LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- An active duty Fort Knox soldier is cycling to overcome her PTSD.
U.S. Army Master Sgt. Annettee Melecio started triathlon training after a difficult deployment overseas. The 44-year-old is setting one goal after another without looking back.
Melecio spends a lot of hours on her pink and yellow bicycle called "Sunshine."
U.S. Army Master Sgt. Annettee Melecio on her bicycle named "Sunshine."
"I like to stand out," said Melecio, who is an instructor at 83rd US Army Reserve Readiness Training Center at Fort Knox.
Melecio did her first Ironman in November of 2017. She has done 13 since then.
"Trying to manage and work a lot of different aspects, with training, trying to get swimming in, trying to get cycling in, trying to get running in, in a week, plus working, plus being a mom, there a lot of things involved with that," Melecio said. "A lot of it though is waking up at 4 o'clock to try and get a workout before work, then you do work, and try to get a work out in after work, or at lunchtime. I am swimming during lunch, trying to hurry back. It's a lot of managing."
After a difficult combat deployment in Iraq, Melecio began training for triathlons.
"We definitely experienced some things that when we came back, a lot of us had PTSD issues," Melecio said.
U.S. Army Master Sgt. Annettee Melecio competes in an Ironman triathlon.
Like many other combat veterans, PTSD took her to a dark place.
"Sometimes we get so caught up in our head and we feel like there is no out, before we make a terminal decision, a final decision, make sure you reach out to someone," Melecio said.
According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, seven out of every 100 veterans will have PTSD. The American Addiction Center reports almost 17 veterans die by suicide every day. Veterans comprise nearly a quarter of suicide deaths in the U.S.
From 20 years spanning from 2001 to 2020, the suicide rate among veterans between the ages of 18 and 34 has increased by 95.3%, according to the American Addiction Center.
U.S. Army Master Sgt. Annettee Melecio competes in an Ironman triathlon.
"I think a lot of times, we try to internalize everything and we don't want to talk about it, and there was a big stigma in the military to not talk about it," Melecio said. "Now, it's where the Army is like it doesn't matter if you are going to seek mental health. It's not going to affect your security clearance. There are ways to help cope with things."
Melecio's way of coping is spending at least 20 hours a week running, biking and swimming.
"Whatever you are passionate about, it could be the art, dance, it could be something like this where it helps you instead of sitting in your house thinking about the things that happened and getting in the depressive state, it helps you communicate and keep in a community with like-minded people," Melecio said. "You are too busy to think about anything else when you are suffering on your bike for 112 miles."
The mother of two is heading to Hawaii this fall for the Ironman World Championship. Before heading to Hawaii, she will compete in Idaho in the Ironman Couer D'Alene race.
U.S. Army Master Sgt. Annettee Melecio with her medals.
"I did a lot of training and it took a lot of years to get here, so I am going to appreciate the journey and everything that it comes with," Melecio said.
Melecio joined the military right after high school. She trains in Louisville most of the time, but there is a Fort Knox Cycling Group.
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The Veteran's Club, The Veteran's Crisis Hotline, and Dog Training Elite, provide services for veterans experiencing PTSD.
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