Who counted the suicides?

Today I was reading about a Retired Colonel committing suicide at Bay Pines VA Hospital. Then a few hour later, there was a report about a Coast Guard member committing murder- suicide, after killing his wife, son and leaving his daughter fighting for her life in the hospital. Yet again, it happened in Florida. Last night a Marine was telling me a member of a group he knows, committed suicide yesterday morning. Yes, yet again, Florida.

Last year, a veteran faced off with members of law enforcement at least 52 times. Did anything change with all the "awareness" groups running around the country? No...oh, HELL NO!

This year we wanted to try to find out how many veterans committed suicide in very public ways. You know, they wanted to make sure no one could cover it up or just try to lump them in with a number that is not even real.

OK, so, it turns out that it happened at least 26 times this year. 

List started July 14

January 2018
1 Clinton Michigan
Veteran committed suicide at East Olive Elementary School

February
2 Texas
Army veteran dead after SWAT Standoff 

March 2018
3 Yountville California
Veteran and hostages dead at PTSD program

4 Vietnam veteran committed suicide in Sheridan Police Department Parking lot after calling dispatch to let them know where he was.

5 Joint Base Lewis McChord Airman committed suicide after killing his family.

6 Waterbury 
Suicide by cop, Marine veteran

Oklahoma
7 Suicide by Cop: Duane served in the Air Force for 16 years, completing three tours overseas. 

8 Soldier dead after standoff at Aberdeen Proving Ground

9 Oklahoma
Air Force Veteran dead after police were called to help him.

10 St. Louis
62 year old veteran committed suicide in John Cochran VA Medical Center waiting room

April 2018
11 76 year old Vietnam veteran committed suicide in Boynton City Hal parking lot. Not first time this happened. 

It happened last year in Amarillo Texas when a veteran shot himself in front of the VA hospital.

May 2018
12 Airman at Cannon Air Force Base found dead in Ned Houk Park

June 2018
13 Fort Knox 
21 year old Private committed public suicide at Clarksville High School after he stole a gun.

14 Kansas
Vietnam veteran committed suicide at in the VA emergency room.

15 Colorado Springs

Hours after being discharged from a mental health treatment facility, 38-year-old disabled veteran Lee Cole hiked into a wilderness area in southwest Colorado Springs with a backpack and the cellphone on which he planned to record his final message.

16 Georgia
Navy Veteran set himself on fire in front of Georgia Capitol protesting the VA system. 

Not first time this happened. It also happened in New Jersey last year.

17 Norfolk Navy Yard
Sailor walked into helicopter blade, death ruled suicide.

July 2018
18 Alabama
Air Force veteran shot family, and himself after setting house on fire.

19 Chicago Police Officer and Marine veteran committed suicide in parking lot of police station.

20 Florida

Herbert Anderson, 85, shot and injured himself with a .380-caliber handgun just after 9 a.m. outside the Veteran Affairs’ Lecanto Community Based Outpatient Clinic, according to Citrus County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Lee Alexander.

21 Phoenix AZ
Veteran shot himself inside the VA Hospital Chapel 

Not the first times since it happened last year when a 33 year old veteran shot himself at the VA.

August 2018
22 Employee found dead inside Topeka VA Medical Center office

A Veterans Affairs employee died Tuesday morning inside an administrative office at Topeka’s Colmery O’Neil VA Medical Center. Joe Burks, spokesman for the VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System, said the employee died of an apparent suicide.

23 Suicide in Mishawaka VA parking lot puts spotlight on veteran mental health crisis

A veteran shot himself yesterday in the parking lot of the VA Health Care Center in Mishawaka -- dead from an apparent suicide.

September 2018
24 Minneapolis VA Hospital parking lot, veteran committed suicide day after discharge.

 October 2018
25 Greenville, veteran video taped himself asking his family to forgive him before he pulled the trigger.

November 2018 
26 Gunshot in lobby of Nashville VA Medical Center


DECEMBER 2018

27 Bay Pines VA Hospital Parking Lot

On Dec. 10, retired Marine Col. Jim Turner put on his dress uniform and medals and drove to the Bay Pines Department of Veterans Affairs complex. He got out of his truck, sat down on top of his military records and took his own life with a rifle.

TO THE AWARENESS RAISERS!

Do you think your push-ups can top them?
Do you think your ruck marches can top them?
Do you think your events where you advertise it as "fun" can top them?
Do you think that anyone should trust a damn thing you say when you have done nothing to stop them from topping you on raising awareness?