Posted on 08/13/2009 9:07:15 AM PDT by Starman417
Life and the internet are strange strange things. I've been trading emails and posts etc with Chris for years now. It wasn't at all uncommon for his duties, deployments, and family to make those virtual conversations sporadic from time to time. Well, Chris won't be returning emails anymore. He passed away suddenly on June 30, 2009.
Last Fall he and his wife Shannon had a baby girl, Lilly. Chris was so happy. We teased him about how awful it is to step on Barbie Doll high heels in the middle of the night, and he bragged about how his friends Mossberg and Remington were gonna help keep the boys away from his little beauty.
A few weeks later he deployed to Afghanistan. We still got emails from him. He sent pics, talked about the firefights, artillery barrages on Christmas night, and how, 'once you accept that if you step off the path you're in a minefield , and you're dead, it's not that bad. Ya just stay on the path.' He didn't love it over there in the ass-end of the planet by any stretch of the imagination, but he was extremely proud to be doing his duty-at least, that's what he told us in emails.
Chris was always brash, blunt, bold, and beautiful in his political commentary. He was in no uncertain terms not happy with the Democratic Party, its leaders or its followers. Time and again he posted here at Flopping Aces in response to DNC talking points about Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Global War on Terror. He would NEVER stoop to re-naming it 'overseas contingency operations in support of combat in Operations Iraqi Freedom and/or Operation Enduring Freedom. People would post that there were no WMD in Iraq, and he's show pictures and links and tell personal stories of his time there. They'd say there was no Al Queda in Iraq, and that Saddam and Bin Laden had no relationship, and he'd wig out with tales of what he had personally seen.
[SNIP]
I've been noticeably missing the past week or so for a number of reasons. Not the least of which is Army business, but I can't blame it all on work. At the end of the show, I publicly admitted that I'm having issues dealing with life.-CJ, writing on June 30th, the very day ChrisG committed suicide.
Back in March, I was about to transition to a new job and had interest in having another go at the military reserves, although I was rejected 2 years ago.
The recruiter I had begun talking to abruptly broke off contact. On March 18th, I sent an email to CJ of A Soldier's Perspective, venting frustration. He wrote back:
To their credit this time, the Army is busy with a lot of suicide prevention training lately, especially the recruiters. Maybe give them another week, but keep trying!
Just the day before this, CJ had posted on suicide prevention programs within the military.
On March 6th, about 2 weeks earlier, CJ's post began:
I want to address that Soldier, Marine, Sailor, or Airman that may have come here for answers. You may be contemplating suicide and you're seeking help over the internet. If this is your only outlet, please seek us out. My email address is on the sidebar and regardless of the time of day, you may contact me. If you need help, I will give you my personal phone number. Above all, don't go to extremes and try to kill yourself.I can promise you that this world is a beautiful place and you are an amazing part of it. Please don't leave people wondering what kind of world it would have been had you stayed in it! There is nothing in this world worthy of taking your life. Believe it or not, a failed relationship, a bad deployment experience, a failed job, delinquent bills, terrible leadership, the loss of a family member or friend – none of that is worth your life. I desperately urge you to take those issues in your life and become something bigger in spite of your problems. There are people who care about you deeply and want to help you through whatever you're facing right now. We may not understand, but we care and want help you through it. Once you take your life, it can't be taken back.
If you don't contact us for help, please go somewhere. Check out www.militaryonesource.com for people that can help. Go to your chain of command. Seek out a complete stranger. Go to a hospital or police department. Just do something besides trying to take your life. I don't know you personally, but I'd like to.
Although I've never met Chris, and had only limited contact and conversations with him, it's difficult for any of us- his friends and family members most of all- not to wonder what we could have done to have made the difference in his life that might have given him that one moment of pause he needed to get him through. I had seen CJ's post in March; around June or July, CJ himself came to grips with his own need to reach out for professional help and was diagnosed with PTSD. Chris ended his life in late June.
The "what if's" inevitably begin to swirl around in my head: What if I had followed through with a blogpost of my own, then? Even just simply linked to CJ's important post? Like so many intended posts, it never got made...Would Chris have seen it? Read it? Remembered it in his time of need? Contacted CJ? Sought help? Or would events have unfolded the way they did, anyway? What if I had bothered to correspond more with Chris? Sent him a kind word of support about how much we admire him for the hard job that he does daily for our country? Would I have noticed any possible signs that he was in trouble?
Having had an uncle who took his own life, I will say that the grief and guilt of those loved ones left behind can be enormous.
(Excerpt) Read more at floppingaces.net ...
Also from your link above...
Chris’ military honors:
MAJOR Christopher Todd Galloway was born in FT. Knox, KY on February 12, 1973.
He Graduated from Oxford High School in 1991, where he was a member of the explorer scouts program and he also took great interest in computers and engineering.
MAJOR Galloway went to Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, MI (where he met his wife Shannon) He graduated in 1996 with a bachelors degree in engineering management. He became involved in ROTC while in college and went to Basic training at FT. Knox, KY.
After Graduation, MAJOR Galloway’s 1st assignment was tank platoon leader in Baumholder, Germany for the C company, 1st battalion, 35th armor of 1st Armor division. While serving as a tank platoon leader, MAJOR Galloway deployed to Bosnia for 6 months conducting the NATO peace keeping operations. He was latter assigned to headquarters and headquarters company (HHC) Excutive Officer under the same Battalion.
Major GAlloway’s service includes Assistant Brigade S3 and Batalian S4 in FT. Riley, KS under the 1st Infantry Division. He Served as Troop Commander under D Troop, 1st Squadron, 16th Cavarly regiment in FT. Knox KY. This is where Chris Earned his spurs and Stetson that he was so proud of.
In 2006, Major Galloway was assessed in the Army Acquisition Corps. He served his 1st Acquisition assignment as the assistant Project manager (APM) for survivability under the TANK-AUTOMOTIVE research, development and Engineering center (TARDEC) in Warren, MI. He was deployed to Iraq in 2007 till the Birth of his 2nd son.
He served his most recent assignment with the joint MRAP Vehicle Program office for Mine resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) as the APM Survivability under the Program Executive Office, Combat support & Combat service support (PEO CS&CSS)
Major Galloway’s awards and decorations include the Meritorious Service metal, Army Commendation Metal (2 OLC), Army Achievement metal, National Defense Service metal, NATO metal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Afghanistan Campaign metal, Global War on Terrorism Service Metal, and the overseas and Army Service ribbon.
He is Survived by his wife Shannon and their 3 children. Nathan (4.5), Benjamin (2) and Lillian (10 months)
Major Galloway is also survived by his Mother Sara Galloway and his sister Erin Galloway. He was preceded in Death by his father Major Lawrence Galloway.
There will be a trust fund set up for Major Galloway’s children soon, details to follow.
Tough to hear. Sad for the family. I enjoyed his work, as it was pretty sound stuff.
For what it’s worth, he left his family. Was it avoidable? He did take his own life. It is not uncommon for mental illness to drive folks to that point, but to leave a wife and child. Well, depression/mental illness can be overwhelming for some. Those of us that are crazy in other ways can’t even contemplate doing such a thing to our families, so it’s difficult to relate. Suffice to say that self destruction is a very special form of mental problem.
Some don’t give up, and avail themselves of true miracle drugs that weren’t available even 10 years ago. I can’t tell if this guy tried everything he could to address his problem, I hope he did. Some people can be too proud to see the shrink, or take the pills, or get the therapy. The point is, that lots of this stuff works, to a greater or lesser degree so you owe it to those around you to run the gauntlet. Chances are, you’ll improve your position. How much worse could it get?
Having had a brother who checked himself out early (way early) there’s some anger on the part of those that are left. There’s also an inability to comprehend what must be a terribly tortuous condition. It’s just hard to imagine removing oneself from a new family. Sad.
Dear Refuge of My Weary Soul
1. Dear refuge of my weary soul,
On Thee, when sorrows rise
On Thee, when waves of trouble roll,
My fainting hope relies
To Thee I tell each rising grief,
For Thou alone canst heal
Thy Word can bring a sweet relief,
For every pain I feel
2. But oh! When gloomy doubts prevail,
I fear to call Thee mine
The springs of comfort seem to fail,
And all my hopes decline
Yet gracious God, where shall I flee?
Thou art my only trust
And still my soul would cleave to Thee
Though prostrate in the dust
3. Hast Thou not bid me seek Thy face,
And shall I seek in vain?
And can the ear of sovereign grace,
Be deaf when I complain?
No still the ear of sovereign grace,
Attends the mourner’s prayer
Oh may I ever find access,
To breathe my sorrows there
4. Thy mercy seat is open still,
Here let my soul retreat
With humble hope attend Thy will,
And wait beneath Thy feet,
Thy mercy seat is open still,
Here let my soul retreat
With humble hope attend Thy will,
And wait beneath Thy feet
©1998, Kevin Twit Music.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Agreed about it being sad. We’ll never really know what drove him to this.
Things are well here. Incredibly busy getting ready for my engineering certification.
This just breaks my heart.
Prayers for Chris's family.
Jim, sadly another FReeper name to be added to the Free Republic Memorial Wall.
Just can’t imagine leaving behind a 10-month old baby and 3 other kids, no matter what had happened to me.
Wow, is this a sad one. My sincere condolences to his family & friends.
Prayers up for Chris and his family.
Ray Combs - the 1990s version of Richard Dawson - did the same thing to his family. Except I think he had 5 or 6 young kids when he committed suicide in a psych. ward in 1996. He was in a really bad car accident that left him partially paralyzed in 1994 and I think that - plus the fact his version of Family Feud was canceled, which caused his cash flow to drop to (way less than) zero - drove him to suicide.
Very sad.
May he find the peace that eluded him in this life.
RIP.
Prayers for this man. I had engaged him on a rare occasion and never saw anything other than an intelligent, thoughtful person.
He was a patriot. May God take him, and guide and provide for his family.
I met Chris in Kandahar in mid-March as I was on the way home from the MRAP project.
I had previously been stationed in Kandahar and knew most of the folks working on the project there, Chris was the new TACOM rep so I stopped by to visit with him.
Talked to him for an hour or so, and man, he was wound tight.
Proud of his family, proud of the Army, proud of his stetson and spurs (I’m a former CAV troop so I now what they mean).
But he was way wigged out about what was going on in the government and the country.... hard core survivalist to say the least. I hadn’t known him before so I didn’t now if this was new or the way he had been.
We were both from Michigan and went to rival schools so we had lots to talk about... seemed like a good guy.
One of my coworkers called me a few days after he died to let me know.... sad day indeed.
I knew he had suicided, but didn’t now what pushed him over the edge... now I see he was talking about divorce. Having been through it myself I don’t wish it on anybody... and as much as he loved his family - that maybe he just couldn’t take it.
RIP
Prayers up for his family!!!!!!!!
Did you read his last post?
It's a heartrending problem, which I lack proper context to come to terms with (i.e., has this always been an issue?).
We are well aware of the media stereotype of the NBK enlistee, which, although rare, I'm sure can happen.
But I wonder if enlistment is also attractive to some who are ambivalent, at best, about life itself. Like suicide by cop, except you go out a hero.
Like I said, it's very sad.
This is terribly sad. Words fail me.
Dear Lord Jesus
We pray that you comfort his family and friends. We pray you put your arms of protection around his wife and children. Please give peace to those who knew and loved this young man.
In your Holy Name,
Amen
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