In the United States of America, twenty-two military veterans a day commit suicide. That’s one every eight minutes. By the time I finish this workday, three more will have taken their lives. In recent years more veterans have died by their own hand than service members lost to the enemy in Iraq, and Afghanistan.
During one of my visits to a Wounded Warrior Project facility, I came across a gentleman by the name of Timothy who was around 24 years of age. Tim volunteered and enlisted in the Marine Corps when he was 18 years old, served for five years – three of those years spent in Afghanistan and Iraq. He got out just about six months ago and he had a plan. He was going to go to school, and he seemed ashamed to tell me that he only lasted about two months. He expressed to me that he didn’t feel like he fit in, he didn’t feel like he belonged. He explained that he had nothing in common with his classmates, and teachers.
He needed to find a job, and was hoping that doctors could figure out a way to stop the ringing in his ears so he could get more than three hours of sleep each night. Not to seem uncompassionate, but I have heard many of these stories before from being so involved with the Wounded Warrior Project, so none of Tim’s story was much of a surprise, but what really punched me in the gut was when his eyes welled up and he looked at me and said that the worst part of all of it was how anonymous he felt when he came home.
Till this day it’s hard to keep a dry eye when I think of that moment. Thank god, unlike many sad stories you will hear about our veterans , this has a happy ending. Tim went to the Wounded Warrior Project, they took him in, got him an education and helped his transition into civilian life.
Help me honor those who sacrifice their lives to give us our freedoms. Contribute to the Wounded Warrior Project at http://bit.ly/1RdM5AN
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