DIXON – A Dixon native is hoping to pull veterans from the brink of suicide by changing the perception of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Will Gibson, who has served in the Navy more than 2 decades and is stationed in San Diego, has created a national petition to reclassify PTSD as an injury, rather than a disorder.

Post-traumatic stress would fit better as an injury because it is caused by external forces, whereas disorders are often associated with genetic dispositions, he said.

“In the military, there’s the stigma that someone is weak or less capable, because it’s seen as a disorder. That can deter people from seeking treatment.”

He formed the petition Dec. 30 and needs 100,000 signatures by Jan. 29 for it to be brought before Congress.

The 41-year-old grew up in Dixon and graduated from Sterling High School in 1993, shortly before joining the Navy in 1995.

Over the summer, a good friend of Gibson’s committed suicide after being injured while serving in the Army. That prompted Gibson to find ways to increase awareness and help prevent more deaths of veterans and active-duty personnel.

“It has become a personal mission for me to find ways to contribute to that cause to help prevent suicide,” he said.

About 20 veterans committed suicide each day in 2014, a 32 percent increase since 2001, according to recent data from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Gibson said a variety of factors can contribute to suicide: post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injury, homelessness, and disability, for instance.

“When someone is in crisis, it can be difficult to find help,” he said. “It can be overwhelming and daunting.”

Gibson and two others, Matt Grace and Jon Moulton, founded Military Lives Continued in November, an organization that helps promote groups that provide aid to veterans, and they have applied for nonprofit status.

The debate on recognizing post-traumatic stress as an injury has been around for several years, and Gibson was introduced to the concept after contacting veterans organizations in Chicago and coming across research from Dr. Eugene Lipov, who founded the Global Post-Traumatic Stress Injury Foundation.

So far, the petition has 350 signatures.

“The hardest part of war shouldn’t be coming home, and I think that’s an important message,” Gibson said.

THE PETITION

Go to shawurl.com/2zbs to sign Will Gibson's petition to reclassify post-traumatic stress disorder as an injury.

The petition will need 100,000 signatures by Jan. 29 for the White House to review it.

Find Gibson or Military Lives Continued on Facebook for more information.