WT Forums

Today was a really weird day for me.

When I logged into the forum this morning, this post (not a PM) was waiting on the forum:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Anonymous
I wasn't sure where to post this... but this is serious... I'm looking for any advice that anyone on the AFEF might have. I'm at the end of my rope... and it's all because of the military and my job. I don't know what to do. I feel so trapped, and I feel there may only be one way out. I don't want to do this because there are a lot of people I care about in my life (none of them are here by the way). I'm going to MH on Friday. I no longer care about getting my 20 year retirement. I just want a clean break so I can regain some sort of sanity and normalcy in my life again. Do I have any options?

I'm hoping that the majority of your reactions to this are, \"Holy shit! This guy needs to go get help NOW not on Friday!\"

Since I am an Intro Mod, I can see IP's. I posted to the OP's thread and gave the ultimatium \"If you don't PM me in 5mins saying you are going to Mental Health now, I'm having someone TAKE you because I know you are at work!\" He deleted the thread, and didn't PM me.

Since I knew what base they were at, I started to follow the trail. Read their intro for info (got a lot there. First name, AFSC, etc.), and got a hold of Shaggy since he was the only Mod on at the time. He tried to get me more info while I E-mailed the first person I thought of, X-Shirt. After a phone conversation, Shirt took what I & Shaggy found and ran with it. I also contacted Swansong who called the Command Post at the base.

With the info we provided, the individual was found in less than an hour and is now getting the help they need.

There are 2 lessons here.

1. I know the Suicide Prevention briefs are boring. But PLEASE, if you see the signs, GET THE PERSON HELP! If I jsut let that post slide, and read that there was a suicide at \"insert base\", I would be devistated that I saw the signs and didn't react.

2. The internet is NOT as anonymous as some think.

Gazelle PM'd me right after the thread was deleted by the OP and we E-mailed back and forth, throwing around ideas to pin down who the OP was. A couple questions were raised:

What if he was joking? What if he's angry about us getting his chain involved?
You don't joke about that shit! That's not cool. And if he's pissed, so be it. He's still alive isn't he? He can hate me all he wants.

X-Shirt let the OP's shirt know about AFEF via a link to the forum. Now the forum will be more visable.
A small price to pay to make sure one of our own is taken care of. Especially with something as serious as this.

So please, if you see the signs, don't just sit on your laurels. React in an appropriate manner.

If someone posts here in a similar manner, contact the following people:
Swansong, Any Green Mod, or as a last resort, a Blue or Purple Mod. We can get info that can be used to find the person's location. If I'm on, you can contact me no matter what.

If it's IRL, PLEASE, do not leave the person alone. Contact your or thier First Sergeant, or even a Chaplain. Call the Command Post if you can't get a hold of one of the previous people. Remember the saying \"Idle hands are the Devil's playthings\"? If someone is alone, they are WAY more likely to follow through on the thought of suicide.

Very True. Ive been going through this recently with some local friends here in Japan.

I'm a long ways from the Big city's and litterally out in the rice paddies.

We have a lot of English Teachers here straight out of college and their depressed to no end. We recently had a friend die that was 24 Years old, been in Japan 3 Months. He was hit by a car crossing the street on a blind 2 car turn lane. He Had an amazing command of the Japanese Language. Kid had a great future ahead of him. was adored by many of the japanese girls. One of which attempted Suicide and had sent a Suicide mail to my phone and another friends (being the two of us speak Japanese and can read it) Us being the 40's-50 Year olds in the group. Tend to get the direct dialog from the kiddies when bad things are going down.

So to add to that even CEll phone messages can get a rapid response in this digital age.

Amazing how quickly from Phone call to the police to their trace and arrival at the girls house in under 7 minutes.

Thug, by and by, have you run accross a guy named Tom (or Thomas) Hjelm over in Japan?

He's an english instructor.

Big Guy,

Do They still have that "High Suicide rate" right after final exams like it was back in the 80s?
They use to have a name for it,but I forgot.
But if they Student wasn't in the top "Of the Class" they would kill their selves for shaming their families.

What I big difference in Cultures .

Goose