Army Suicides Grow, but This Soldier Was Saved

Army Suicides Grow, but This Soldier Was Saved
David Wood Columnist

On a dusty afternoon in a squalid U.S. Army base in eastern Baghdad, the world seemed to cave in on Spec. Joe Sanders. On daily patrols, soldiers around him were being killed and grievously wounded by improvised roadside bombs. The sweltering August heat and stink of Baghdad were oppressive. He was thousands of miles from home. And he had just learned that his wife -- his lifeline to the sane, normal world -- wanted a divorce.
Alone in his barracks room at Forward Operating Base Rustamiyah, Sanders, a soft-spoken young man with a pleasant demeanor, seized his M-4 carbine, put the barrel under his chin, squeezed his eyes shut and pulled the trigger. It was August, 2008. Sanders was 26 years old.
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Spec. Joe Sanders Tried to Kill Himself

David Wood, AOL

But the gun didn't go off, thanks to hisroommate. He feared Sanders mighttry suicide, so he hid the firing pin.What drove soldier to darkest edge