Our next Struggle to Stay story comes from someone who might be familiar to you -- Mark Combs. He’s a veteran who helped us produce a documentary last fall called Still Taking Casualties.
The documentary features veterans speaking about how their experiences in war taught them what it means to support their fellow soldiers.
And our host Jessica Lilly speaks with Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Eric Newhouse, author of Faces of Combat.
This week, we'll listen to an episode from 2016, when we first heard from Mark Combs. He and four other veterans speak about the invisible scars they bring home from active duty.
Suicide is a major problem for veterans all across the country. But the problem is even worse in rural areas, according to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA). On this week’s episode, veterans in West Virginia share their stories about what it’s like to return home from war, and what veterans are doing to help and support each other.
We’ll hear what the VA is doing to partner with non-profits in West Virginia to reach more veterans in rural areas.
The number of veterans who die by suicide is staggering. A 2012 study from the Veterans Administration found that 22 veterans commit suicide every day, though a 2016 study by the VA says the rate is probably closer to 20 per day.
This episode features the voices of five of these veterans who were featured in Still Taking Casualties.
- Damien Gavis, who accompanied special forces to rural towns to build relationships in Afghanistan.
- Mark Combs, a veteran and the host of a recent documentary entitled “Still Taking Casualties.”
- Christopher Morris, a Corporal who suffered a traumatic brain injury who came back, went to college, and lost his veteran roommate to suicide.
- Jeremy Harrison, a veteran who has tried to help his fellow brothers and sisters in arms by becoming a therapist.
- Sarah Leifeit, a veteran who served for 12 years and two tours, one in Iraq and one in Afghanistan, who was sexually assaulted.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43TUi_AYFeY
Copyright 2017 West Virginia Public Broadcasting
