For all those who are living with PTSD, I hope you all are receiving compensation from the VA.

 

Gotta call BS on this...we NEVER just show up unannounced; it's ALWAYS because the family contacted us first and requested our presence. Ride Captains talk with the family several times before any mission. Once the mission has been accepted and the mission details posted, the family is well informed that we will be there.

 

SeaZund, see my post at #7 above. Even though we may be invited (and as you say correctly, we never come if we are not invited), a family of a suicide casualty can be very surprised that anyone comes....and that is not just the PGR.

The family deals with a lot of emotions, more than any family should have to deal with. In small hometown communities, a mourning family realizes that no one of us may understand, but we all care.

We (the PGR) come to honor the deceased service to our country, not to make judgments on how he/she died.

 

I agree MNPGRider, as a Roman Catholic I was raised that suicide is the worst of sins. I will however ride to honor ones service and then pray for their souls. I have had 2 brothers in arms decide there was no way to continue and ended their own life. These were brave men and I never would have thought they would end that way, but my respect for them will not waiver.

 

Yup.


Funny thing is that all of my "injuries" are not combat related... Actually, none of them are. My bones got a bad set of genes and I have a ton of issues for a 35 year old with 16.5 years in the Corps.


My mental issues are not combat related either. They are from recruiting duty (second young man that I put in the Corps killed himself after going on a VERY Deadly deployment and I carry the burden of not talking to him more to get him NOT to go infantry.) I have other issues that MAY stem from deployments with anxiety. Plenty of mortar attacks in Iraq and Afghanistan.


Until you FULLY know w persons story, don't judge. the picture is FAR bigger than you can imagine most of the time. Just over a month after the young man that I put into the Corps killed himself (FAR more to the story that I wrote, but it is personal to him and his family), I almost killed myself. After some thought, I decided that I wanted to know what he felt, but not put the pain on my family and friends. So, I put one in my leg instead. (BAD IDEA!! my mental state was OBVIOUSLY not where it needed to be!!!)


That was July 7th, 2009. I had been struggling with being sober since November 5th, 2007 (Still going strong on that!), was in the middle of planning a wedding (happily divorced now!) and was dealing with the strains of Marine Corps Recruiting Duty and planning a move back to the "Fleet Marine Corps" in Jacksonville, NC.


We all have our story. I don't agree with suicide, as I know what it does to those that are left behind to pick up the pieces. the question "why" is NEVR fully answered.


Maybe she had a very traumatic event happen in her life that the family kept private... you never know.


If you serve honorably, I will thank you, no matter how you exit this world.

 

that same book also says "love everyone unconditionally"

 

Patrickd.............your a narrow minded SOB....if you don't understand an illness....do us a favor & STFU. There are idiots in ever walk of life.. you have taken up your share... sorry to have taken the time to visit your post.....you are a classless jerk.

 

As a new member of the PGR...I am proud that we to not judge. If the family or DOD requests our support, we do so without judgement or predjudicel

 

I have read that 22 veterans take their life every day. That is a serious statistic not to be taken lightly or ignorantly. I ride with the San Diego PGR. We ride to honor every service member for their sacrifice. We ride to honor the family who is trying to cope with the loss of their loved one. We ride for those killed in action, dying of old age, accidents, suicide, it does not matter. It is our mission and we are honored to do it.

It breaks my heart to hold a sobbing mother who must bury her 24 year old son. Unless it happens to us, we can't feel their pain; the son's or the mother's.

Tolerance, respect, honor seem to be in short supply these days.

 

A dead soldier is a dead soldier, I will not judge their twisted mind or soul. The ride nor the tears, are not for the soldier he/she does not need them anymore to late . They are for those left behind.