Jessica Lauren Walton, at The Blogs

Jessica Lauren Walton

Mental health advocate for the security community

Apr 9, 2024, 2:25 PM

What Our War Stories Mean for the Rest of Society

The impact of moral injury in war (author's Image)

Imagine you are in charge of air operations on a military installation during a conflict. The runway is narrow, flights are limited, and the weather is not cooperative. During the height of engagement, one plane is carrying blood for...

Feb 22, 2024, 11:10 PM

When Fear Feels Like a Heart Attack

I was having a heart attack. It was the summer of 2010 and my plane had just touched ground in Ben Gurion Airport. I felt a sharp jab in my chest, then strangely helpless, like a child who finds...

Jan 15, 2024, 11:38 AM

Martin Luther King and Psychological Resilience

There are two types of people who travel this world: The one who follows the river and the one who takes on the mountain. The one who follows the river is calm in the certainty that he will find...

Jan 4, 2024, 8:34 AM

Healing is the choice we make

Wishing for a more peaceful time in Israel (Credit: Unsplash)

Since the war started on October 7, the world we once knew in Israel and for Jews around the world has been shattered. Our sense of security all these years now seem like a naïve illusion. From the deaths...

Dec 17, 2023, 11:25 AM

Moral Injury and the War Within

In the high-stakes world of conflict, our security professionals stand as guardians of our safety, protecting society from threats both seen and unseen. They often face morally complex scenarios, where decisions made in the name of protection may cause...

Oct 15, 2023, 10:42 PM

Defeating Death, One Chapter at a Time

We must stand strong for the sake of our country. (Author-owned image)

As the war between Israel and Hamas enters its second week, Jews around the world are suffering from anger, fear, and a broken spirit. Hamas not only kidnapped and murdered our citizens, but filmed and broadcasted it as widely...

Sep 26, 2023, 2:55 PM

Envy is Brutal. We’ve All Been There.

When I was working in the Israeli security field, I once met a man who brought out the worst in me. It wasn’t his fault; it was mine. I was envious of him, of all the things he possessed...

Aug 31, 2023, 5:03 AM

Why Are We So Afraid of Public Speaking?

I stood paralyzed in the center of the room, water gushing around my ankles. A pipe had exploded in my dorm room in Jerusalem and I needed the campus repairman to come stat. “Hello?” said the man over the phone....

Jun 12, 2023, 6:40 AM

A Cross-Cultural Perspective of PTSD & Resilience

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can affect soldiers anywhere, no matter their country. (courtesy, created using AI tools)

Trauma can happen to any one of us, regardless of our background or where we live in the world. How we address trauma determines whether we have power over it, or it over us. For Dr. Alana Siegel, a clinical...

May 3, 2023, 8:12 PM

Why Storytelling Matters in the Military

Storytelling creates bonds and comprehension among soldiers

It all started with a horde of wild pigs attacking an Israeli military post on the border of Lebanon. Or so it seemed. Shortly after completing my military service with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), I hosted a Friday night...

About Me

Jessica Lauren Walton is a writer, communications strategist, and video producer in the U.S. defense sector. She writes articles on a range of security and mental health issues and conducts interviews with military leadership, psychologists, journalists, CIA officers, filmmakers, and more at www.jessicawaltonwriter.com.

Contact Me