RP Members here is another article from LinkedIn about depression and suicide. I placed the entire article down below for those that can't access LinkedIn at work!

Living the Silent War

Written by Sgt Thomas P. Boyle

Brothers and Sisters, Mothers and Fathers; To all whom come in our goal to support those who have come to support our brave servicemen and women: this message is for you. I am dismayed in recent weeks to see more and more our brothers, sisters, sons and daughters fall prey to our greatest enemy and silent killer: depression and suicide.

Now this is, as you all know, a touchy issue. As a Marine myself we are taught and trained since our birth (as Marines) that we are to show no emotion and we are to carry our torch as a silent homage to those who came before, never asking for help, and pushing forward until the mission is done. I, like many others, am here to tell you that this is wrong. There is a plague that is ripping us apart from the inside out, literally and figuratively.

There are a lot of learned individuals amongst us that believe they found the source of this sickness and believe to have found a cure for said disease that as face value can seem simple. To the Doctors and psychologists, I commend you, and ask that you drive on with your mission. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that at this point we have to act, and we have to act in a way that we are intimately accustomed to, watching each others 'six'.

I charge each and every one of you, to accomplish this mission, to reach out to two veterans in your network. two old friends that you may have fallen out of contact with, or two Veterans you have just met. Ask them how they are doing, what are their dreams and goals, how can we help them achieve them, where do they want to be in 5 years. It is through this action alone that we, as concerned citizens and some Veterans ourselves, can take care of our brothers and sisters.

Please, after you are done with reaching out, leave a comment and if and where you can, share your story! This is a simple way that we may band together and actually move in a unified direction for the protection of those who are suffering when they are done protecting us. If I have strayed too far out of my lane, or if I have stepped out of my bounds please let me know! I simply cannot stand to see another servicemen's funeral who lost the war against themselves.

In the words of Rascal Flatts, ' Who told you life, wasn’t worth the fight They were wrong, they lied Now you’re gone, and we cried ‘Cause it’s not like you to walk away in the middle of a song'.

https://youtu.be/j3_85GXsKqk