FORT HOOD, Texas -- Soldiers in the Warrior Transition Brigade here were treated to a visit from former NFL player and Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker May 30 inside the WTB 1st Battalion's headquarters.
Walker, not the first with celebrity status to do a meet-and-greet with the WTB, spent his time there doing more than signing autographs and taking photos. Walker also connected with the wounded warriors, sharing his own story of living with a diagnosed disability -- dissociative identity disorder.
"I was diagnosed as having DID, dissociative identity disorder, and that's a proper way of saying I have multiple personalities," Walker told the group of gathered Soldiers. "And at one time, I was going to be embarrassed until I realized that if I don't get help, I would have killed my wife, the lady that I love more than I love myself. There's not a doubt in my mind I would have killed her and I would have killed myself.
"This is coming from a guy who doesn't drink, I've never taken alcohol before and I've never taken medicine before, and there's nothing wrong with me, except I have these crazy ideas -- I thought playing with guns was cool, I thought Russian roulette was cool, that it made me tough. I didn't realize how lost I was until I went to a hospital."
Walker said as he does these visits, he's eager to share his story in case it lands on the ears of someone else struggling, perhaps encouraging them to seek help.
"It doesn't make you weak to tell someone that you're struggling with anything," Walker continued. "I went to a hospital, and I spent 30 days in the hospital.
"Now, I've been doing this MMA (mixed martial arts), and I'm beating up a lot of 20-year-olds, so I'm not weak," he said, drawing laughs.
Staff Sgt. Andy Hinojosa, Company D, 1st Bn., WTB, appreciated how open Walker was when he spoke.
"It shows that he's supporting the Soldiers and it allows them to see that he, a former professional football player, is willing to say, 'Look, I have some disabilities. I'm adjusting; it didn't hold me back, and it shouldn't hold you back,'" Hinojosa said.
A longtime Dallas Cowboys fan, Hinojosa said he missed the chance to see Walker, formerly a player for Dallas and many other teams, while stationed at Fort Benning, Ga., and was glad to get another opportunity.
"I think it's really good that he's supporting the WTB," Hinojosa said. "It shows that he's interested in what we're doing down here."
When Walker invited questions from the crowd, he was quickly quizzed on his favorite team. Shouts of Cowboys ran across the room, attempting to answer the question for him.
"I would have to say the Cowboys, because I am close to Dallas. But if I was in Philadelphia, I would have to say Philly," Walker answered, admittedly in a politically-correct fashion. "I loved Dallas, though, not because of the Cowboys, but because of the coach that I played under -- Tom Landry. There's not a doubt in my mind that that's the best coach to ever coach football."
Now over the age of 50, Walker remains in top physical shape, even better than his NFL days, he claims.
"I've never been to the gym, never used weights," Walker said, noting the exception of being tested at the NFL combine. "I only did push-ups, sit-ups, dips and all that stuff. With weights, you're sweating and grunting. Today, I do about 1,500 push-ups and about 3,500 sit-ups every day."
Exercise is something Walker's done for every day of his life since the age of 12.
"People say you need to rest, but that's being lazy," he quipped.
Walker closed with a reminder that no one is perfect and a message to stay positive.
"We all fall short of the glory of God, and one thing you always have to do is you have to look up," Walker said. "Everyone looks at something as being negative, and I say, 'No, guys, we're blessed.'"
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