Preface: After years of military and contractor assignments in Iraq and Kosovo, combat veteran Jason Perry struggled with PTSD, alcohol addiction, and heavy smoking. A sudden health crisis in 2015 forced him to confront his downward spiral. Searching for a way out, he discovered Falun Dafa—a practice that changed his life. In this video, Jason shares his incredible transformation, how he overcame trauma, and the wisdom he gained along the way.
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In 2015, I was a 33-year-old military contractor working in Kosovo. After 10 years of military assignments overseas, I was in bad shape, physically and mentally. One day, as I was leaving a grocery store in Pristina, the capital city, I suddenly had a seizure, collapsed, and was rushed to a hospital. That was one of the darkest moments of my life.
My name is Jason Perry. I was born in 1982 into a military family in Frankfurt, Germany. My father was a communications technician in the US Army, and my mother worked as a nurse in an Army hospital. Shortly after I was born, we moved back to the US. In 1983, my parents divorced when I was 14 months old. My mom and I moved to Texas, where I grew up under her care.
As a child, I had little interest in religion or spirituality. By my teens, I leaned into atheism, dismissing spiritual beliefs but often feeling emptiness inside.
At 16, that emptiness caught up with me. One reckless night, drunk and high with two friends, we sped down the road in a car that lost control and flipped. I was thrown from the wreck, along with one friend. Our friend who was driving, died.
Lying on the pavement, shaken, I was forced to confront the fragility of everything I thought I knew.
At 18, I joined a Baptist church and was baptized, later transitioning to a non-denominational church focused on the Bible and personal faith. However, witnessing hypocrisy, I drifted away and began exploring ancient African religions out of curiosity about my heritage, though the journey brought little fulfillment.
Growing up, I loved playing basketball and was the point guard and captain of my high school’s varsity team during my senior year. After high school, I turned down an opportunity to play college basketball and joined the Army Reserve as a Broadcast Journalist in 2000. I completed counterintelligence training at Arizona’s Fort Huachuca in 2004. I later transferred those course credits to Cochise College toward a degree in Intelligence Operations.
In 2004, I was deployed to Iraq as a counterintelligence agent, focusing on gathering intelligence on terrorists and conducting interrogations. During my deployment in Iraq, my assignments also included patrolling and special missions, keeping us constantly on edge as we could be attacked by terrorists at any moment.
After my deployment ended in 2005, I continued working as a military contractor in Iraq and Kosovo for the next decade.
During my overseas duties, I was required to analyze speech, facial expressions, and body language of possible terrorists.
These experiences heightened my vigilance. Every stranger became a potential threat. Nightmares and paranoia became part of my life. To cope, I started drinking heavily and became addicted.
The 2015 seizure was one of my lowest points, second only to the car accident. After going to the hospital, I was sent home. But during that period, my paranoia intensified. I felt as though everyone, even those close to me, was against me.
I quit my contracting job and moved back to Texas to live with my mom.
This transition was not easy. Unable to find a job in my field, I worked as a construction laborer before becoming a security officer. Years of heavy drinking and smoking took a toll on my health and wallet. I remember scrounging for quarters in my change jar to buy cigarettes.
In 2017, I got married. My wife was from Kosovo. We continued living with my mom for a couple years before moving out.
Like many combat veterans, I suffered from severe PTSD. Night after night, I woke up drenched in sweat, haunted by relentless war nightmares. Alcohol provided temporary relief, but my symptoms persisted.
Around May 2017, a friend emailed me a digital copy of Zhuan Falun, the main text of Falun Dafa. Curious, I began reading and was intrigued. I visited a Falun Dafa website and found an exercise teaching video. Zhuan Falun was different from all the books I read before. Master Li Hongzhi’s teachings answered almost all of my questions about life and the universe and even answered questions I didn’t know I had.
An unexpected change occurred when I tried smoking while reading Zhuan Falun. I felt nauseous and had to put the cigarette down. Yet, smoking while reading other books was fine. I was curious about my different reactions. There must be something powerful here, I thought. I decided to give Falun Dafa a 30-day trial to see if it could make an impact on my life.
To my amazement, from the moment I began practicing, my nightmares and night sweats vanished entirely. Over the following months, my PTSD symptoms gradually faded. The constant paranoia disappeared, and my anxiety diminished significantly.
Within a week of practicing, I noticed a dramatic change. Looking in the mirror, I couldn’t believe my eyes. I saw a young man, full of energy.
My lifelong seasonal allergies also disappeared if I practiced the Falun Dafa exercises regularly.
Beyond physical health, my relationships also improved. I used to argue with my wife at least once a week, but now I can’t even remember our last argument. The same happened with mom. I learned to be more considerate of how my words might affect others. Inspired, my wife began practicing Falun Dafa and experienced better health and mind. Falun Dafa helped my job performance. I got two promotions, becoming a Security Account Manager, supervising about 25 officers.
I began sharing Falun Dafa with others and witnessed remarkable transformations in their lives. A coworker’s diabetes vanished, astonishing his doctor. Another’s wife, who struggled with chronic insomnia, finally slept soundly after trying the exercises. A contractor with a knee injury got instant relief and returned to work.
In 2021, I left my job to join NTD Television Network as the National Security Correspondent and I’ve been covering wars and the middle east. I also reported local events in New York City until we moved back to Texas to work remotely for NTD in December 2024. My wartime experience and professional training is a big plus for this job.
What began as a 30-day trial of Falun Dafa has become a 7-year journey. Today, I have a healthy body and mind, and a happy family. In 2024, we welcomed our first child, a handsome baby boy.
Falun Dafa has provided me with a sense of purpose and a deeper understanding of the world, my African heritage, and current global events. I feel incredibly fortunate to have discovered this practice, and I hope my story inspires others to explore this opportunity.
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