Suicide is Not the Answer: Let Your Friends and Family Help
Today was a good day. The sun was out; the air was warm -- much needed in a long and cold winter here in Iowa. The streets were flooded with families taking walks, dogs barking and kids playing. Today was a good day. I wish I could say they’re all good but once you encounter something evil in the midst of doing something good, that evil sticks with you. Lurking in the shadows, waiting to rear its ugly head at a moment when you aren’t at your strongest.
For me, that evil was shown to me on the night of Oct. 12, 2004, and it changed my life forever. I still think about it: I remember the screaming, the gunshots, and the vision of what happened still as fresh as if it were yesterday and the white hot of the bullet tearing through my skin, not knowing what the ultimate outcome would be. I blacked out and in the time before I came to, I decided that I was going to fight, I would not give in to the damage done to my body but instead I’d learn from it, grow from it and make it a goodness that I can use and pass on to others.
My experience has charted a new course for my family and my life and I hope that others can learn to do the same. My heart breaks when I hear on the news that another veteran has chosen to end his own life rather than annihilate the evil within. In today’s times, a person who joins the fraternity known as the United States military becomes a part of the strongest family and network of friends on the face of the earth. Let us use that, and help one another. The anguish that suicide brings to a veteran’s entire family is shattering and I believe whole heartedly, it could be prevented and that person could use those experiences to learn and to grow from.
If you are a soldier and have faced this evil, look around and please know that I want to help you, your family wants to help you and the Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes wants to help you. There is so much good in life, you have to give yourself the opportunity to share in its experiences. Sometimes the road you have to walk is going to seem very dark and at times you may seem like you’re alone but know this -- you’re not. There are a number of resources out there to help veterans in an emergency. Like the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), and press 1. Or call us at the Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes at 888-44-SALUTE.
We all swore an oath to protect this country from all enemies, foreign and domestic, and the evil that you may be facing has become a domestic enemy. Please allow yourself, in your time of need, to be protected. Let us help you. Let your friends and your family help you. Together we can chart a new course for your life and the life of your family. Trust in those around you and give yourself a chance to be helped There are a million better options than ending your life, the life of a hero. All you have to do is try.
Thank you for the service you do or have provided to protect our freedoms and our amazing way of life.
Cpl. Donny Daughenbaugh U.S.M.C. ret.
National Spokesman/Director- Events
Bondurant, Iowa
For me, that evil was shown to me on the night of Oct. 12, 2004, and it changed my life forever. I still think about it: I remember the screaming, the gunshots, and the vision of what happened still as fresh as if it were yesterday and the white hot of the bullet tearing through my skin, not knowing what the ultimate outcome would be. I blacked out and in the time before I came to, I decided that I was going to fight, I would not give in to the damage done to my body but instead I’d learn from it, grow from it and make it a goodness that I can use and pass on to others.
My experience has charted a new course for my family and my life and I hope that others can learn to do the same. My heart breaks when I hear on the news that another veteran has chosen to end his own life rather than annihilate the evil within. In today’s times, a person who joins the fraternity known as the United States military becomes a part of the strongest family and network of friends on the face of the earth. Let us use that, and help one another. The anguish that suicide brings to a veteran’s entire family is shattering and I believe whole heartedly, it could be prevented and that person could use those experiences to learn and to grow from.
If you are a soldier and have faced this evil, look around and please know that I want to help you, your family wants to help you and the Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes wants to help you. There is so much good in life, you have to give yourself the opportunity to share in its experiences. Sometimes the road you have to walk is going to seem very dark and at times you may seem like you’re alone but know this -- you’re not. There are a number of resources out there to help veterans in an emergency. Like the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), and press 1. Or call us at the Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes at 888-44-SALUTE.
We all swore an oath to protect this country from all enemies, foreign and domestic, and the evil that you may be facing has become a domestic enemy. Please allow yourself, in your time of need, to be protected. Let us help you. Let your friends and your family help you. Together we can chart a new course for your life and the life of your family. Trust in those around you and give yourself a chance to be helped There are a million better options than ending your life, the life of a hero. All you have to do is try.
Thank you for the service you do or have provided to protect our freedoms and our amazing way of life.
Cpl. Donny Daughenbaugh U.S.M.C. ret.
National Spokesman/Director- Events
Bondurant, Iowa
posted by Coalition to Salute America's Heroes
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12:26 PM
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