Posted on 11/20/2012 8:34:10 AM PST by kristinn
CALLAWAY — Libby Busbee pounded on the window of her son’s maroon Dodge Charger as he sat in the driveway of their home earlier this year. Locked inside his car, U.S. Army Spc. William Busbee sat with a .45-caliber gun pointed to the side of his head.
“Look at me,” his mother cried out as she tried to get her son’s attention. “Look at me.”
He wouldn’t look.
He stared out the front windshield, distant, Busbee said, relating the story from an apartment complex in Callaway.
“I kept yelling, ‘Don’t you do this. Don’t do it.’ He wouldn’t turn his head to look at me,” she said, looking down at the burning cigarette in her hand.
A 911 call was made. The police pulled her away from the car.
William, Libby Busbee’s 23-year-old son, was talking with a police officer when he fired a shot through the front windshield of his car, according to the police report.
The police recoiled. William rapped on the window in apparent frustration, the report indicated.
Then the second shot was heard.
“I knew that was the one,” said Libby Busbee.
William Busbee took his life in March with his mother and sisters looking on.
Casualty of war?
William Busbee was no casualty of the war in Afghanistan. He was a casualty of his own mind, his mother said.
Libby Busbee bowed her head, talking as she sat next to a bird-of-paradise on the front porch of her apartment. She could no longer live in the home on 12th Street.
“They wouldn’t let me talk to him,” she said, referring to the day her son shot himself. “I know if he was able to see me he wouldn’t have done it.”
According to a Veterans Affairs report this spring, a veteran commits suicide every 80 minutes. More than 6,500 suicides have occurred since the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan began. For every service member who dies in battle, 25 veterans die by their own hands.
According to a Pentagon report, more American active service members have killed themselves in the first six months of 2012 than in the first six months of any of the previous 11 years, The Associated Press reported.
The report reveals 154 service members killed themselves in the first 155 days of 2012 alone. The number of deaths by suicide is 50 percent higher than combat deaths in Afghanistan during the same period and an 18 percent increase over active service member suicides in the first six months of 2011.
And, while only 1 percent of Americans have served in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, veterans of these conflicts represent 20 percent of all suicides in the United States, the VA reported.
SNIP
Where are all the sanctimonious FReepers crowing about how cowardly people are who commit suicide?
“I took Bextra for a whole three days. After that I wanted to end it.”
Good thing you were clear headed enough to think through the thoughts. Many people in your situation find the drugs overwhelm them and they follow through. It’s why so many drugs come with clear instructions that any thoughts to harm yourself must be reported to your doctor immediately.
I had a guy I worked with take drugs for a mental condition and one day took several extra. He didn’t know why. He couldn’t rationalize it. He just did. The thought of sleeping forever was comforting at the time so he just did it in a near sleep state. He cored several times before they got him stable. He actually loves life. It sucks sometimes but he has a great sense of humor and loves being alive, yet, the drugs caused him to desire something totally out of character. He has a great wife and watches for those things in him now.
Bump for later
I served too, but was never in any danger, just here in the states doing paperwork. When I came off active duty I was in the Reserves for 8 more years, when I stopped that, I missed those people like crazy and still they are some of the people I like the best. There is nothing like the camaraderie of the service.
Suppose I had been in a different situation? What if I had had financial problems, had lost my job, had trouble with my spouse (or a combination, as so often seems to happen)?
In other words, if I had had a 'reason', would I have been able to think it through?
God was looking out for me.
How many others have been in worse situations, with real reasons to be depressed, who have attributed their mental state not to the drugs but to seemingly overwhelming problems?
Fortunately, at the time, I did not have any troubles, and life has taught me that even the most depressing situations are generally temporary.
But that is a skill which comes with experience, and thinking past today takes practice. Sadly, some don't give themselves that chance, and it seems like the younger you are, the more prone you are to give in.
No, it is not.
Much of today’s U.S. society does not respect the military and those that disrespect our military men and women are increasing in numbers.
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier disrespect not tolerated
Examiner.com ^ | Nov 20, 2012 | Scott Paulson
Posted on Wednesday, November 21, 2012 9:03:42 AM by KeyLargo
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier disrespect not tolerated
November 20, 2012 By: Scott Paulson
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2961825/posts
Thank you.
Days in combat is a factor of PTSD, as Grossman covers in his books.
Watching the troops 24/7 is part of the problem. The troops feel that they are watched because they did something wrong. The current system of “suicide prevention” reinforces the “you have been a bad boy” mental state of the soldiers. Depressing the troops with endless and repeated suicide prevention training is part of the problem too.
BTW: We need to separate the non-combat related suicides from the combat related. Including people who have made poor life choices (cheating on their spouse, stealing, etc) with those who are honorably injured in the war zone is just wrong.
You really need to read Grossman, he basically agrees with your theory. Where he, and I (if I remember the book correctly), disagree with you is on the danger/safety cycle. It is duration in combat (or stress) that hurts. Time away from stress can lower, but not empty, your stress tank.
One thing Grossman does not address is Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), which is beginning to appear to be a major factor in PTSD.
BTW2: On Killing is basically a revised version of On Combat. On Combat was written with the law enforcement community as an audience. On Killing was written for the military.
bfl
Just remembered that one of our old WWII Navy vets stood up at church on Vet’s Day and spoke of his time in service from 41-46. One story he told was of a sailor who couldn’t stand it and killed himself.
That would be one way to get some idea of the incidence of suicide, but it would have to be done immediately given the quickly deceasing members of our WWII era.
One could simply poll them about numbers of suicides they knew of, and at the same time do that for all Korea, Vietnam, etc. Polling the question in today’s force and simultaneously having the actual number of suicides would provide some kind of baseline for comparison.
http://www.bing.com/search?q=19%2c000%20sexual%20assaults%20in%20military&FORM=NP06LB&PC=NP06&QS=n.
sorry 10,000 sexuAL ASsaults and 9,000 men , other articles play it differently though a freeper has a thread about this wiht more stats than being given off the MSM.
Yes it is best to have another vet to talk to. All psych therapies will work if you trust the person you are talking to and none will work if you do not have that empathetic bond. They have started a mentor program and I truly believe every veteran should be kept in touch with.
Veterans, do you think mandatory 1-2 years in reserves would help?
That’s what happens when everybody gets a trophy for “playing” the game instead of “winning” the game. We all have to be able to face the fact that we might lose, but we will never, never give up the fight.
The Marines I know will never give up. They love each other and would die and kill for each other. That is for each other. I’ll say it again, that is for each other. When they are no longer together, they see the real world socialists who are so immature, they see a Commander-In-Chief bowing, they see their generals issue orders to NOT shoot the enemy, they see other generals getting caught sending 10’s of thousands of emails while they have to patrol through IED infested roads and watch the natives crap in public, while they talk to the people they really love once a week at best for 10 - 15 minutes, they eat MRE’s and sleep on the ground in the winter and 120* summers, they see their best friends shot and die when the medical helo’s can’t get in because they are targets and are not armed, they see their enemy smirk at them because of the Rules of Engagement set up so that their movements are communicated by cell phone by the farmer who meets with the commanders, they see their buddy lose his legs or burned and you have the gall to say they are cry babies? I pray to God that you have ONE bloody nightmare of all that they experience and we will see who wakes up crying and sweating and pissing his pants.
We have failed our war- weary brothers and sisters in arms. Once you are in the military, you do not feel like you fit in anywhere, it’s like another world. Something as simple as zero structure in civilian life to bearing witness to your fallen brothers and sisters to being unable to save them. I know I have failed them. I now pledge to find a way to be proactive.
This story just posted on the Army Times site.
My experience (and unfortunately, I have some), these service members all had something else going on (legal charges on one for sexual impropriety, 3rd DUI on another, shoplifting arrest on another). Two of the four I’ve dealt with never served overseas. One had just returned from basic/AIT.
Regarding the subject of the article, he is referred to as a 23-year old Specialist (E4). His mother says he was Airborne, Ranger and Special Forces. The class-A uniform in the picture show Staff Sergeant rank on the sleeves, metal SSG rank on the shirt collar (Specialist is the last rank you do that), and green leader tabs on the epaulets (since when does a SSG in SF wear that?). His Regimental Affiliation insignia is not placed right. His collar insignia is infantry rifles (not properly placed), but if he had earned that beret and tab he’s wearing, he would have SF insignia.
His ribbons show what looks like multiple awards of the Distinguished Service Medal, multiple Bronze Stars, three purple hearts, and too many Good Conduct Medals to be believable for his age.
There’s more, but it paints a pretty questionable picture.
I’m sorry for his mother and sisters.
Wow, it’s a late reply..but, I just saw your post. 2 pull ups, I’m shocked and disappointed in what they have done to not prepare our soldiers better.
http://www.marines.com/becoming-a-marine/how-to-prepare
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