Valley veteran developing app to help others with PTSD

A veteran in the Valley is trying to help other veterans with post traumatic stress disorder through a smartphone app.

Justin Vames was in the army for five years and is now creating an app called "Never Alone."

It will bring veterans together who are suffering from PTSD by matching them together by location.

Recently, the "#22Kills push up challenge" has drawn attention to the statistic that 22 veterans are killed by suicide daily.

Vames is a developer for Apple and a Staunton native. He says the idea for the app came from a problem that was all too real for him.

"When I have PTSD, I used the VA crisis line, and they really didn't help. I was on the phone with them for thirty minutes on hold, and that's when the idea kind of started," Vames said.

In February, federal investigators were looking into veterans being put on hold or sent to voicemail when calling the VA suicide hotline. It's an issue Vames hopes his app can solve.

The app is still in the beginning stages and it will take about six months to fully complete.

Vames says a patent can cost at lease $5,000, so he has a Kickstarter campaign and a GoFundMe page for the project.

Click the related links section to learn more and help out.