he said. “Loved every minute of it.”
The northern Kentucky native grew up in Fort Thomas, just a couple of miles from Southgate.
“I had a bad case of PTSD related to the Beverly Hills Supper Club fire,” he said.
“They don’t allow you to be an air traffic controller with bipolar disorder, so it kind of ended my career,” he said.
Klingenberg returned to northern Kentucky. He lost his home, family, and cars. He went on to earn a degree in social work from the University of Kentucky.
Through the VA, Klingenberg found his calling to be a peer support specialist.
“It was like custom made for me,” he said. “Once I began to get it back together, I always wanted to help other people dealing with that stigma because it’s crushing.”
“I had this problem. I did this. Now, look at the results. It took 10 years, but I got it back together. And you can too.”
Read more at LEX18.com.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.