So Many Veterans Take Their Own Lives

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Doug Bolton, the founder of the blog, Signs of Hope, which is at www.dailysignsofhope.com, has written a new book, “Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life.” It reaches out the many military and veterans who may be battling anxiety, fear, depression, addictions, rejections, and the many other usual suspects. There are 22 military connected suicides every day. That is almost one every hour. Doug wants to help stop those statistics.  

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This is a new social network just for veterans. I joined it and made instant friendships with veterans who want to talk about what I want to talk about. Please check it out. You will be glad you did. 

www.rallypoint.com/join/spc-douglas-bolton

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One of the hardest thing to accept about the military is that there are 22 veterans who commit suicide every day. Yes I said every day.

That is not acceptable of course, and i am doing whatever I can to reach out to these brothers and sisters.

What follows is an actual post I did for the site http://www.victoryforveterans.org. It is a site dedicated to getting help for veterans for any reasons they need help. I highly recommend you check them out. Go to the blog and subscribe there so you can get the posts in your inbox like you can here.

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Why Does Someone Think of Committing Suicide? 

Suicide is a topic that no one wants to talk about.

One of the harshest realities of the military, is that 22 veterans are committing suicide every day. That includes women.

The rate of suicides is much higher than the private sector. Before I finish this post another brother or sister in the military will have ended their life.

Those are very stark statistics, but they are real.

How could someone even think of taking their own life?

That is the question everyone keeps asking. Why are there so many veterans ending their lives?

I can’t read into the minds of each of the people who have left us, but I can say that I was there myself at one time.

In 2001 I was at my lowest point in my life. I had retired for teaching in 1995, and I had a job as a clerk at Macy’s. It felt I had hit a wall. Nothing to look forward to. I felt like I was on an island by myself. How could I be feeling that when I had a loving wife, three wonderful children, and seven grandchildren.

On March 31st, 2001, I was driving my old Ford Explorer, and crying my eyes out. I didn’t even know why I was crying. I couldn’t  even drive I was sobbing so much, so I turned into a high school parking lot.

The windows all got fogged up from my crying. I was at the end of my rope, and I knew I was going to make a terrible decision soon.

I called my wife and she drove to me quickly and calmed me down. She literally help me through that day. She went back home, and I sat there relieved that I had come to my senses, and not committed suicide, but I was also angry that I was going through this nightmare. I cried out to God, I can’t take this anymore!

Then suddenly the air in the rig was different. The windows cleared up, and the air was fresher. It was if God was saying to me, It’s about time you came back to me, now let me carry you the rest of the way. 

My whole life changed that day. I went home and asked God why He saved my life? I suddenly realized that He wanted me to write a book, from my journals I had collected through the years.

So I dug them out of the closet, and opened the oldest one up. Sure enough it talked about my hurts, my good times, and how I made it through the hurts.

Much  from those journals are in my first book, Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World. 

How about you? Are you struggling. Do your days seems dark and dreary? Do you wish you could stay in bed all day and not face the world? Have you actually thought of suicide?

I hear you! I have been there. Seek help if you are lost and are feeling hopeless. There are resources you can find to help you. Don’t hide your feelings. Tell someone about your struggles and let them show you the way out of the fog of life.

This is our goal here at Victory for Veterans. We find help for anyone who is struggling. We have partners who specialize in any issue you may be facing. They can get you the much needed help you need.

Home

There is always help for you 24/7 at: 1-800-273-8255

Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all….never, ever, give up!

Do the Dark Days Seem to Come More Often Than the Bright Days?

Thank you for those who have been signing up for the RSS feed on this site. It has been doing well lately. I hope you will sign-up if you haven’t already.

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I also thought I would let you know that I will be at the Oregon State Fair in Salem, Oregon, from August 26th-September 5th this year signing my book, “Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World.” If you live close, I hope you will drop by and say hello.

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It is raining outside here in the Willamette Valley of the State of Oregon. It is dark and dreary.

This is the 17th of July and it is suppose to be beautiful weather here in Oregon this time of the year.

Does your life seem that way? Do the dark days seem to come more often than the bright days? Do you feel there is too many trials and storms in your life?

You are not alone. I have been there and so have many of the people reading this post right now.

There are some things we can do about it:

  1. Never light the darkness overcome you. God is always there for you.
  2. It is time to stop the pity parties, and become the positive person in other people’s lives.
  3. By being a friend to someone, you can change their lives and help them to enjoy life.

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I wanted to update you on the sales of my new book, “Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World.” There are steady sales going on. I seel at least three or four every month. I just sold two yesterday.

The total now is over 300, in less than a year. It has been said that if a first time author sells 100 books, he/she should feel succesful. I more than feel successful, because my book is helping people cope.

I get emails, calls, and personal testimonies from people on how the book has helped them.

I would like you to check out the book by clicking on the tab that says, “bookstore,” at the top of this page. You will see a description of the book, and a picture of the cover.

If you want to read some endorsements you can click on “Endorsements,” at the top, and read them as well.

I hope you will take a couple of minutes and do that. I am sure you know someone who is suffering from anxiety, fear, self-doubt, depression, addictions, or hopelessness. This book speaks to all those issues and more.

Remember:

Never, ever, give up!

Discussion of Drugs, Suicide, etc at www.signsofhope.com

                             There is Hope at www.dailysignsofhope.com

 

Talk about a dreary, depressing, title! However the words used are ones that are getting to common in our world today. I didn’t even mention battles we face like: self doubt, depression, fear, low self esteem, hopelessness, and the many other usual suspects.

www.dailysignsofhope.com just started up three days ago and it reaches out to those who suffer with all of the afflictions I just mentioned.

There will post there by: David Brown,  Michael Clark, and yours truly, Doug Bolton. We will take turns posting our thoughts on how to cope in this not so friendly world. Go there and check it out.

That is what my book, Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World, is all about. It is a book that talks about my own battles with all of these demons and how I conquered. I also share how you can conquer them too.

Go to the right side bar and sign-up for my online newsletter, and you will receive excerpts from, Signs of Hope:Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World. 

The newsletter has a total of four pages:

  • A front page that talks about my book, and thoughts of the day.
  •  Another page that is a sports page that talks about Oregon State University sport, and any other sports I think might be interesting.
  • A resource page where I share ways to cope in a troubled world.
  • The last page is a travel page for now, but in the near future it will be transformed into a writer’s page. It will have thoughts on,  How to Become Famous before you are Famous.

It will cover all the things you should be doing before you even approach and agent of a publisher. It will talk about the social networking. What to look for at conferences. Groups to join to have a good platform, etc.

I am very excited about this new page. It will be coming out in about a month  so tell all your writer friends to get signed up for the newsletter so they will be ready when it starts coming.

* Please remember that you can always go directly to the page you want and skip all the rest. Many people wan’t subscribe because they do not like one of the pages. Skip that page if you don’t like it.

You can also opt out any time you want. There is a spot at the bottom of each newsletter to do that.

I am still doing my free book give aways. Just have been too busy to keep them going on a regular bases.

Just had the 500th person subscribe!! That person will win a book if they respond to my email that I sent them.

Befefits of subscribing:

  1. Free newsletter
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Did I say they were all free?

Please tell everyone about this site. Word of mouth is the best way to have growth.

 

OUT!!