Tim answers a question from Quora:

What is the “one thing” that causes American military veterans to commit suicide?

One day a friend of mine will die.

Later, another will die.

Death is something that we as a species are cursed with knowing. Each death will be sad, but I hope to limit the amount of deaths that bring regret.

Not just the regret of wishing we said more or spent more time, but a regret of knowing I had missed an opportunity to really do something with that person.

I love my friends.

I do not have any siblings and did not grow up around my cousins. So, with two working parents, my friends quickly became my family.

My friends have had a tremendous impact on my life.

To finish this post, listen to the podcast or go to One2ManyProject.com/41

Navy veteran Tory Utz joins Tim this week. Tory shares her story of suicidal behavior and what drove her to attempt five different times.

Tim answers a question brought to him during a presentation:

What if we gave recruits pre-entry therapy to nurture mental and emotional health risks?

“Wait, how did he know that?”

This was the immediate response from a student at The Washington Center last night after his classmate correctly answered my question on the number of veteran suicides per day.

I was surprised – not that someone knew the answer but at the challenge to his quick response. I feel like the scale of the crisis, 22 per day, is common knowledge, but I guess not everyone knows.

To me, veteran suicide awareness is booming. I see it all over Facebook and all over Twitter. There are groups and hashtags, events and fundraisers, books, and so much more spotlighting the crisis of suicide among veterans.

To finish the post, go to One2ManyProject.com/38

My friend Corey joins me this week to discuss investigating suicides and how to address the epidemic inside the veteran space.

This week Tim takes a different approach to the question “What can I do to help?”

There’s also a song by Chadd Downing.

Find empathy. Discover renewed purpose. Gain mentorship. Know you matter.

Those are the main points in any of my presentations and they are common themes across this project. They make sense to both veterans and non-veterans. When it comes to true suicide prevention, I believe these to be key.

I’ve noticed a lot of people view mentorship as this sacred bond they feel between themselves and a person with eternal wisdom 20 years their elder.

If that’s a situation you find, then that’s great. Most people can’t find perfect personal mentors. At least, not ones that look perfect on paper. In some communities, it may be difficult to discover a proper fit for you all together. I live in a metropolitan area, so I’m surrounded by opportunities to acquire personal and business mentors. I recognize that many of us do not have these same resources.

However, we do all have access to virtual mentors.

To finish this post, go to One2ManyProject.com/35

What do you do to avoid the cycle of depression?

“I read your post the other day.”

I hear that often now. Usually it gets followed up with “I thought it was good” or “I’m impressed” or “I think it’s so important that you’re doing this.”

Sometimes people are referring to one of the stories shared on Monday. Usually though, they comment on the discovery of Momentary Reflections.

Episode One was easy for me. It was just another story. It was a time in my past that I’m willing to talk about. Those moments in history that can make us feel vulnerable become liberating once we share it with someone we trust. I trust all of you. I want you to trust me.

A few weeks after the project started, I began writing these short essays. It is my way of getting more material out and allowing myself a time to process my feelings on this subject. It has forced me to be more transparent with everyday life.

To finish the post, listen to the podcast or go to One2ManyProject.com/33