Suicide is NOT an option! Utilize your RallyPoint contacts you have veterans that care about you!!

CH (CPT) Heather Davis — Wed, 18 Jun 2014 19:09:28 -0400

I am an Army Chaplain, and I have walked in my own valley of darkness as a WO1, when my nephew committed suicide while I was deployed. I put that out for all of you, if you need a Chaplain and do not have a Chaplain, connect with me and I will talk with you, encourage you, and pray with you.

Response by CPT Richard Riley made Jun 20 at 2014 10:09 AM

CPT Richard Riley — Fri, 20 Jun 2014 10:09:02 -0400

You are an ardent supporter for those that need it most! There are several here in the RallyPoint community who have benefited from your generosity and encouragement. To any service-member who needs support, you are a beacon. If there is anything I can do to support your role in this endeavor, do not hesitate to ask.

Response by 1SG Steven Stankovich made Jun 20 at 2014 12:25 PM

1SG Steven Stankovich — Fri, 20 Jun 2014 12:25:19 -0400

Truer words have never been spoken ma'am. If you are in a dark place, reach out. Ask for help. You will be inspired by how many step up to the plate to provide assistance wherever and whenever possible.

Response by SrA Eric Olsen made Jun 20 at 2014 12:57 PM

SrA Eric Olsen — Fri, 20 Jun 2014 12:57:07 -0400

As someone who has walked through their own dark valley one thing I can tell you that helps is true honest caring friendships. If you see a fellow veteran or current member of the armed forces that seems to spend way too much time alone they may need a good solid friend to come alongside them. It can make a huge positive difference in their lives whether they or you realize it.

Response by LCpl Steve Wininger made Jun 20 at 2014 3:29 PM

LCpl Steve Wininger — Fri, 20 Jun 2014 15:29:53 -0400

Since joining RP, I have had several people reach out to me after they learned of my Suicide attempt this past February. Thank you Chaplain Davis for your willingness to be a chaplain to those of us that don't have one.

Response by MSG Floyd Williams made Jun 20 at 2014 9:24 PM

MSG Floyd Williams — Fri, 20 Jun 2014 21:24:17 -0400

CPT Davis.....I'm sorry about your nephew, my mother died two days later after I deployed. Then, a month and a half afterwards Hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit New Orleans bad. I lost my home, but Thank God my family evacuated one day before it happen. It was very stressful for me because I didn't hear from them in almost two weeks, I was TDY in Belgium at the time. I appreciate your offer to reach out to others, I'm extending the same offer for you too.

Response by PO1 Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 20 at 2014 10:01 PM

PO1 Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 20 Jun 2014 22:01:54 -0400

Safety: everyone's responsibility, not just safety rep.

Distress intervention: everyone's responsibility, not just mental health counselor's

Suicide intervention: everyone's responsibility, not just emergency responders or chaplains.

See the pattern?

ACT: Ask how the person's feeling. Care about his or her well-being. Treat by remaining by his or her side until more help arrives.

EVERY PROBLEM is temporary. Use appropriate TEMPORARY solutions!

Response by PO1 William "Chip" Nagel made Jun 21 at 2014 8:57 AM

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel — Sat, 21 Jun 2014 08:57:45 -0400

Hear, Hear Chaplain. Reach out to us. We really do care about you and maybe just maybe we have been there ourselves. I have had a few bumps in the Road and I want you to know how cool it is to be a Grandpa or Grandma. Makes everything worthwhile.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 22 at 2014 11:01 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 22 Jun 2014 11:01:43 -0400

Someone has asked if i would share my story, but i will abbreviate it somewhat.
Having dealt with survivor grief first hand can manifest itself into an ugly cancer, and that's the best way to describe.

I deployed in 04-06, MP unit was brand new, built from the ground up, many of us who had 31B as a secondary were cross-leveled into the unit. I was taken out of the fight due to what I believed was an insignificant injury, not according to doctors. I had to leave my brothers & sisters and eventually stay stateside in a support roll. My unit lost 2 Soldiers in Iraq, SGT Howard Allen on Sept 26, 2005 and CPL Jeremiah Robinson Oct 6, 2005. Their deaths were hard to accept especially Howard's. We had several non-MPs, Howard was a cook, a 92G, and cross-trained to be a MP driver. One of my responsibilities was to be one of those trainers for the non-MPs. Robinson just came to us fresh out of MP school.

Fast forward to Sept 2005, hearing the news was unsettling. It made me question myself if I did enough to train Howard in such short of time, did I forget something, was I to stringent, to lax. Then we lost Jeremiah almost 2 weeks later. I spoke to Howard's wife a few days before he was brought home. I broke down in front of her, offered my condolences and my apologies that I couldn't be there to bring him home safe. She gently reassured me that it was okay, that it wasn't my fault, there was nothing I could have done. She told me Howard loved being in the military.

As an NCO, I was taught I have an inherit responsibility to Soldiers and their families. As a leader, not only to mentor, train, coach Soldiers but I must always remember they are someone's son, daughter, sister, brother, wife, husband, father, mother. It was my job, I was entrusted to bring all my Soldiers back home safe and I failed. For years it ate at me, my wife and family even noticed very odd behaviors and moods. I drank more, got angry easier and detached more.

Before my unit got back, a Soldier very close to me, committed suicide in March 2005, she had deployed earlier, ironically it was the day after we all had our annual briefs one of which was the suicide prevention. What made it even more devastating, no one caught any of the signs, not even me. When my unit got back in 06, we lost a Soldier to suicide, SPC Scott Belcher, I don't think it was even a few days after their return. Another Soldier, got intoxicated in bar in his hometown, got into a physical altercation and died of his injuries a few weeks later, and yes it was PTSD related. In the years to follow, several other members of the unit lost the battle to PTSD:
2008 SGT Ted Duhaime, committed suicide in his backyard
2010, SFC Rick Kellog committed suicide at home while I was deployed in 09-10 in Afghanistan. My NCOIC at the tme, during the deployment, also served in the same MP unit, he was shocked when I told him the news.
2011, SFC Christopher Palmer committed suicide in his home.

A lot of thought the unit was cursed somehow. Through the years I immersed myself in being a Unit FRG Liaison, being active to take care of Soldiers and families because I wasn't going to let another one slip though my hands. All of it, the suicides and deaths, added up to the guilt & pain I was feeling. I had lost some friends over the course of the war in Iraq & Afghanistan either because of deployment or suicide. I had thought it couldn't happen to me I researched PTSD, studied it, looked for signs in everyone else because as a leader, I was charged to look out for my Soldiers, their health & welfare, their families & loved ones and bring them home safe. The hard reality & truth is that I was the last one to look at myself. I started to recognize the symptoms and learned quickly to mask them from everyone, but you can’t hide the truth from yourself. It will come to a tipping point, I will reflect on the lyrics from the rock group Creed's song ‘One last breath’: "I'm six feet from the edge and I'm thinking, maybe six feet aint so far down."

6 months after returning from deployment, I made an attempt on my own life, I was done, I wanted the pain, the feelings everything to just stop. Here I thought, well I'm next I guess, another victim of that MP unit's curse. I was almost successful. That edge doesn’t seem as scary now, but know this, I had a lot to reflect on, I got counseling, my wife and I got counseling. I turned to Buddhism, again, and focused on getting better by finding other ways not only to help myself but others as well.

We are taught to hide pain, push thru it, “soldier on”, “suck it up and drive on” and so forth. In dealing with PTSD, you can’t do that. Too often I hear toxic leaders, enlisted and officer, perpetuate the stigma of one seeking help is a sign of weakness, however the opposite is true, it shows true strength, personal and moral courage. Denial is a caustic and dangerous thing. It may seem like you will never find your way out and that there is just a dark hole above you, but there is a way out, it is a fight and always will be.

Response by CW2 Joseph Evans made Jun 24 at 2014 12:03 AM

CW2 Joseph Evans — Tue, 24 Jun 2014 00:03:25 -0400

Maam,

Trying to spread the word on this project. I would really like to see it succeed.
http://www.petizz.com/the-cornerstone-project.html contains a contact form to get involved with the Cave Junction, OR cornerstone project for Wounded Warriors. The site is up and running and currently undergoing some upgrades.

Response by SrA Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 25 at 2014 5:50 PM

SrA Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 25 Jun 2014 17:50:04 -0400

Thank you for your willingness to open up and offer your services as a Chaplain, CPT Davis. I agree, there are many contacts here on RP that are willing to offer help and support and care to others, including myself.

I was quiet for years because all I knew was "Suck-it-Up." I am silent no more.

I strongly encourage this forum and hope other veterans will open up and seek the resources that they need.

Response by Cpl Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 8 at 2014 3:47 PM

Cpl Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 15:47:43 -0400

CPT, ma'am no more needless dying, nothing and I mean nothing is worth your ( what I really mean ) or anybody's life..reach out ! . Thanks Captian

Response by SGM Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 13 at 2014 6:44 AM

SGM Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 13 Nov 2014 06:44:59 -0500

New findings from National Institutes of Health:

http://www.nih.gov/news/health/nov2014/nimh-12.htm

Soldiers at increased suicide risk after leaving hospital

Twelve months following inpatient psychiatric treatment is high-risk period-NIH funded study

Response by SGM Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 13 at 2014 6:47 AM

SGM Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 13 Nov 2014 06:47:39 -0500

One of the last things witnessed, that prompted me to hang up my uniform up on short notice was a very young fellow who rammed his car into a brick wall due to a personal terminal diagnosis at Landshtul....very very disheartening...

Response by SFC Dr. Joseph Finck, BS, MA, DSS made Nov 13 at 2014 8:19 AM

SFC Dr. Joseph Finck, BS, MA, DSS — Thu, 13 Nov 2014 08:19:39 -0500

CH (CPT) Heather Davis Ma'am, you are so right. As a CID Special Agent in Iraq we worked more than our share of suicides. Not one was more troubling than another, but they were all tragic and preventable.

Thank you for this post. It is great to have resources like you in this forum.

Response by PO2 Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 20 at 2015 8:48 PM

PO2 Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 20 Jan 2015 20:48:09 -0500

I don't know if it's already been said, but I will say it myself. Many people out there (especially among service members) don't realize that there is always someone to talk to. People that struggle with depression tend to not realize there are plenty of people around them willing to listen/give advice. I personally have struggled with this and realize how true this can be. I encourage the people that are willing to listen/give advice let it be known that they are willing to do so. I recently made a post on my Facebook saying that I was willing to listen/give advice to those that are struggling. I encouraged people that are not only my friends, but even the people that may have ended our relationship on hostile terms to get in touch with me. In a matter of minutes, a friend that I haven't talked to in close to a year, ended up shooting me a text.

Response by 1LT Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 27 at 2022 1:18 PM

1LT Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 27 Sep 2022 13:18:00 -0400

Thank you for sharing.