22 is 22 too many

Hello, Facebook.

Upon returning from the funeral of a great man/friend/soldier, I keep having the same nagging feeling that if something doesn't change and the men from Apache Troop of 6-4 Cav do not get the support they can only find from each other, this will not be the last PTSD related suicide funeral that we attend. The wreckage of war followed these boys home. They are a tight knit group who have each other's backs and despite the dangers they faced on a daily basis in Afghanistan, the losses they have endured did not happen there in Afghanistan where the enemy has a face, but here on our very own soil while they try to integrate back into society and family life. Many wives have left with even more children, afraid of the changes they see in the men they loaned to their country. A few of these veterans of war have completely succumbed to their demons, ending in the tragic loss of their lives. 
As the wife of a 6-4 CAV veteran, I can tell you it is not an easy road to travel. My husband has tried a few different counselors, psychologists and support groups. The only time he seems to experience peace and healing is when we have the time and the means to allow him to fly across the country to visit a fellow Apache 6-4 Veteran.
Researchers have found again and again that the likelyhood of losing a combat veteran to suicide decreases greatly when they have the reassurance that they are not alone in their feelings. In other words, spending time with other veterans who deployed to the same place and can fully relate to the feelings and pain and anger that each of them are facing.
When my husband and I attended the funeral of Apache Troop 6-4 Veteran Jared Gleave, there were so many other men who wanted to be there, but just could not make it on such short notice. We streamed the viewing, the graveside service and the celebration of life ceremony via facebook live to try and allow the ones who could not be there to say goodbye.
Job opportunities for veterans who have PTSD are few and far between and although there are resources available from the Veterans Administration for unemployed veterans, reaching out for help can feel nearly impossible when you are suffering from PTSD and the depression and social anxiety that innevetibly come along with it. 
I was close with Jared Gleave, he looked out for my husband and made sure that he got home safely to me and our kids. It saddens me and fills me with guilt thinking about how alone he must have felt sitting in his room and thinking that no one knew how he was feeling. The fact is, there are other men in Apache 6-4 who experience the same pain; other men who have gone so far as to put the barrel of a gun in their mouths and dissolve into tears while they simmultaniously feel relief and self-hatred for not having the follow-through to pull the trigger. 
22 veterans commit suicide in the United States everyday. While I cannot change the situaton for all of them, I can keep the promise I made to Jared, my friend forever more, that his life would be remembered and that the lesson we will take from the tragic loss of his life is the simple fact that 22 is 22 too many and we will not lose another member of this Unit to the epedemic of PTSD-related suicide.
The money we raise here will be used to bring the men of Apache troop 6-4 Cav, 1st Infantry Division together for a sort of reunion. A time for them to heal, and mourn the loss of those who didn't receive the support that could have saved their lives. It can't happen again. They need each other's support and the knowledge that they are not alone.