1, 2, Many: Veteran Suicide With Timothy Lawson

This week we hear a story of a woman’s grandfather taking his own life. He was a Navy veteran.

Timothy Lawson takes on a popular question in the military community:  Where is the media attention?

What does it mean to truly prevent suicide? I’ve been asked this question plenty of times and I’ve thought about it ten fold. Having this project focus on veteran suicide benefits us in two ways. First, we can better understand the tribulations of our fellow veterans and honor their stories through this programming. Second, we can pick up on the military specific situations and how to best address them, while still applying what we understand to struggles with suicide within the wider population. I believe a lot of people who do not understand depression or PTSD or suicide will put all of these on a scale of happy to sad. Happy being a place where suicide is never considered, sad being a place where such suicidal behavior begins. I’m sure many of us who have been there or have seen someone get to that dark place even think of it as being “okay” and “not okay.” The opposite of depression, PTSD, suicide, or stress is not happiness or “being okay.” It’s peace. So, to combat these problems, we should avoid the re

Tim answers two questions: – What is the best response you’ve received for the project?– What is the worst response? Tune in!

I’ve had hundreds of conversations about suicide. Possibly even thousands, if you count any discussion I had before I started this project. It’s not something I’ve been trying to figure out, but something I’ve been trying to understand. This project has taught me so much about suicidal behavior. I’ve heard so many different accounts of this dark subject. Through conversation and ponder, I’ve been able to hone in on the three ideas that I believe can best derail suicidal behavior: empathy, purpose, and mentorship. There is one more idea that I’ve realized in the past month that I’ve just now gotten the words to describe. You have to matter to someone. For the rest of this post, listen to the podcast or go to One2ManyProject.com/18

Navy veteran Timothy Jones shares with us this week. Tim tells us about how a fellow shipmate was hazed for being gay and how it led to his suicide. This story shows us how hazing can be dangerous when dealt out in a milicious manner. Timothy goes on to talk about his own personal struggles. He endured an assault during his Navy career and has been in a healing process ever since. Resource: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255

Tim answers a few more questions this week: – How can religion fulfill a new purpose?– How has the rate changed with so many vets coming home?– How can we see the signs?

Margy Agar, a Gold Star Mom, tells her daughter’s tragic story of bullying in the military and suicide.

Weekly Q & A: Tim answers another question from the audience. This week’s question actually comes from his first speaking appearance at the American Legion Auxiliary conference in Washington DC. Click the play button above to hear his response. His full presentation is in the video below. Summarized: What should a family do if they can’t seem to communicate or reach out to a family member having troubles If you’d like to submit a question for next week. Comment on Facebook or tweet at me: @One2ManyProject or @TimLawson21

I sit here in the wake of Robin Williams’ suicide wondering what I could add that others already haven’t. As much as I try to avoid news-jacking, the conversation that surrounded Williams’ death fits the point I’m making today. I want to start this flow of thought with a line from the song Follow Your Lead by Joe Budden. Joe is one of my favorite artists and I seem to resonate with so many of his lyrics. “Always say I’ve been through worse, what if I haven’t?” A number of responses to Robin Williams’ suicide wondered how could someone so funny, successful, and wealthy get to such a dark place. Well, anyone that has suffered through depression will tell you it has no boundaries. Depression does not check your resume, bank account, or the amount of “Likes” on your Facebook page before it sets in. Once it gets to you, its not an emotion that turns on and off from outside stimulus like happiness, sadness, and anger. In fact, it is possible to experience a burst of happiness while still being depressed. Your con

We have the honor of sharing two stories this week. Antonio Centeno, a Marine, shares the accounts of a fellow Marine’s suicide as well as his sister’s. Its the first time we’ve gotten a story regarding suicide from the perspective of a veteran losing a non-service member.  

Weekly Q & A: Tim answers a few questions that have come up recently. One from a podcast he was featured on and the other two from a live session he gave at The Washington Center. ~What are a few trends you see in these conversations?~What should be done in the military?~How can we help you past listening & sharing? If you’d like to submit a question for next week. Comment on Facebook or tweet at me: @One2ManyProject or @TimLawson21

Death is something I contemplate. I think about what it would mean for me to die. Not just in suicide, but in general. I also ponder the deaths of friends, family, and others around me. I simply wonder what it would be like to experience the news of that person dying and the implications it would have on my life. Of course, I don’t want to die, and I definitely don’t want my friends or family to. Its just a part of my nature to think about these things. If I’m in the “right mood” for it, I won’t even be sad. Even if I start tearing up, I’m not sad but rather experiencing the emotions. It helps me work through the realities of how I would feel should that event occur. I gain a better understanding for what is important to me and how I value the relationships around me. My father is a great example. He was in the Navy, which means he was deployed a lot. There are plenty of moments in my childhood that I can remember him being around for, and there are plenty when my mother was only parent present. We argued, we

Mylee Cardenas is a soldier, cancer survivor, sexual assault survivor, and a single mom. She joins us today to share a story about a friend of hers who committed suicide. Mylee talks about the stigma of PTSD, suicide, and depression in the military. She also explains how her friend suffered from the worst demons and couldn’t see past his anxieties. In the reflections, I talk about how “Here for you” is something that needs to be defined and explained. There is also talks on how its important to push through the stigma of suicide.

Army veteran Andrew O’Brien joins me this week to share his story. Andrew saw a traumatic scene during his deployment – one that he was instructed not to seek out – and it stayed with him long after his deployment was over. Andrew talks about his battle with PTSD, depression, emotional pain, his attempt, and what it all means to him now.

This episode takes a “lighter” approach the to subject of suicide as we talk to Dr. Craig Bryan about treatments, diagnosing PTSD, suicide as it relates to sexual trauma, and more. I think it is good for all of us to take a short break from the emotional taxing stories that are so important and powerful for us to hear. Episode 8 will continue these brave stories again. For more information on Dr. Bryan, check out his bio at the University of Utah Veteran Studies Center: http://www.psych.utah.edu/people/person.php?id=265

Anonymous Army Veteran shares another powerful story involving a friend of his. Although he lost his friend to suicide, he was able to learn from the experience and save another life.

Originally aired: July 8, 2014 This week’s episode brings us Sgt of Marines KC Sivumaki. KC talks to me about getting injured in Ramadi and the challenges of the physical and mental recovery. He found himself feeling like a burden to his family and attempted suicide. Fortunately, he was unsuccessful and is here to share his experience. Also, Ron Garner, a Marine vet, explains some challenges faced by service members when adjusting after deployment. Is suicide selfish? Some people believe so. Personally, I believe its more selfish to accuse someone of beings selfish when they display suicidal behavior. I speak more on this in the reflections. I want to reiterate a few points made at the beginning of the show: RESPECT my guests Do NOT call them out if they’ve chosen to be anonymous Share this with those you feel would benefit Be sure to take something from each episode This project has reached success because of my Kickstarter supporters and sponsors. This week’s sponsor is Veteran Empire, a veteran founded a

Episode four features Marine veteran David Peters. David was a Marine Security Guard posted in Bratislava when he was prepared to kill himself. Luckily, a phone call home and some inner courage got him into the embassy nurse’s office to get the help he needed. Its been an uphill battle for him since then, but he finds himself in a good spot in life and has willingly come forward to share his story with us. Dr. Craig Bryan, at the University of Utah Veteran Studies Center, chimes in at the end to touch self sacrifice and other self reliance values inside the military. I want to reiterate a few points made at the beginning of the show: RESPECT my guests Do NOT call them out if they’ve chosen to be anonymous Share this with those you feel would benefit Be sure to take something from each episode This project has reached success because of my Kickstarter supporters and sponsors. This week’s sponsor is the Emotion Vitality Assistant, a veteran founded and veteran focused apparel company. My resource for the week

Originally Aired: June 23, 2014 We’re already three weeks into this project and I’m getting amazing feedback. Thank you to everyone taking the time to listen and share these stories. Episode Three includes a story from a Marine veteran about his friend who took his own life inside his barracks room. First, I want to reiterate a few points made at the beginning of the show: RESPECT my guests Do NOT call them out if they’ve chosen to be anonymous Share this with those you feel would benefit Be sure to take something from each episode Secondly, this project has reached success because of my Kickstarter supporters and sponsors. This week’s sponsors are the two graphic designers who have helped design my logo and the graphics you see floating around the site & social media: Aaron Provost andSean Riordan. Marine veteran Mark Wade joins me this week.  He shares his experience involving a suicide.  He found a fellow Marine dead in his barracks room.  Mark is very straight forward about how he felt at the time,