Veteran Has New Mission After Attempted Suicide, Saving Others

Suicide Attempt: A Soldier's Story
ABC News 25
By Jillian Corder, Reporter
Friday, May 27th 2016

"There's no way that God allowed me to live through this if there is a God - which I know there is - that he would not want me to be helping other people when he saved me through that," Matthew Richard

After struggling with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder , or PTSD, for years, Matthew Richard attempted to take his own life in March. (Source: Jillian Corder/KPLC)

SULPHUR, LA (KPLC)
Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in Louisiana, and every 13 hours, someone dies by their own hand, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Nationwide, stories of veterans falling victim to mental health disorders are all too common.

After struggling with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder , or PTSD, for years, Matthew Richard, 30, attempted to take his own life in March.

"So I looked in the mirror and I said 'God I'm going to countdown,'" Richard said, describing the moment he decided to take his own life, "I said 3, and I took it off safety. I said '3, 2, 1' and I said 'God' and I shot."

To understand what led Richard to this moment, he starts from the beginning of his military career. He joined the Marine Corps in 2005, following in the footsteps of his godfather.

"I told myself since I was 6 or 7 years old that I was going to be a Marine because of him," he said.

Just two years in the service, tragedy struck when Richard was overseas in Ramadi, Iraq.

"I ended up accidentally shooting a best friend of mine over there when we got back from patrol," said Richard.

Richard's gun discharged, killing Lance Corporal Steven Chavez. He went to the brig for a year for negligent homicide and received a bad conduct discharge, meaning his military benefits were stripped. Richard was no longer eligible for help from the VA, forcing him to deal with PTSD on his own.

"I was struggling mentally, physically, and spiritually for a long time after that dealing with it," said Richard.

Richard was in a place he never thought he'd be.

"I've had four or five senior Marines who have come back from war and shot themselves over divorce or other things, and I told myself, 'I'll never do that.'"
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Memorial Day can be painful for military men and women

Honoring fallen veterans for their bravery and service this Memorial Day
WWLP 22 News
Tashanea Whitlow
Published: May 28, 2016

Anziano told 22News, his neighbor suffered from PTSD. Two months after returning home from a tour in Iraq, he took his own life. “He seemed fine, but you can’t tell with PTSD. People can hide it very well. They hide it very well.”

AGAWAM, Mass. (WWLP) – Days like Memorial Day can be painful for military men and women to remember their fallen brothers. Memorial Day is a time we remember those who served and paid the ultimate sacrifice.

But for soldiers who suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, this time and every day, can be difficult. “It’s a silent killer. I can be standing in front of you, suffering and you wouldn’t even see, because I can put a smile on my face,” said Anthony Anziano of West Springfield.
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Law Enforcement Still Struggling to Get Officers to Seek Help For PTSD

Report: Police Departments Need Mental Health Programs
ASSOCIATED PRESS HARTFORD, Conn
By DAVE COLLINS
May 26, 2016

Studies show there are about 125 to 150 officer suicides a year and more than 200,000 officers are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder or some other form of emotional stress

A U.S. Justice Department report prompted by the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre urges police chiefs around the country to put mental health programs in place in to help officers cope with on-the-job trauma, including the aftermath of mass shootings.

The report, offered as a best practices guide, was prepared with help from officials including retired Newtown police chief Michael Kehoe, who led the response to the 2012 school shooting and worried over the following weeks that some of his officers might kill themselves.

Most police departments train to respond to mass shootings, but few prepare officers for the psychological fallout, says the report released Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Justice and the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

The 140-page report emphasizes how to prepare for mass shootings, but it says taking steps such as choosing trusted mental health service providers, creating peer support programs, and designating mental health incident commanders also will help officers cope with more common events such as car crashes, suicides and domestic violence.

Law enforcement experts say it has been a struggle to create conditions in which officers feel comfortable coming forward for help.
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Widow Celebrates Life of Husband By Taking Another Plunge

Her Husband Was Killed in Afghanistan 
Patch 
By TANYA SNYDER (Patch Staff) 
May 28, 2016

She Went Skydiving to Celebrate Him. Alicia Dickinson is part of a new generation of young military widows who are having to rewrite the script of their lives alone. Arlington, VA

ARLINGTON, VA — The woman walking in front of Alicia Dickinson at Arlington Cemetery that September day in 2012 was old. She was also there to bury her husband.

At age 30, Alicia Dickinson was a widow.

“I remember walking behind her, thinking, ‘This is what it’s supposed to be,’” Dickinson said. “Not me.”

Her husband, Scott Dickinson, died August 10, 2012, in what’s called a “green on blue” attack, shot by an Afghan soldier the U.S. forces were training. He was due to come home in 10 days. He was just 29 years old.

“Going to Arlington, you’re reminded of how many young men and women gave their lives and how many young men and women they were married to and now were left to face a new life that you don’t expect at such a young age,” Alicia Dickinson said in an interview.

She’s part of the American Widow Project, a mutual support organization for a new generation of military widows. “There should be a different term when you’re so young,” Dickinson said. “’Widow’ just seems so old.”
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Gulf War Veteran Heartbroken To Find Body of National Guardsman Hanging

Man reacts to finding fellow veteran dead
Mineral Wells Index
Todd Glasscock
May 27, 2016

“It was really heartbreaking,” said Page, a disabled veteran of the Gulf War, his voice breaking over the phone during an interview. “I definitely cried my eyes out.”

GRAFORD – Every Sunday Mike Page walks to a cafe here to a get a paper, and as he does so, he walks past the Old Peppermill liquor store. Until this past Sunday, those walks were uneventful.

On May 22, Page said he found the body of a young man underneath the store's carport. The young man, Dustin Yeoman, 23, had apparently committed suicide by hanging himself.

Yeoman was wearing a military uniform, Page said.

Yeoman's obituary confirms he was in the National Guard. He was living in Graford, but was originally from Ollie, Iowa.

The Index reached out by phone and online to Yeoman's family for comment but has been unsuccessful with those attempts.

Long said he spoke to Yeoman's National Guard Sergeant Major and confirmed he was an Iraq War veteran.
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This quote really pissed me off!

"Though statistics vary, as many as 22 veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan commit suicide daily."

I had to leave this comment

It is not "22 a day" and that report from the VA stated it was limited research from just 21 states and it also listed who they knew were missed. That report was not about OEF and OIF veterans only, but of all generations. The majority of the veterans committing suicide are over the age of 50 and you just trivialized their lives because you used a quote without reading the reports. Dustin Yeoman deserved better and so do all of them. Veterans commit suicide double the civilian rate. As such, when the CDC listed over 41,000 American suicides per year, that translates into over 26,000 veterans a year. They should matter enough to get it right and stop taking the easy way out on reporting on something that is never easy on the family left behind.

Reporters seem to find veterans committing suicide newsworthy however just not worthy enough to do basic research.

Song For First Responders and PTSD Nominated for Nashville Award

Kevin Davison’s song lives on: Canaan man performs for paramedics, nominated for Nashville award
Kings County Advertiser Register
Wendy Eilliott
May 27, 2016

CANAAN - During a Halifax ceremony May 24, country music singer and paramedic Kevin Davidson performed his song When Those Sirens Are Gone. It could soon be an award winner.

Kevin Davison performs May 24 at the Emergency Health Services long term service award ceremony in Halifax.

The Canaan resident was one of 10 Emergency Health Services staff members from the Valley region who were recognized for their service.

"When Nova Scotians need urgent medical care, paramedics, nurses and medical communications officers with Emergency Health Services are there to help," said Health and Wellness Minister Leo Glavine.

"They have the training and experience to respond in emergencies and save lives. More and more, they are also working in collaborative health-care teams to improve the care we offer in communities. We are all grateful for their expertise."

The list of long service award recipients is long. The 20-year recipients from Kings County included Davison, Bruce Cruickshank of Canning, Christopher Renaud of Kingston; Rob Merchant of Hantsport; Scott Veinot of Middleton and Karen Cress and Richard Foster of Annapolis Royal.

Jay Marshall of Bridgetown and Paul Dawson of Port Williams were 25-year recipients, while Brian Bunch of Wolfville was a 30-year recipient.
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"We ain't super heroes. We're ordinary men trying to make a difference."

Published on Nov 19, 2014
A song I wrote along with Doug Folkins honouring all First Responders and the painful reality of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Let's get this out to everyone who may be affected or has a loved one at risk of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Let this be our Anthem!'

If you like the song please go to www.ellentube.com and watch it again on that site. We are trying to get Ellen to notice so we can bring even more attention to this serious issue! Just search "When Those Sirens Are Gone" once you get to the site.

Thank you so much to everyone that has viewed the video.

Military Spends Fortune Training For Combat, Pittance To Come Home From It

Our military spends a fortune on war but little when our forces come home 
Washington Post
By Roger Boas
May 27, 2016

"The Army spends a fortune training its troops to kill but almost nothing to train us for coming home." Roger Boas is the author of “Battle Rattle: A Last Memoir of World War II.”

A recent study by the Rand Corp. concludes that the U.S. military is unable to provide adequate therapy sessions for thousands of soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. 

The February study of 40,000 cases, the largest ever, found that only a third of troops with PTSD received the minimum number of therapy sessions needed after being diagnosed. As a veteran, I am appalled.

Though my war experience was 70 years ago, it haunts me to this day. I can still remember the sound that froze my blood. The stomach-churning whistle of a field artillery round, like a thousand shrieking pigs, increasing in a ghastly crescendo until it finally explodes — and bodies fly in every direction.

Anyone who has served in ground combat knows that sound. It’s our worst nightmare. You never know where the incoming projectile is going to hit. You’re either dead or you’ve managed to squeak out alive one more time, deeply shaken. It happens nonstop, any hour of the day or night. It seeps into your bones.
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Army Officers Give Stunning Reminder of What Memorial Day Is All About While Deployed

Grab tissues and remember this is what this weekend is supposed to be about!

Interstate 10 - I'm Gonna Miss You (Memorial Day Tribute) 
Currently deployed in Afghanistan, Interstate 10 still releases their Memorial Day tribute music video (recorded in Afghanistan) to their song “I’m Gonna Miss You”. 

The message is simple:

“Memorial Day is about remembering the ones we lost and supporting their loved ones. It’s about celebrating the lives they lived. 

Thanking them for allowing us the opportunity to come home safe, and most of all, thanking them for a second chance to hug our loved ones.”

They have vouched to donate $500 to the Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation if they reach 100,000 views on the YouTube music video between Friday's release and midnight of Memorial Day. 

This video and song are in memory of all the soldiers who have died fighting for our country. Especially those they knew personally: 2LT Justin L. Sisson, PFC Jacob H. Wykstra, SSG Benjamin G. Prange, and PV2 Keith M. Williams.

"Please help us spread awareness and remind the public to remember this Memorial Day. For that we salute you, all the way from Afghanistan. 

Thank you." -Andrew and Justin

Learn about our inspiration and backstory here:
This Ain't Goodbye
Soldiers honor Memorial Day with video, chance to give back
Tallahassee Democrat
Ashley White, Democrat staff writer
May 27, 2016

Memorial Day is a time to remember those who have died serving America. Some decorate military cemeteries. Others visit the graves of the fallen and stand in silent salute. For others, it's time for the beach or barbecue.

Two Army officers who are deployed to Afghanistan are paying tribute with an original song, “I’m Gonna Miss You.”

1st Lt. Justin Wright and 1st Lt. Andrew Yacovone, who co-founded the band, Interstate 10, are doing more than paying homage in song. If their music video receives more than 100,000 views on YouTube between Friday and midnight Monday, they will donate $500 to the Children of the Fallen Patriots Foundation.

The Children of the Fallen Patriots Foundation is a non-profit organization that provides scholarships, supplemental grants and educational counseling to children whose parents were killed in the line of duty.

“We wanted this song to make an impact for the right reason,” Wright, who was born and raised in Tallahassee, said in an email interview. “We thought this was a great way to honor those who have given everything.”
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MOH Staff Sgt. Robert Miller Featured in Medal of Honor Report

Army sergeant charged enemy to help others
Selfless act allowed his fellow soldiers to make their getaway
The San Diego Union Tribune
By Phillip Molnar
May 27, 2016

Army Staff Sgt. Robert J. Miller. U.S. Army

As enemy soldiers surrounded his unit in northeastern Afghanistan just before dawn, Army Staff Sgt. Robert J. Miller made a choice.

More than 150 insurgents had ambushed the combined U.S. special operations and Afghan National Army force in the snow-filled Gowardesh Valley in January 2008, exposing the men to automatic weapon fire and rocket-propelled grenades.

In the lead, Miller ordered the men to take cover. Then he charged the enemy to give his comrades time to get away.

The official Army report said he managed to kill at least 10 insurgents and wound dozens more before being killed by enemy fire. He is credited with saving seven American and 15 Afghan soldiers.

“No one wants to go through what we did with losing a child,” his mother, Maureen Miller, said this month from Florida. “To know that your child died doing his duty and saving the lives of others, it makes a big difference in how you’re able to handle that kind of thing.”

Miller posthumously received the Medal of Honor in October 2010 from President Barack Obama.
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Medal of Honor service was here in Casselberry Florida

Military salute during the national anthem, during the Medal of Honor Headstone Dedication Ceremony, honoring U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Robert J. Miller, in Casselberry, Fla., Saturday, January 22, 2011. SSG Miller was was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2008 and was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously by President Obama in October. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)

Research Looks At Suicide Among Deployed and Non-Deployed Soldiers

Several things to consider when reading the following. All military forces are "trained in prevention" after being going through medical and psychological testing. If that training did not work on the non-deployed to prevent suicide, then how did they expect it to work on those with multiple deployments? The data researchers were looking at in this study is not new. With the reduction of force size in the Army has gone down, why hasn't the number of suicides been reduced accordingly? Above all, why hasn't the number of suicides reached that often quoted "One too many" the Army finds acceptable?

Suicide Attempts Among US Army Soldiers More Likely Before Combat: Study
Medical Daily
By Susan Scutti
May 27, 2016

"The study looked at a total of 163,178 enlisted soldiers. Of these, 9,650 had attempted suicide: 86.3 percent were men, 68.4 percent were younger than 30"

Over the past decade, suicide attempts have increased in the United States Army. Despite the issue's urgency, little has been done to understand these failed attempts at self-destruction. New research from Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences suggests enlisted soldiers never deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan were at greatest risk of a suicide attempt, particularly in their second month of service.

Never-deployed soldiers were at highest risk of a suicide attempt between 2004 and 2009 of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. Reuters

“The higher risk among ND soldiers in their second month of service, a stressful time during basic training and Army acculturation, reinforces the importance of developing and evaluating effective risk detection and intervention strategies early in a soldier’s career,” noted the researchers. “Whether this risk pattern was associated with expanded Army recruitment during war or anticipated deployments or is a persistent pattern of risk among soldiers in training remains to be determined.”

The team also discovered soldiers on their first deployment were most at risk for a suicide attempt during their sixth month of deployment, while previously deployed soldiers were most at risk five months after they returned from the warzone.

“Understanding how people go from health, to suicide ideation, to suicide plans, to suicide attempts, to completed suicide will help us help those at risk and those who are distressed but do not complete suicide,” Dr. Robert J. Ursano, lead author, told Medical Daily.

Among soldiers with one previous deployment, odds of a suicide attempt were higher among those who screened positive for depression or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after their return and particularly at follow-up screening, about four to six months after deployment.
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