CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – A local man has captured a lot of attention lately not only for his messages but for his choice in attire, or the lack of it.

Mikey “Yea Yea” Myers has been showing up at local events wearing nothing but sunglasses and a Speedo. And he’s not exactly in his former active-duty, tip-top Army shape.

“I’ve always been a guy who would do just about anything,” Myers told Clarksville Now. “And a lot of times when I’m having a conversation with someone, I’ll be like, ‘Yeah, yeah.’ So, I’ve just stuck with it.”

But behind all the fun and laughter, the photos and videos are bringing attention to local causes, including one very personal to Myers.

Mikey’s story

Myers is an Army veteran, and he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, a traumatic brain injury and depression.

“I have memory issues, migraines seven days a week,” Myers said.

He takes over 20 medications a day. He formerly struggled with addiction unrelated to his medications, but he’s been clean for four years.

“I’ve always been Mikey,” Myers said, “but I went through a process, I guess you’d call it, of drug addiction – methamphetamines – to suicide attempts, twice, to not giving anybody a chance to love me because I didn’t love myself.”

After all this time, Myers said he is seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

Myers is the founder and director of the Quigg & Callender Project, a program within the Sheepdog Initiative. This program supplies dogs to veterans, and it pays for their classes to become service animals.

The nonprofit is named after Cody “Cowboy” Quigg, and John Callender, two of Myers’ friends, who were also veterans, who died by suicide. “I miss them every day,” Myers said. “Because of those two men, they’ve actually helped a lot of families.”

This nonprofit has bought and trained 12 dogs for veterans in Middle Tennessee within the last two years. Training for service dogs usually costs around $10,000 and takes about two years to complete. Myers has four dogs himself.

“The veterans help themselves, I just give them an avenue to do so.”

Myers said his nonprofit is a community effort. “I’m retired military, so it keeps me rolling every day.”

“I don’t do this for anything other than to make people smile,” Myers said. “I haven’t been paid. The people who do try to pay me, I make them donate to the Sheepdog Initiative.”

Journey to self-love

Myers says he has been posting photos of himself in a Speedo for a while now. His social media presence has increased significantly through the last year, however, with over 34,000 followers on Tik Tok and his interactive posts on the Facebook group Clarksville Chat.

“What is the best way to get someone to pay attention to a message you’re trying to send out? You know, a powerful statement is a fat guy in a Speedo,” Myers said. “It’s OK to be fat, it’s OK to be overweight, it’s OK to express how you feel.

“I help more people, I hope, than I offend, and that’s what the ultimate purpose is.

He has also used his platform to promote his wife’s cleaning business, and he said he’s happy to do so.

“I found my best friend 10 years ago,” Myers said. “She is the best thing in my world; she knows everything about me.”

Myers said there is hope for those who think they’re in the deep end.

“It’s not the end of your life; it’s just the beginning and a new chapter. It’s up to you how you want to express yourself and become a good member of society. I’ve had my ups and downs in life, and I’ve struggled, but I’m where I am because of it.”

You can learn more by going to the Quigg and Callender website.

If you or someone you know is in need of help, call the National Suicide Prevention hotline, 1-800-273-8255. Confidential counselors answer calls 24/7. You can also get resources at Suicidepreventionlifeline.org.

Casey Williams contributed to this report.