According to the National Center for PTSD, 7% of veterans will have post-traumatic stress disorder at some point in their life.

At the shellshock PTSD dart tournament, playing darts was about more than hitting the bullseye.

“The interaction with everybody, that’s what got me into darts,” Marine veteran John Jenkins said. “A buddy of mine, Steve Parks, a while ago, when I came home, he got me into it and the interaction with the people, my family and brought me along really fast.”

It was a great way to raise awareness for PTSD in veterans.

“These soldiers, they gave their all. They may not be dead but they are in a sense, like, they don’t live their normal life,” said William Lupiani, the owner of Shellshock Darts, which held the tournament at Sunset Lanes Bar and Grill in Webster.

Jason Pierce served in the United States Navy.

“I struggled for several years when I got out of the military, because when you get out of the military they don’t do anything for you,” Pierce said. “[They say] , ‘Here’s your DD214 and good luck.’”

“[PTSD] can lead to symptoms such as irritability, difficulty managing emotions,” said Joshua Andrzejewski, psychologist and clinical evaluator at Rochester General Hospital. “And there are obviously downstream effects from that that can lead to a person struggling to maintain their functioning and their daily life.”

It’s something Pierce has both seen and experienced.

“A few years ago, I lost one of my best friends to suicide,” he said. “And I vowed to him at this funeral that I would do everything in my power to make veterans more aware of the resources they have for help so that they don’t end up going that route.”

Which is why he and veterans like him are using darts to fight back and raise awareness.

“When it comes to experiencing it, you like snap when certain things happen and it brings you to another level,” Jenkins said. “Hanging around with my friends with darts and stuff like that, it kept me grounded.”

Because awareness is the first step to healing.

“It makes more people aware that things need to change,” Lupiani said. “Either they need to get more help or be able to talk about their problems and what’s going on.”

“Knowing that you can get help no matter what you are as a veteran, it can make a world of a difference,” Pierce said.