Remember, what a Soldier has seen is branded on their minds!

Each day there is over 22 suicides committed by armed forces personnel in North America and who knows if that number is even accurate.  These are the same people that at one time made the brave decision to don a uniform and serve their country, the people who, at one point, wrote a blank check made payable to 'Their Country for an amount of ‘up to and including their life’. But who knew, it would come from their own hand?  You have to understand these men and women that protect our freedoms come back from fighting on the frontlines and now some of them fight the Silent War of post-traumatic stress disorder in their minds.

I am sure I have said it before, since I have been selling my little clothing concept D-Day Wear® I have met Soldiers that have fought in various campaigns from WWII to Iraq. I have heard war stories that I thought I would never hear and after hearing some of them I wish I never did. Here is one of them.

I met a man that fought in the Invasion of Sicily in WWII. He told me that he was on patrol with a Native Canadian fellow, who was telling him, of how he was fighting for a Country that was pushing him away. As they turned a corner, he said he was just saying to him “We’re buddies and we are going to get through this together”. Just as the other fellow was responding, a single shot rang out and took his face off in mid sentence. I couldn’t believe what I had just heard and asked him “What did you do?”  He told me “I jumped into a doorway and was wiping his brains off my uniform, thinking it was either me or him in the snipers sights”. I was stunned and I asked him how old he was, to which he responded, “I’ll never forget it, it was just after my 19^th birthday”.

That was back in 2013, so he had been carrying that vision in his mind and reliving it for 70 years. I can’t imagine the pain he must go through when he relives that event, but I could see it in his face as he wiped away his tears. That my friend’s, is honour and respect and unfortunately there are way too many people in this country who just don’t get it. You see, every Soldier has a story, but most are never told.

May is Mental Health awareness month just remember!

“Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle” ― J.M. Barrie