If you’ve been seeking personal growth, struggling with PTSD, desperately trying to figure out how to help yourself, or know anyone who fits these descriptions, Sgt Q can help you.
Aaron Quinonez, best known as Sgt. Q, has become a man of many talents. After serving eight years in the Marines, he returned from Iraq to find himself homeless and suicidal. It took nothing less than a tremendous amount of hard work, reflection, research, and prayer to be able to start a business and spend the following seven years on the mission field building churches and schools. Nevertheless, thirteen years later, he has grown to employ over 100 people in the Pacific Northwest, owns a commercial building in downtown Auburn, and now runs a technology startup with plans to continue serving and healing the world in the same way he found healing.
After being named Seattle’s Hometown Hero in 2017 and receiving a Distinguished Service Award followed by a Superior Service Award from the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs, one could say that Sgt. Q is onto something. To combat the stigma surrounding mental health and prevent suicide, he has created an app called Operation PopSmoke that is literally saving the lives of the most vulnerable. Sgt. Q and his senior mentors have traveled the world teaching and sharing the concepts behind his influential philosophy, which has brought healing to so many.
Realizing quickly that he and his team could only reach so many people through their in-person lectures and teachings, he became a published author. His book, *Healing Through Service: The Warrior’s Guide to Overcoming Trauma*, comes with a companion journal for a more in-depth and hands-on approach to reclaiming your life. Although initially aimed at struggling veterans, this book also offers help for anyone in crisis and may be your ticket to a more fulfilling life. At the bottom of the opening page provided for dedications, it reads, “For all those who are lost in the pain of your past—we are coming to find you.”
When he’s not building houses on mission trips, he’s teaching classes and leading training sessions for healthcare professionals, community members, and anyone interested in how to use hope to create new, positive triggers. The idea is to turn something destructive into something admirable; then witness the healing begin.
In his spare time, you can often find Sgt. Q at the rivers and lakes of his host country, rod and reel in hand, hoping to catch the next big fish.
