Twenty-Two

My brother Kenneth E. Smith had less than 90 days left in the Army when he was killed in Cambodia on May 15, 1970. He was to be married in October. His fiancé had her wedding dress already. Although she was able to return it, the life she had planned never happened, a hardship she never fully overcame.

As I continue in my quest to bring awareness of PTSD, I encourage everyone to watch the recent PBS Series, The Vietnam War or read a book about the REAL stories of our brave soldiers and the fellow service members that help them through each day. Don’t stop at just one story, educate yourself on the real-life triumphs and struggles of our Armed Forces.

Now put yourself in their place. Put your child in their place. Then tell me if you still wonder if PTSD is real. A friend just told me a story of a man she spoke with at a store a few weeks ago. Making small talk, she found out that the man was receiving help from a therapist. During his service in Vietnam, he killed a lot of people and has never been able to get over that. That is just one of the things our soldiers have to live with every day.

I believe it is our obligation to watch these movies and read these books to begin to understand what these men and women go through for our freedom. In this busy time of year, this giving time of year, if you could find it in your heart to make a contribution to help one of our soldiers receive a canine “battle buddy” to help them through dark times, it would be greatly appreciated. Perhaps include $22 a month in your giving or $220, or $2200. Remember the number 22 so that we never forget that 22 soldiers take their own lives every day. Let’s not stop until that number is 0.

I invite you to learn more and donate to these reputable organizations that support our troops with PTSD by supplying free highly trained and socialized Service/Companion Dogs to Veterans.

Click here to donate to – Rebuilding Warriors

Click here to donate to – Soldiers Six