As I’ve posted before, a colleague at work who is also a veteran challenged me to do 22 push-ups over 22 days, to raise awareness that every day, 22 U.S. veterans commit suicide.
I’m entering the final week of this challenge. (Here are the earlier posts: Click! Click!) I still find it tough to complete 50 push-ups (22 x 2, plus six = 50), but I’ll “push” myself this week to “up” it to 66, if I can!
Day 15:
And a related article from the New York Times:
Ted Wilson, a Vietnam veteran in Concord, Calif., was hospitalized in 1966 in Okinawa, Japan, for a suicide attempt days after he participated what he called a “village massacre.” When the Marine Corps sent him back to combat, he went AWOL and got an undesirable discharge in 1968.
He fell into a drug abuse and crime and spent years in prison. “I had to deal with everything myself,” he said. “Maybe having help would have made a difference.” – Click!
Day 16:
And a related article from the New York Times:
In the 105-degree heat of a Las Vegas parking lot last June, a handful of infantry veterans dressed in black started gathering by the side door of a small church.
They were waiting for the start of a funeral for the latest suicide in a string of deaths since their infantry unit, the Second Battalion, Seventh Marine Regiment, had returned from Afghanistan seven years before. – Click!
Day 17:
And a related article from the New York Times:
“Writing a suicide note to my wife on Dec. 28, 2012, was much easier than I thought it should be. I was also surprised at how easy it was to then swallow an entire bottle of sleeping pills. But lying down and accepting my fate was the easiest by far.” – Click!
Day 18:
And a related website:
“40% of IAVA members know an Iraq or Afghanistan veteran who has died by suicide.” -Click!
Day 19:
And a related website:
“Among deployed and non-deployed active duty Veterans who served during the Iraq or Afghanistan wars between 2001 and 2007, the rate of suicide was greatest the first three years after leaving service, according to a recent study.” – Click!
Day 20:
And a related article from the Los Angeles Times:
“Recent veterans have committed suicide at a much higher rate than people who never served in the military, according to a new analysis that provides the most thorough accounting so far of the problem.” – Click!
Day 21:
And a related article from USA Today:
“Military suicides reached historic highs in 2009 and have hovered at around 300 a year. The one exception was 2012, when there were a record 352 suicides. The suicide rate for the Army that year was nearly 30 suicides per 100,000 soldiers, well above the national rate of 12.5 per 100,000 for 2012.” – Click!
Day 22 (Note: My iPhone stopped recording after 19 push-ups):
And a related article from Stars and Stripes:
“The story of a University of Maine chemistry professor who served in World War II and returned to the U.S. only to take his own life will be discussed Saturday by his son who has written a trio of books based on nearly 700 letters penned by his father.” – Click!
This is the end of this 22-day challenge! However, I found it valuable on many levels, and I intend to keep doing push-ups until I can do 66 or 88 or 100 without stopping. You can follow my progress on my workout calendar! If I get up to 100 you can bet I’ll post a video in my blog!
