Military veteran rebuilds his life in a mountain castle

Sirhowy Valley, Wales — Mikey Allen never intended to build a castle. He needed a place to be alone to find peace. But he also needed something to occupy his time and drown out his thoughts. It was physically painful to carry stones and logs up the remote hillsides of Wales. It gave him little time to reflect and gave him purpose.

"This goal kind of created hope and kept me alive to some extent," Allen told CBS News.

A combination of skill and luck kept him alive more than a decade ago while serving as a corporal in the British Army in Afghanistan. He was the point man for his unit tasked with finding a roadside bomb. Casualties were common during his seven-month tour.

On one patrol in Helmand Province, he saw Afghan national police step on a mine laid by Taliban militants. rice field.

"There was a huge explosion. My colleague and I skidded across the floor.

Allen and his fellow soldiers rushed to On his feet, amidst the smoke and confusion, he administered first aid to a seriously injured man.

"We called a helicopter andCamp Bastion116}, but he died on the way back to camp," he said.

Faced with death, he questioned everything, even reality.

"You are kind of wondering, is this a second life? Is there anything we don't know? It doesn't make sense."

Wales Back at his home in New York, Allen was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

"I feel like a different person when I come back," he said. “Friends and family say you are not the same. turned to His marriage fell apart, and one day, so did he.

"I just kept taking painkillers and kept eating. I hoped I wouldn't wake up." When things got difficult, he withdrew from society and found solitude by the side of the Mynyddislwyn mountains in the Silhau Valley of Wales.

"I was homeless. I had no food, no money, no phone," Allen said.

He built a wooden hut in the woods on the hillside. "Stay away from everyone."

"There were some locals who were really, really helpful. They served me a cooked dinner. Tea and chocolate biscuits made all the difference between not giving up and giving up.”

But then disaster struck. One day he came home to find that the hut he had spent months building was gone.

"It had been completely demolished by the authorities," Allen said. “They had been cutting trees for a year, but they judged it a fire hazard.

Nearby farmers learned of Allen's plight and let him live free of charge in an old caravan on one of their fields. They also said Allen, 42, could use their land for their next project. It was his act of kindness that gave him a chance to truly start over.

For the next three years, Allen pushed his body to its limits. Behind him, an abandoned quarry. He chopped and hauled logs from the nearby forest and began building a fortress. In doing so, he rebuilt his life.

It was a lot of work.

"The main part is collecting all the stones," Allen said. "For each hour of building, it takes him five or six hours to collect the stones in the first place."

While he barely rested, he felt his hard labor bring about an inner calm. He found love again.

It was three years before Rachel Whiting met Mikey. In those days, castles were little more than the rough outlines of promises carved into the soil.

"Mike and I felt like we knew each other from the day we met," Whiting told CBS News. "It was like meeting a best friend I hadn't seen in years. That's how I felt when I met him. We've been so supportive of each other in so many ways." 177}

Whiting found it easier to deal with her own problems thanks to Allen's trauma. One night in February 2011, she was informed that her husband, who also served in the military, had committed suicide.

"For me, that night was complete and hellish," she recalled. "It's a pain that never goes away. You learn to manage it, but it never goes away. This is what suicide leaves behind." I believe that time has lifted my spirits and strengthened my relationship with Allen.

"Even when he's having days when he feels like he doesn't want to do much, he says, 'You really don't want to cut down trees? Me. Just try one stone.' Take a look, oh well."

As the castle grew, so did the community around it. Currently, about 100 people visit each week. Residents of the area, other troubled veterans, and strangers inspired by Allen's story have all climbed the mountain to sit, de-stress, and take in the beautiful valley views below.

Allen said that during the first longCOVID-19 lockdown, his Said it was his happiest day

"When we got to the top of the mountain, there were 30, 40 people, all with big, happy smiles. It was a really special day to see how they were suffering, to see so many happy faces, and to wave to different families.”

The charities he founded. Through the organization Endex, Allen made even more people smile. The castle hosts yoga, meditation and fitness classes, as well as mental health his courses and skills his training. This includes Dry He Stonewalls, an ancient technique Allen used to build his castle. Families with children with special needs also receive support and guidance on the mountainside. And it's all free.

Allen said more than 5,000 people visited the castle. "From anywhere. USA, Canada, Norway, Fiji."

He plans to complete his third and final floor in the coming months. 

CBS News correspondent girlfriend Roxana Saberi contributed to this report.

In:
• PTSD
• Veterans Day
• Veterans Eyes