"Do you know many young veterans who died young AND didn't commit suicide??

While we do focus a lot on the issue of suicide, I do think that we are seeing a growing number of younger Veterans experiencing service connected issues that normally our peers do not have to deal with until years into their life. Things like exterme joint pain, issues breathing, issues sleeping and so much more are accelerated due to different things we experience while serving this country.

I hate to see any Veteran report for their Final Inspection early but I hope that my actions while I am still here brings honor to their memory.

Please know that my brother, Brent Combs, did not actively take his own life. We lost Brent to addiction in an accidental drug overdose. He was one of 67 people who died of a drug overdose in Berkeley County, WV in 2016. He fought to live. He didn't see the battlefield while serving his country, but every day was a battle against addiction. He lost that battle, but he never gave up the fight.

Unfortunately my family became part of a group that became known as "Compassionate Friends" for families who lose a child. It is a club no one wants to be in. Some were deaths from natural causes, some from accidents and some were suicides. The first to go were 2 cousins, 1 age 21 and 2 months later his sister, age 13. The following year, we lost my brother in an accidental death. That is when you find out how big this problem really is. There were enough families to have meetings for grief support before much was published. Recently, a friend lost her 23 year old daughter who was in nursing school. Overwhelmed with exhaustion, she simply drifted off to sleep and off the road. Compassionate Friends, people I already knew that had lost children, came to help through the initial shock and have stayed as pieces continue to fray. Often overlooked is the impact on siblings. So much attention is given the dead who no longer can do any wrong that survivors feel guilty for wanting attention and inadequate. Fortunately, there are now support systems for them as well.