My brother has attempted multiple times. His method is Heroin when he tries. I honestly don't know how he's survived it. He's not trauma or war sick. He's just an asshat who happened to serve. I love him, but his drugs, alcohol and behavior don't allow me to be close to him, nor my family. I've done everything I can with him, but he seems determined to follow our 3rd brother and my grandfather in suicide.
My father, a retired veteran is the opposite. No drugs. No alcohol. He's got a relatively sharp mind trapped in a failing body. When my grandfather killed himself, my mother immediately took all the ammo from his reach, because she knew he'd try to follow suit. And that was a good move on her part, because he wanted to.
I've been around suicide all my life. Many family members, close and distant have done so. It was one of the things I struggled with the most working suicide calls in the fire service. Watching the family struggle with it.
Thankfully those who I'm associated with and are vets haven't shown any tendencies toward suicide, but I know it's epidemic. If I could make a wish and make that go away, I would in a heart beat.
