SUICIDE IS NEVER THE ANSWER

Every suicide is a tragic loss to our nation and those impacted. The family and friends left behind who must deal with the aftermath of the event and put those events in perspective, may in some cases never know why the service member or Veteran took their life. Suicide is NEVER the answer. Please reach out and ask for help. We need you.

“I cannot comprehend why anyone should believe any problem is insurmountable. As the old adage says, “This too shall pass.””

Most of the time, yes. But with some age-related degenerative diseases (i.e., Alzheimer’s) the cure is found in death.

I’ve always been against any sort of suicide, and probably still am, but after watching a family be destroyed financially and emotionally caring for a woman that screams in pain everyday and doesn’t know who they are -— well, my opinion is softening.

I don’t think I would knowingly put my family through that; it seems cruel and stepping out of the way promptly would be a gift I could give them because I love them.

They are expanding. The long term plan of the foundation is to have one near every major military installation. It really is a fantastic resource, and they are not burdened by bureaucratic nonsense because they are privately funded. If you know a veteran that is in need near one of the clinics do not hesitate to have them at least check it out.

I don’t think I would knowingly put my family through that; it seems cruel and stepping out of the way promptly would be a gift I could give them because I love them.

I totally understand that position but that situation itself is part of the human experience. Having said that, my relations have all passed away from other conditions or illnesses before senility of any kind could take them. My Dad died at 56 from his fourth heart attack.

I knew many veterans from Vietnam because they were my age group. Those that made the transition back home without too many issues had that attitude that they made it and were determined to put one foot in front of the other and keep going. And they did.

I also knew many of the others that could not do that, they told me it was because they could not live with all the things that were in their head. Most of them drank heavily or did a lot of drugs, some committed suicide.

I don’t know how the first group dealt with what they had seen and done but they managed to. The others just couldn’t and I don’t know why they couldn’t.

People process things differently, and that is probably from birth, not sure it can be changed much. Veterans I knew from the 2nd group- some were taught how to cope with things differently and it worked for some, not for others. That is what happens with any treatment.

I think it is all very complicated, not possible to really understand. We all just do what we can to help and it may never be enough.

PTSD is very real but no one really understands it. My husband was blown up by a mine in Vietnam, barely survived and in fact those that witnessed it were sure he didn’t survive. He never claimed PTSD, and went on with his life as much as he could after all his medical issues were addressed as much as they could be. One of the men that witnessed it was diagnosed with PTSD and seeing what happened to my husband was his stressor according to the diagnosis. There is no predicting what each person can deal with and what some cannot.

I think you will find they are great to work with. My daughter worked for the Army, and the VA- she is a nurse that specializes in behavioral health. She now works for this foundation and loves her job so much. She said she feels like she can really help veterans which is what she always wanted to do. She no longer has the stress of dealing with paperwork issues, or being told no over and over- they just do what they can to help every veteran.

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