Today I learned that 18 US veterans commit suicide every day and 1 million veterans are sitting in jail.
When Staff Sgt. Brad Eifert, 36, finally made his way to the woods behind his house with a .45 caliber pistol, he was a soldier at the end of his rope.
Recently back from Iraq, suicide was something he'd discussed openly with his commander, his family, and his Army doctor The New York Times reports.
But in 2010 in the dark woods with the pistol pressed to his temple he was unable to pull the trigger.
Instead he turned the weapon away, firing nine rounds into a nearby tree.
The police on the street, taking cover where they could, thought he was firing at them, so it's surprising that when Eifert ran weaponless into the driveway screaming "Shoot me! Shoot me! Shoot Me!" -- that they didn't -- they only Tasered him.
He had planned on committing "suicide by cop," making him one of the 18 veterans that commit suicide every day in the United States. Instead he became one of the 1 million veterans sitting in jail -- one in 10 of all prisoners.
One Million US Veterans Are In Prison, And 18 Commit Suicide Every Day
What did you learn recently?
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Original posting by Braincrave Second Life staff on Jul 19, 2011 at http://www.braincrave.com/viewblog.php?id=604
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