Florida Veteran Committed Suicide On Veterans Day

Winter Garden group's walk to raise awareness about veteran suicides to have fresh meaning
WFTV 9 News
by: Ken Tyndall
Updated: Nov 16, 2017

WINTER GARDEN, Fla. - Veterans and volunteers inside the American Legion Post 63 in Winter Garden were getting ready Thursday for a weekend walk aimed at raising awareness about the epidemic of veteran suicides.

The walk was postponed in September because of Hurricane Irma and many will take to the road Saturday with heavy hearts, wondering if one of their own would be participating had the event gone on as originally planned.

Just days ago, a Winter Garden veteran took his own life and many of the awareness walk's organizers knew him personally.

"He was a member of this local community, and more than likely would have been at this event," Kurt Gies said. "And he would have seen what we're doing and the awareness that we're trying to bring.

"I don't know if it would have stopped him, but it may have."read more here

Ashley Moir said she knows over 34 veterans who have committed suicide. The veteran in this report committed suicide on Veterans Day. He was a part of this group. She says that there isn't a lot you can do unless you know them. 

Anyone else see the problem with this? What good does it do to a veteran needing hope to hear about a number that is not even close to the truth?

I am sure they are heartbroken and wondering what they could have said, or done differently. I am sure they have regrets. I know I do, or should say, still do after 17 years when we lost my husband's nephew.

The difference was that I knew everything I needed to know back then. I knew what it was, why he had it and what he needed to do to heal. I knew the numbers, facts and researched it long enough, to change the rest of his life. The problem is, I did not know the one thing that could have saved him. How to get him to listen.

So how do we get people to listen when they cannot hear they are wrong? How do we get them to care enough to know what they need to in order to help veterans taken back control of their lives instead of taking them?

The only way to do it is to tell the truth and then do the work it takes to get them to understand they already survived the worst that PTSD could do when they survived the trauma that started it.

The sound of silence will keep trapping them if we cannot hear their cries!