Free Republic

A retired U.S. Marine walked onto a concrete median in Washington D.C. on Sunday and stood for a period of 24 hours -- with the hope of bringing awareness to veteran suicide. Retired U.S. Marine Staff Sgt. Tim Chambers, 45, held a salute for 22 minutes at the beginning of the first hour to symbolize the American veterans who take their own life each day. For each hour after, the salute drops by one minute before it eventually counts down to zero. “It’s a very emotional time, very emotional," Chambers' wife, Lorraine Heist-Chambers told Washington's WJLA-TV. “This is something that...

22 Veterans kill themselves every day. Why? I've seen this figure in print several times. These are people who were tough enough and strong enough and brave enough and dedicated enough and smart enough to make it through Basic Training, Specialty Skills Training (AIT) and the rigors of military duty. Yet, they are killing themselves when they get back to the United States. Why? The claim is that something horrible happened to them in combat. They have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. OK. Let's for arguments sake accept that every Veteran that commits suicide was involved in one or several horrible...

That's the question the family and friends of Air Force Reserve Capt. Jamie Brunette are struggling to answer. At 30, Brunette seemingly had it all. A vivacious and attractive athlete and scholar, she had been lauded by the Air Force for her work in Afghanistan, was a partner in a fitness center about to open in Largo and was known by her family and friends as being the strong one always ready to help others. But for some reason, Brunette, who left active duty after 11 years last June and joined the Air Force Reserve, couldn't help herself. On Feb....