This Is Horrible Damn War Kills After We Are Home

[Tim McDonough]

A Buddy and strong Advocate for PTSD Clay Hunt a former Marine Corpral and Purple Heart recipent took his own life 31 March 2011 he was only 28 years young. I just found out by a News article my wife sent me. Promptly I threw up. PTSD: Why do you take so much from this world. Another great warrior survives the dirt just to end it all back here. Please I can't beg you enough if you think that you are alone or can't handle this anymore you are WRONG! There is safety in numbers and we are here for each other.

Tim & Bailey

 

[anthony]

Yep, I think the suicide rates are way too high... especially for one group, being PTSD. If memory serves me correctly, suicides outnumber deaths from shooting within the US alone. I think the last suicide rate published was around 33,000 per annum for USA.

 

[ktmarie71]

That makes me sick too. Right now pulling guard duty in my house because my veteran has been really having a terrible time these last two days and I am scared. Ive been staying up all night because because I dont know what might happen. Tonight he went into a rage for the second time this weekend; this is terrible for our child. I can see her fear and anger. He said mentioned wanting to die in passing but hard to tell if its threat or just fact that sometimes he has dark thoughts. No mention of a plan so Im just watching closely. Im exhausted. He has to make appointment with VA this week...I dont like being the bad guy but Im backed up againt the wall. Didn't see this coming this time...cant pin point what the trigger was...feeling very very insecure. Reached out to old Army friends...Just outed us in a desperate move to get him some support from people he respects. I dont know how that will go. I get the sense he feels forgotten, and alone and could use some validation. Just dont know what else to do.

 

[ktmarie71]

Tim: I know what its like to lose a friend. Grieving is such a long and complex process and I know the days ahead will be difficult as your thoughts settle on his memory and the circumstances and solid realization that he is not here anymore. I pray that soon your grief will yeild to a sense of peace.

 

[anni]

Is that really the rate, Anthony? It seriously is making me cry-I can't stand this for all our people. 33,000 per year lost to us? How is this possible and why do we not know this dreadful, abysmal statistic? How can they be mere statistics, too, instead of people anymore?

My father in law's flag which was presented to his family at his burial is on the hutch- he was a WW II vet and came home to a deserved, respectful welcome, with the aftercare he needed from all his years over there, all his war wounds. He wasn't forgotten up until the day he passed away, why are our men and women now so dropped from sight that 33,000 are lost to us without creating a ripple?

Yes, please, stick together, whatever it takes. I do not know enough about veterans affairs, but surely there is saftey in numbers. I know you all are not alone, or would not be if enough of 'us' knew enough. I am personally so sorry I did not.

With great respect,

Anni

 

[catjudo]

In 2007 there were 34,598 suicides in the US. (94.8 suicides per day; 1 suicide every 15.2 minutes). That made it the 10th leading cause of death in the US that year. But remember, Anni, not ALL of those are veterans or even people with PTSD. That number reflects ALL suicides in the US. Still, pretty shocking isn't it?

 

[AmyO]

I can't help but cry over all the lost souls, Ptsd or not, who feel so alone that they don't feel like they have a choice but to end their own life. Such a precious gift to have and being so sad and lonely that you were to prefer death over such intense misery. It angers me that there is not more being done but how can we stop everyone? It makes me appreciate what I have so much more (stress and all) but I feel bad at the same time that I couldn't help more.

Especially since I saw just the other night a commercial put out by the VA about Ptsd and their improved "understanding" of what it is. Feeling pretty cynical right now, I guess.

 

[anthony]

Unfortunately Anni, yes... the rate is that high within the US, and thanks Cat... I do remember that being from around 2007 published, so I was close.

 

[anni]

That's genuinely unfathomable. You just can't wrap your head around it, or the dynamics behind those statistics. So huge- has to be many, many, many causative factors highlighting this hard-edged, inhumane perspective towards LIFE itself here, or at least the value of life. I once dug my heels in and argued one of those stone-cold right-wingers into the ground, wanting to KNOW what his bottom line was, where he was going with his ' I have mine you go get yours' crap. He actually said that if someone can't afford to support a child, then that child is better off dying and getting out of society's way-that was his bottom line, then he became enraged with me for forcing him to say it- thought it made him 'look bad'. Ahem. He meant it, though, and wasn't a crazy person- he's a normal looking family guy, a business owner.

It's the perspective behind these stats which is so, so frightening and more than heartbreaking. It's just not a stretch to connect this guys story with this-it bespeaks some callaus bottom line held by enough which allows ( justifies ) the suffering of so many here. Something is awfully broken, these 34 and a half THOUSAND souls lost with not a ripple on America's water.

 

[Tim McDonough]

It's the perspective behind these stats which is so, so frightening and more than heartbreaking. It's just not a stretch to connect this guys story with this-it bespeaks some callaus bottom line held by enough which allows ( justifies ) the suffering of so many here. Something is awfully broken, these 34 and a half THOUSAND souls lost with not a ripple on America's water.

Thanks Anni Thats what frustrates me more then anything. Behind every statistic is a family member, Mother, daughter, father son , sister, brother, Aunt, Uncle, Who sent their loved one off to fight a war this country called them for. In return when we need it the most the Govt wants to forget about those who have served. Its a Damn shame. Thanks for Listening

Tim & Bailey

 

[anni]

I hope you know it frustates many, many of us too-so awfully. There's some perception out there that there's some split like there was with Vietnam- where service people themselves somehow got attached to anti war sentiement. That was abysmal anyway-it stopped me as a small child from having anything to do with the whole 'Peace Movement' later on, as a teenage. We went to pick up my uncle at the airport, coming home from Vietnam where he'd been 2 tours with the K-9 corps. Hippies threw rocks at him- how peaceful of them. Thank God that sort of crap isn't around now but the government who sent everyone off to so much flag waving waves nothing for their service at the other end, at home. My nephew is home from Iraq with his body intact. We're holding our breath on the rest, watching, helping where it's allowed. There's zero from the government. He lost quite a few buddies but that's all he'll say.

You and Bailey take care.

Anni

 

[OKRADLAK]

Tim- I am so sorry to hear about your friend! It's very sad.

My cousin was also a soldier and he also did the same thing. His wife lost so much weight afterwards she could have died. It tore up the family so much because it was not expected. Even if it was, it would be any easier.

He was a beautiful person and they were so close, soul mates. Too too sad.

Hugs to you.