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A U.S. Soldier Was About To Pull The Trigger And End His Life- Then He Heard 2 Words Whispered
A group of veterans calling themselves “Carry the Fallen” made a 220 mile ruck march from Boston culminating on Friday, 9-11, in New York City to promote suicide prevention awareness for our nation’s veterans.
The 220 mile relay march represents 10 miles for each of the 22 veterans who kill themselves each day in America. The participants carried a 50 pound ruck to represent the burden those struggling with depression are not able to carry alone. The group mapped out their journey to arrive at the Freedom Tower on the 14th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.
“At least three members of Carry the Fallen will stay on the road at all times. They march in six hour shifts,” Hartford, Connecticut’s WFSB reports.
Two of the marchers, First Lt. Kristen Heavens and Staff Sgt. Shaun Morand, like everyone who is part of Carry the Fallen, have lost friends to veteran suicide. “Morand lost a friend and Heavens lost a family member,” according to WFSB.
“My grandfather was a 20-year Navy vet who took his life before I was born,” Heavens said.
Image Credit: Facebook/Carry the Fallen – Marching into Manhattan
YouTube’s “A Combat Veteran,” Drew Hernandez, shared his own personal bout with depression and suicidal thoughts with IJReview. The Army veteran recounted a particularly difficult time, while he was deployed in Iraq on active duty. Such a sense of hopelessness descended on him that he pulled out his 9mm and placed it on his lap as he contemplated ending it all.
Image Credit: YouTube/A Combat Veteran
Hernandez recounts:
I sat there for 20 minutes with the gun on my lap, head titled downward and the barrel pointed up. I prayed for forgiveness. I mean, I don’t know why I prayed because I hated God. I hated religion, because religion had me there. Religion killed my friends, but I still prayed. I felt the sweat dripping from my chin, my truck was hot and my ACU top was drenched.
Then something happened that saved him, as he sat there quietly contemplating what he thought he wanted to do.
I think silence saved my life. Hearing nothing, just absolute silence was the best thing that could ever happen. I heard a whisper that said, ‘Then what?’ As in, if you pull this trigger, then what? You’re dead. You’re done. People will mourn, but eventually will move on. Then what?
I didn’t want to go out like that. I didn’t want to be the guy to cut my life short. There was a story to tell here and this was just a chapter in my life I had to live to tell. I put the gun down and went back to my room. I will never forget that day because I have never been at my lowest point.
The Carry the Fallen Boston group completed their 220 mile journey, reaching the Freedom Tower the evening of Sept. 11.
Source: http://www.westernjournalism.com/a-u-s-soldier-was-about-to-pull-the-trigger-and-end-his-life-then-he-heard-2-words-whispered/
I guess he didn’t hear the other five words….
“Clean Up Your Own Mess”.