From Trauma to Triumph: Two Women Reunite After Fort Hood Shooting -57
What happens when two women who survived one of the darkest days in military history finally talk—together—for the first time? In this emotionally charged episode, Dog Tag Diaries host Kim welcomes Keara and Dayna to share memories of the Fort Hood shooting, the chaos and uncertainty that followed, and how they’re supporting each other years later. Find out how shared trauma can lead to guiding-light friendships, why “community is super important in healing,” and how these veterans navigated limited institutional support.
Curious about the power of storytelling, the role of holistic healing like yoga and essential oils, and the impact of reunions on long-term recovery? Don’t miss this intimate look at courage, vulnerability, and what it truly means to not be alone in your trauma.
On November 5, 2009, Keara Torkelson was preparing to deploy when gunfire shattered the routine at Fort Hood. In a brutal attack that claimed 13 lives and wounded more than 30 others, Keara was shot twice—but survived. Today, she’s turning pain into purpose, mentoring fellow veterans and advocating for those struggling with PTSD.
Connect with Keara on Facebook
Dayna Lopez is an Army veteran, author, and trauma survivor whose life story is a testament to resilience, faith, and healing. Born with a congenital condition that almost kept her from serving, she was granted a military waiver—a decision that ultimately saved her life during the tragic 2009 Fort Hood shooting. Her journey spans childhood anxiety, mental health struggles, and a powerful path to recovery that now includes motherhood, yoga, and advocacy. Co-author of a book with her sister and someone who has met two U.S. presidents, Dayna now helps others heal through vulnerability and movement. She shares her story to remind others that what once felt like a limitation might just be your greatest protection.
📱 Connect with Dayna:
📸 Instagram: @daynasueyoga
📘 Facebook: Dayna Sue Lopez
If you wish to visit their past episodes, here are the links:
Episode 45 with Keara Torkelson
Episode 56 with Dayna Lopez
Kim Liszka served in the United States Army/Reserves as a Combat Medic, Combat Nurse, Flight Nurse Instructor and one of the Top Female athletes in the Army. Kim worked 20+ years as an ER nurse and decided to explore the world as a travel nurse. She's an Advanced Wilderness Expedition Provider and Chief Medical Officer for numerous endurance/survival expeditions in different countries. Kim has a son, Jace and a daughter in law, Sammy and 2 grand animals, Joey & Bear. Her dog Camo is her best buddy. Camo is the sweetest yellow Labrador Retriever to walk this earth. He loves licking snow, riding the ocean waves, visiting carnivore food trucks and loves belly rubs and treats. Fun Facts: Kim's lived in the Reality TV World! Fear Factor, American Ninja Warrior-Military Edition, American Tarzan, Spartan Namibia and more to come!
Be sure to follow or subscribe to Dog Tag Diaries wherever you listen to podcasts.
Learn more about Reveille and Retreat Project:
Instagram: @reveilleandretreatproject
Facebook: Reveille and Retreat Project
You aren’t alone.
If you’re thinking about hurting yourself or having thoughts of suicide contact the
Veteran crisis line: Dial 988 then press 1, chat online, or text 838255.
Transcript
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Kim [:Before we begin today's episode, I want to take a moment to ground us. What you're about to hear is tender, raw and real. This isn't just a conversation. It's a reunion between two women who survived a moment that changed their lives forever. You may hear emotion, you may feel it yourself, and that's okay. Take a breath with us and know that this space is held with care, respect, and with the hope that by telling the truth, healing can begin, not just for those speaking, but for those listening too. What happens when two women who survived one of the darkest days in military history finally sit down together for the first time? In this powerful reunion, Keara Torkelson and Dayna Lopez open up about the Fort Hood shooting, the moments that changed everything, and the unspoken strength it took to survive. This is a conversation they've never had until now.
Kim [:Welcome to season five of Dog Tag Diaries, where the untold stories of military women take center stage. I'm your host, Captain Kim, and we are in our fifth season. Five seasons of truth, grit, laughter, healing, and connection to every storyteller who shared a piece of their soul and every listener who's walked alongside us. Thank you. You're the reason this podcast has grown into a movement. Let's keep breaking silence, building community, and amplifying the voices that deserve to be heard. Let's dive. Today's episode is unlike anything we've done before.
Kim [:You may remember Keara Torkelson and Dayna Lopez, two brave women whose military journeys took an unexpected, traumatic turn during the Fort Hood shooting. For the first time, they sit down together, face to face, to talk about what they remember, what they still carry, and what healing has looked like in the aftermath of something no one should ever endure. This isn't just a reunion. It's a reckoning. It's a release. It's a raw and necessary conversation that reminds us healing doesn't happen in silence. And we are never alone in our trauma. So let's step into this story together.
Kim [:Welcome, Keara and Dayna.
Dayna Lopez [:Hi. Hi.
Kim [:And I just want to refresh everyone. Keara, you're an army veteran, advocate and survivor. And Dayna, you also are an army veteran, healer and survivor, and I want to thank both of you for taking time to be here.
Keara Torkelson [:Thank you for having us.
Dayna Lopez [:Yeah, thank you. Thank you for what you do because there's power in sharing your story. So thank you for giving us the opportunity.
Kim [:Oh, I appreciate that. Well, let's start. I just want to start with, how are you both feeling seeing each other? And I know we're releasing this as audio but when we record this, they're seeing each other face to face. So I just want to start with, how are you both feeling sitting here seeing each other? Keara, do you want to go first?
Keara Torkelson [:I love seeing Dayna's face. It always makes me happy anytime I see her bright, shining smile. So it makes my heart full to see her.
Dayna Lopez [:Yeah. It feels like I see her on Snapchat, Instagram. We send each other memes. It's like, I feel like even though we haven't seen each other in a few years or a couple years, it just feels like we see each other.
Kim [:All the time through the social media.
Dayna Lopez [:Yeah.
Kim [:Well, what does it mean to both of you to be having this conversation today?
Keara Torkelson [:I mean, yeah, we haven't ever done this together. I incorporate a lot of her story when I speak because I think she's super powerful. And everyone always asks me, when I speak if I talk to anyone still. And she's the main person that I still talk to. So it's nice to be able to do this together, though.
Dayna Lopez [:Yeah. Keara has always been. Even in my. The episode that we talked in, she's always been kind of like a guiding light for me. So it's nice to have a friendship like that.
Kim [:And, Dayna, you said that that was both of your first times meeting each other down at Fort Hood.
Dayna Lopez [:I didn't know anybody there because I was pulled from my unit, and she was really the first person to kind of reach out. I'm very introverted, so I'm glad that she's not, because she was the first connection I really made there.
Kim [:Yeah. And Keara, what was it like for you to meet Dayna?
Keara Torkelson [:Yeah, I mean, I'm like, come on, we're going to be best friends. Let's go get this delicious army lunch that they're going to give us.
Kim [:Did you realize that she was there alone without her unit?
Keara Torkelson [:I know that she was placed with our unit, and, I mean, we had a lot of things happening right then. We had just got to Fort Hood as well. So, I mean, I'm guessing. So I must have known. I don't. I don't really remember now. It's been so long. But I know that I didn't know her and that I don't know how many people came with her.
Keara Torkelson [:So. Yeah.
Kim [:And let's talk about what you were all doing in Fort Hood, why you were there.
Dayna Lopez [:We were there preparing to deploy, like, getting vaccinations, doing your physical exams, and any trainings that you have to do prior.
Kim [:And where were they deploying you to.
Dayna Lopez [:I had orders to Iraq.
Keara Torkelson [:I had orders to Iraq as well. Before Dayna got there, two units were put together and we trained, and then they split those units apart, and half of them got orders to Afghanistan, and half of them got orders to Iraq.
Kim [:Okay, so both of you are going to be going to Iraq. So take us back to the day. What do you remember leading up to the moment of the actual shooting?
Dayna Lopez [:I remember just kind of being all over the place and back and forth because I felt like I didn't have all of the paperwork that I should have had. But I also was alone. I didn't go with anybody. So I was just grateful to make a friend with Keara and have, like, a battle buddy for the rest of the day.
Kim [:So she really took you under her wing, and she was like, come on, you are going to be my best friend.
Dayna Lopez [:Yes.
Keara Torkelson [:Did you ride on the bus with us there or you met us there?
Dayna Lopez [:I don't think I was on the bus with y'. All. I flew into Fort Hood. Oh.
Keara Torkelson [:That day.
Dayna Lopez [:Or like, on the 2nd of November. I did. Okay.
Keara Torkelson [:And then were you at North Fort Hood with us, like, in those barracks? The sleeping barracks?
Dayna Lopez [:Yes. Because I remember the morning of November 5th. I didn't know who she was at the time until later on, but Lieutenant Colonel Warman, like, brought her coffee maker into the barracks, and I was like, who is this lady? I want some coffee.
Kim [:Those little things? Those little things that make a difference? Just the aroma of it.
Dayna Lopez [:Yes.
Kim [:And go ahead and walk us through. Did you both meet up in the barracks and walk to the station or.
Keara Torkelson [:We had to take a bus from those barracks to the other side of Fort Hood. So it's about a 45 minute drive that morning. And then they just let us out, and I think they gave us, like, some folders or some papers that probably had a checklist on it of everything we had to do and sent us on our way. We were waiting to see the main doctor, and then Specialist Nixon told us that her and I had to go down to this other building, and that's where we went and got our Jimmy Dean lunch and sat outside and ate it. And then when we went back, all those chairs were full. So full that I was in that front area, and it was so full that she had to go behind a cubicle wall that was behind us and, like, overflow seating. Yeah.
Kim [:And we talked about that, Dayna, on your last podcast how. Yeah, when you came back in, the whole room was filled and so you really couldn't see Keara.
Dayna Lopez [:Yeah, I couldn't really see anything except the wall that I was behind. That was my view.
Kim [:And then take us through it, because when the shooting happened, what you felt like. Because it's so interesting to talk to both of you because you're both in the same room, the same environment, but have two totally separate stories.
Keara Torkelson [:Well, for me, when he jumped up right directly in front of the chairs that I was sitting in and he shouted Allah Akbar. Which really, thinking back in my memory, I don't remember actually hearing him say that. I remember something being yelled, but not really it registering what was being said and then just loud noises. And since we had just done training recently with rubber bullets, I thought it was fake. You know, I was like, no way.
Kim [:Like a training exercise.
Keara Torkelson [:Yeah. And I instantly felt a burning sensation on the top of my head, so I almost wanted to, like, stand up and be like, hey, timeout. Your rubber bullet hit me. I'm bleeding. Do you want me to be bleeding all over my uniform and stuff? Like, I'm thinking, we need to stop this training scenario. Which also is probably something you're not supposed to do in a training scenario either. But then I saw another person on the ground, and all I remember is seeing their neck and blood and just thinking, oh, this is real. And I called 911 and put my phone down by my side and just started crawling and trying to figure out what to do from there, it's mass chaos.
Keara Torkelson [:There's chairs and backpacks and people everywhere, and we have no protection. Nothing to help us, nothing to protect us. Yeah. It's just a very surreal feeling and experience.
Kim [:Yeah. And was there just one exit door?
Keara Torkelson [:Well, I know there was at least two exit doors in the front and the back, because I had heard later that he went out the back door as well and was shooting people out there. But I ran to the side of the room and I don't remember being people, like, being like, let's go out here. I ended up going to the side of the room and then up towards the front again. And then I ended up going out the doors that he started shooting from.
Dayna Lopez [:Yeah.
Kim [:I was going to say, how do you even know where to go when your mind's all disruptive? Like, where did you even know where to turn?
Keara Torkelson [:I mean, and you're in fight or flight too, so the adrenaline's pumping and we didn't know where to go. We had never been there. Like, this is our first time. It's like, I think at this point it's what, noon or 1 o'? Clock? And so we I mean, we'd been there a few hours, but not enough to, like, know where we were supposed to go from there. Even when I got to the hospital later, people were saying that there was a shooter at the Burger King and the chapel and the movie theater, and those are all right there. And I was like, wow, all of those places were right there where I was, which none of those places ended up. Those were just rumors that were circulating.
Kim [:But, yeah, that had to be so scary and unfamiliar territory. And Dayna, what do you remember about that?
Dayna Lopez [:I remember not really knowing what was going on because initially I couldn't see what was happening, but I could hear people saying, get down. It's not a test. He has a gun. And I do remember when my fight or flight did kick in, like, just my hands just being, like, so shaky and looking around, trying to piece together what it is that was actually happening. And it took me a few minutes, or it felt like a few minutes, I guess, until I saw someone. I thought it was Keara, but I guess I'm not 100% positive, but I thought I saw her running, and that is what motivated me to start actually moving from the spot I was in. And I saw the back door wide open and people running out of it, which is like, I touched on. That was my, okay, I'm going to go out the building.
Dayna Lopez [:But then I didn't, so.
Kim [:And you were saying you kind of went into a freeze state.
Dayna Lopez [:Yeah, until I thought that I recognized Keara running. And. And so that gave me, like, the cue to, okay, I gotta move too. And that's kind of what I mean by, like, she's always been this guiding light for me because even in the trauma, she was so.
Kim [:Oh, Keara, how does that make you feel?
Keara Torkelson [:It's so sweet. And I mean, when she was talking about seeing the back door, I was like, wow, we were almost like sitting back to back. Like, we always have each other's backs. And even in that moment, that's kind of how that started, was like we were back to back with this cubicle wall between us, and she could see that way and I could see this way, but. And we've always had each other's backs since then.
Kim [:Oh, that's so beautiful to hear. And Dayna, that's so beautiful that seeing Keara or who you thought was her running really gave you that cue to be like, oh, my gosh, this is the girl that said she's taking me under her. Her wing and making me her best friend. And really having that, that cue to follow her.
Dayna Lopez [:Yeah, I just Felt like she was somebody I could trust and follow.
Kim [:Do you want to talk about what happened next with you, Dayna? I know we talked about it on your episode, but a little bit more about what you felt and.
Dayna Lopez [:Yeah, so I saw the doors open and thought, okay, that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to run out the door. But I could hear the shooter, like, approaching. And in my mind, I just thought, if I do run out, I'm gonna cross right in front of him. I didn't even. I wasn't really thinking. I just. My body saw.
Dayna Lopez [:I saw a chair. I protected myself the best way that I could. And I guess I went through that bargaining phase in my mind where I thought, oh, he's gonna see me, and he's gonna see I'm a good person and he's not going to hurt me. But as soon as I saw his eyes, I just knew. And honestly, the story in the news right now, I can't remember the guy's name, but this might be off topic a little bit, but the Utah, his eyes were dark just like that. And I just knew, like, that I needed to protect myself as soon as I saw his eyes. And then. I'm not sure how much you want me to touch on the actual shooting since we.
Dayna Lopez [:The last episode are probably.
Kim [:Yeah, you can touch on it more, because I want to ask Keara. Then I feel like I'm not saying it right because. Probably because you told me to say it, Keara.
Keara Torkelson [:Yeah, I think you're saying it right now.
Kim [:Yeah, because I want to. Have you heard her story before then?
Keara Torkelson [:I mean, I think I've heard parts of it, but I was like, keep going. I want to hear.
Dayna Lopez [:Yeah, well, so I just kind of, like, covered my head to protect myself. And it's hard to remember what order of, like, which bullet hit me first. But I got hit in the arm. The bullet went straight through my arm, and it just felt like fire. Like, it felt like I didn't even know if my arm was there anymore, and I didn't want to look. And the bullet that went into my thigh bounced up into my abdomen. And I guess maybe the pain is comparable to childbirth, but to me at the time, it felt like the worst pain, cramps that I'd ever felt in my life. And the other bullet went into my chest and collapsed my lung.
Dayna Lopez [:But I don't know that I really was aware of that because the pain was so great in my stomach and in my arm. And after he left the building is when people started to Come over and help. And I was kind of directing them on what to do, like, elevate my legs and don't give me the water that I asked for because I don't want to go into shock. And I remember that when they actually picked me up to carry me out of the building, I had my phone in my pocket, and it was ringing, and I couldn't answer it. And I wish that I could answer it. And I don't know who it was that was calling. I don't know if I ever figured that out.
Kim [:Keara, what do you feel like hearing all that?
Keara Torkelson [:I knew most of it, and I just think it's incredible that she survived that. And she did come face to face with him and could see him, and that had to be so eerie. And then do you know, did he go out the back door and come back in?
Dayna Lopez [:I don't remember that bit. I remember he shot me, and then he was shooting someone else, and then he shot me again before he left. I don't remember the thought of like, oh, he's gone. Oh, my gosh, he's back. Like, I don't remember that piece of it.
Keara Torkelson [:And maybe he did it. Maybe he didn't come back in. It's hard when we. Because then we had to testify in all these. He had two different hearings. And then hearing other people's recollections and then trying to pair it with your own, it's just. It can get really confusing. And then it also helps bring some clarity as well.
Kim [:Yeah. I'm so proud of you, Keara. For went right into action and called 91 1, but I don't know what good it did.
Keara Torkelson [:They just heard.
Kim [:Sure. Save a lot of people. It initiated the response, hopefully.
Keara Torkelson [:Yeah. When I pulled my phone out, all I could think of was how I wanted to send a text message to everyone in my phone. I don't care if my insurance agent got it. I just wanted everyone to get a text from me that said, I love you. Because I was thinking. I was like, oh, I'm about to die right now.
Kim [:Well, yeah, you just had a bullet to your head.
Keara Torkelson [:Yeah.
Kim [:Yeah. And it wasn't a training exercise, so. Yeah. So did all of you go to the hospital then?
Keara Torkelson [:We went to different hospitals, didn't we?
Dayna Lopez [:I went on post to Darnell. Darnell, yeah.
Keara Torkelson [:Yeah. So I was able to get up and run, and I ran out of the building, ran to another building, and then from there, we were in there for a while and then went outside. And then I remember us coming back inside because they thought he was shooting again. And I'm like, how is this not over? Is all I can remember thinking at that point. And then back outside on the curb, and there's a picture of me on the curb in anti terrorism training now that the army does, and it's a picture from pretty far away, but you can for sure tell that it's me sitting on the curb, holding my head with the ambulance there. And when I got into the ambulance and it started driving away, another one of our soldiers had got in the driver's seat and tried to drive it away. And she turns around and she's like, which way's the hospital? And one of the paramedics that's like, working on people is like, what? Who are you? Get out of the driver's seat.
Kim [:Yeah.
Keara Torkelson [:Everyone was trying to get out of there, but I got to Darnell. I sat in the hallway for a little bit because I was upright. You know, I was able to talk. And my wound on my head was very bloody, but I don't remember them doing X rays or anything on it. And then the wound in my back, another soldier had pulled the bullet out. So they just packed it, cleaned it up, and then put me in this room with a couple other wounded soldiers and was like, just stay here until we get someone to transport you guys for the night. Like, we weren't even ever admitted to the hospital, some of us, but Dayna was. Her injuries were a lot more severe.
Kim [:Do you remember seeing Dayna at the hospital or on the grounds after the shooting?
Keara Torkelson [:Mm.
Kim [:Mm.
Keara Torkelson [:I ran the opposite way and then was out of that building and wasn't allowed to go back up there. When did we even get to see each other after?
Dayna Lopez [:I know, like, Nelson and some people came to see me and the hospital, but I don't.
Keara Torkelson [:I don't think I was there.
Dayna Lopez [:Yeah, maybe at the one year reunion.
Keara Torkelson [:Do you think it was then. Did you come when President Obama came? You were still in the hospital then on?
Dayna Lopez [:Yeah, well, I got out on Veterans Day, and I was there when he came. Like, I met him when I was in the hospital.
Keara Torkelson [:Okay. Yeah, maybe it was one year reunion. Is that when we got to see each other again? And you ran a marathon and that.
Dayna Lopez [:Stuffed dog that we won that we carried everywhere, and the little balls were falling out of it.
Kim [:Oh, my gosh. Tell me about this reunion. Who set up the reunion? Where was it?
Keara Torkelson [:Fort Hood. Set it up, and it was called Rock the Hood, which I think is something that they already were doing. Maybe they had a concert. NOS was There. Puddle of mud. And Dayna ran a marathon, right? It was a half marathon, yeah. A year after that, she ran a half marathon, which I thought was incredible. I did a 5K.
Dayna Lopez [:Well, I will say I was voluntold to run the half marathon and my unit was like, we're going to send you there, we're going to fly you there and you're going to run the marathon. I was like, okay, yeah.
Kim [:What did it look like after, like, support system wise, what did it look like after the shooting? It sounds like from talking with you both individually, it was a bit chaotic. And what did it feel like for you both?
Dayna Lopez [:I personally think that the support system provided pales in comparison to just leaning on each other because we both get it. Whereas, like, they can provide us with these providers who are going to give us medication like they do everyone else. But having someone that you can call at any time that you know and trust is like, priceless, and you can't really prescribe that. So.
Keara Torkelson [:Yeah, I completely agree. And we were reservist or you were active duty, right?
Dayna Lopez [:Uh huh, yeah.
Keara Torkelson [:And I was reservist. And we were thrown. I mean, she was thrown in this unit without anyone else. And afterwards I was just sent home. Our unit deployed without us and the shooting was labeled workplace violence for five years after the shooting. So a lot of certain benefits and certain things just weren't available to us, I guess. And I don't know, I mean, no one had dealt with a mass shooting on a military base before, so this was kind of new territory for everyone.
Kim [:When did you both reconnect again? You said at the one year, but did you text or anything before that?
Keara Torkelson [:Oh, yeah, we were texting. Right. Way before then, but I don't think we even had each other's number yet.
Dayna Lopez [:We definitely found each other on Facebook. And at the one year reunion is after I ran the half marathon, I really just hung out with Keara the rest of the night because my family came to watch me run, but they didn't stay the night. So we just kind of like rode all the rides and played all the games. And then I've gone on a couple PTSD retreats after Keara because we were supposed to go on one together back in 2017. And I was terrified to go, but Keara was like, come on. And I, like, did not want to go at all, but I was going. And then that was the year that Hurricane Harvey hit Houston, and so I actually could not go. And I was, like, relieved that I did not have to go and stay in A hurricane.
Dayna Lopez [:I did end up going though, and Keara was there as like a mentor when I went, so that was fun.
Keara Torkelson [:Yeah, we going to things and I'm either a mentor or doing something else, so. Well, next up, we're doing a reunion for this unit that was at Fort Hood at the end of August. We're meeting up in Florida.
Kim [:Did you put that together?
Keara Torkelson [:I am helping put it together, yes.
Kim [:And are you going, Dayna?
Dayna Lopez [:I am, yeah.
Keara Torkelson [:They're going to put our families together in an Airbnb so we can hang out and yeah, it should be really a good time on the beach.
Kim [:So. Yeah, continue. So where did you say it's going to be?
Keara Torkelson [:In Pensacola, Florida, or Navarre. We have another soldier from our unit, has a few airbnbs down there and some connections, so he's spearheaded it. And really this reunion started because we keep losing a lot of our soldiers to suicide within our unit. And a year ago, one of our soldiers passed away and a bunch of people came to his funeral and they went out to a ball game afterwards and they felt a sense of healing, just being together again. And they're like, we have to do this with everyone, everyone that wants to come. So we're putting this together to see what happens. And there's talks of continuing to do it every year or every few years. So we'll see how it goes.
Kim [:I love that you are both in the advocate and healer stage because, Keara, you're with Wounded to Warrior Project and you talk about your role there when.
Keara Torkelson [:Your Warrior project has been there for me since day one almost. And I lead a peer support group once a month for them and I can lead events. And then I also am a peer mentor for Project Odyssey, which is a five day PTSD program that's in person and then it has follow up. So it's a 12 week program. Totally. And then me and my husband actually are both mentors for that now, so we do couples Odysseys as well. I think that there's so much healing and that giving back and taking what you've learned and taking your wounds and really finding those gifts in your wounds can be incredibly healing as well.
Kim [:Yeah. And I love that you took that route. And Dayna, you did something similar, but you did it with yoga.
Dayna Lopez [:I did. I had an interesting experience with that because I didn't really like, process the trauma before I became a yoga teacher. And I actually opened up when I started working in like a studio instead of a gym. The staff kind of wanted teachers to share a little about themselves and why yoga was Important. And after I shared my story, it was very hard for me to return back to. To the studio. And that led me to seek therapy and. And all that through the VA because when I actually spoke about it in front of people that didn't know that about me, I started calling in, and I, like, couldn't return to the studio.
Dayna Lopez [:I know that's a little bit off topic, but I just remembered that. But Keara also, like, hooked me up with all the essential oils, and I've got my collection of oils that I still find very helpful. Like, I still use white angelica if I'm trying to, like, protect my energy. It's my favorite one.
Kim [:I love that you're both able to give each other the strengths that you both have and share the resources. There's nothing more healing than having somebody that went through the same thing that you went through to be able to talk to. And because some people just. The outsiders don't understand because they didn't experience it. But the fact that both of you two experienced it together, even though it was an unfortunate event, is so powerful in the healing process. So I'm so happy you both have each other.
Keara Torkelson [:Me too. I scrolled back through my. Our messages on Facebook to try to figure it out, because I needed to know. It took me a while of scrolling, but.
Kim [:What did you come up with?
Keara Torkelson [:December 7th, I sent you a message that was like, hey, how are you? I'm sorry I never got to come see you in the hospital. So I think when they went, it was probably when either my family was there or I don't know, but because my family got flown in by a news anchor, and then the news, like, kept trying to do all these interviews, and then we just started talking about our injuries and exchanged phone numbers and talked and. Yeah, that's just.
Kim [:Well, Dayna, you were out of it quite a bit because you had the. The morphine pump. So I'm sure after the surgeries you had and the amount of pain you were in and then on the narcotics, you're kind of, like, in and out. And so it would be interesting to see the conversations, the exchange between both of you.
Keara Torkelson [:Yeah.
Dayna Lopez [:Yes.
Keara Torkelson [:I mean, yeah, both of us. I mean, that's kind of what the army, maybe the government, I don't know, is known for. Right. Is just giving pills to mask it. Like, they just. Even so I got put in that room after the shooting, and then other soldiers were like, I got pain pills and sleeping pills, and I was like, oh, wait, I didn't get anything. And then I just went out into the hallway and found a nurse. I was like, hey, I just got shot.
Keara Torkelson [:And they got pain pills and sleeping pills, and I want pain pills and sleeping pills. And they're like, here you go. Here's your pain pills and sleeping pills. Now I'm like, ooh, should we have done that? Like, should we have just, like, gone to sleep and let our brains process what happened? I don't know. That probably wasn't great to do. Yeah.
Dayna Lopez [:Might not have been able to sleep, though, right?
Keara Torkelson [:That's probably true.
Kim [:Let's talk about. What advice would you give to other people who are trauma survivors?
Dayna Lopez [:I think you have to allow yourself to feel the feelings rather than stuffing them down or avoiding. Because I think I just tried to be positive, like, overly positive, until I started having difficulties, like sharing my story and teaching yoga. It will catch up to you if you don't address it. And it can catch up to you in a much more unmanageable way if you don't face it.
Keara Torkelson [:Yeah. There's a great book called the Body Keeps Score that talks exactly about that. Is you can deal with it one way or you're going to deal with it another.
Kim [:Either way, it's coming out. It will manifest itself. Yes.
Keara Torkelson [:And I think, you know, oftentimes I've spoken a lot about this, and sometimes I'm like, why am I even doing this? Who really cares? But I think it does help other people. And then it does. It helps myself to be able to talk about this story and not let that have the power over me. It gives you your power back to. And empowers you through it. As far as the healing aspect, aspect, I'm really into holistic healing. The pills weren't doing it for me. So being out in nature, moving your body, finding that community.
Keara Torkelson [:Community is super important in healing. And. Yeah, essential oils. We love essential oils.
Kim [:I love essential oils.
Keara Torkelson [:I mean, essentially, right. It's a plant that was given to us that we're supposed to use to heal ourselves. And that's what it is. So it's really just taking what the earth has given us.
Dayna Lopez [:And it's like the power of scent, like, really pulls you into the present moment because you're engaging your senses. And I believe that they work as well.
Keara Torkelson [:Yeah. I mean, that's a lot of what PTSD is, right. Is like living in the past or living in the future. It's that anxiety or it's that depression or flashbacks and trauma. So you're right. Like, the essential oils are bringing you in the present, and that's best place to be.
Kim [:And I love that you're both on that path, because you're absolutely right. I believe that 100% we're all given born with all these senses, like our smell and our sight and so going outside just really. Oh, but it really stimulates you, and it does. And it does ground you. And putting a certain feeling with a smell, like a positive feeling now with the certain scent, like in those essential oils, really, really is powerful.
Keara Torkelson [:I think this is really great preparation for the reunion. We have coming up with other soldiers from our unit because we've talked before, we've been together, but it will be interesting to see how this goes, hearing other people's point of views, especially the people that deployed and came back and we didn't maybe never even got to see them again since then.
Kim [:What are your thoughts on that, Dayna?
Dayna Lopez [:I just remembered being in the back of the ambulance, and there was somebody else in the ambulance with me, and I never could figure out who it was. And when Keara said that there might be some people we've never talked with, my mind went back to there and like, oh, my gosh, I never figured out who was on the ambulance with me or if they survived, like, who it was, you know?
Kim [:Yeah. Maybe you'll get to find that out at the reunion. And storytelling such a big part as well.
Keara Torkelson [:Yeah, I'm sure there's gonna be an opportunity for that. I mean, our family and our children are gonna be there, so it'll be interesting to see how that will play out. But I'm sure the soldiers ourselves can take a break or walk on the beach and have that catharsis. Cause I think it could be really healing for a lot of people.
Kim [:Have you both spoke with your families in depth? Have they been curious and really supportive of the healing process?
Keara Torkelson [:My family's been really supportive, and my kids are getting a little bit older now. My oldest is 13, and Dayna is actually his godmom, so it'll be so cool for them to see each other. And Eldon will, you know, especially when he was little, he was like, I'm gonna go live with my godmom.
Dayna Lopez [:You know, it's like.
Keara Torkelson [:Yeah, my kids have heard me speak. They know that I am on a journey, and they know that sometimes I get really upset, and I blame it on my ptsd. But I have been really open with them, and they're 10 and 13. But Dayna's son is a little bit younger, so I'll let her answer. But I know the rest of your family is Very supportive.
Dayna Lopez [:Yeah. Yeah. My mom and my sister are very supportive and understanding because they went through their own trauma that day of not being able to get in touch with me and not knowing for, like, six hours if I was okay. But my son, he just turned six, he's actually here playing with some little Jurassic park thing that I gave him. And I'm like, I'm going to be in that room. Here you go. But I think it's going to be. So.
Dayna Lopez [:It's just going to be special, I guess, to see my son being able to interact with Eldon because he's older and he's someone that he could look up to. And I just feel like it's going to be a very special moment and opportunity to have them meet.
Keara Torkelson [:Yeah. I'm excited. They're going to have so much fun.
Kim [:You guys promised to send me a picture.
Dayna Lopez [:Yes.
Kim [:And when is this happening again?
Keara Torkelson [:Labor Day weekend in a month.
Kim [:Wow. Both of you enjoy. Enjoy each other. And I. I could just see the reunion now. Like, I just met both of you, but I can tell from what you've been through that initial hug is going to last for a long time, and there's going to be, like, a lots of emotions exchanged, and I'm so happy that you have one another.
Dayna Lopez [:Me, too.
Keara Torkelson [:Yes, me too.
Kim [:Okay, well, enjoy the reunion, and hopefully we will be able to have another.
Keara Torkelson [:Reunion in a year or so and.
Kim [:We'll circle back around and talk about all the other amazing things that you're doing and how life has evolved.
Keara Torkelson [:Yeah, that sounds great.
Kim [:Well, I want to thank both of you for being on and talking with one another and sharing your story again. You've done this individually and now coming on and doing it together. Just listening to you was really powerful. So thank you for doing that.
Keara Torkelson [:Thank you.
Dayna Lopez [:Thank you.
Kim [:That's a wrap on today's episode of Dog Tag Diaries. As we head deeper into season five. I'm more grateful than ever for this community, for the raw, brave stories shared and the hearts they reach. If something spoke to you today, pass it on. Leave a review. Share with a sister in arms. Because healing is contagious and so is hope. Until next time, keep speaking your truth. And remember, you're not alone.
