So I was all prepared to go out on a somber note and list the names of the 123 soldiers who lost their lives in Afghanistan this year (as featured in the final pages of the annual 25 Most Intriguing People of the Year issue of People Magazine) ... and then I had to go and watch an HBO documentary about the veterans' crisis hotline and find out that the average rate for veteran suicides is 22 a day, or one every 65 minutes.
With those numbers, clearly our resolve for 2014 has to be so much more than just bringing the men and women home who are serving overseas. It also has to be about providing those that make it home with the support that they need (and deserve).
To the real people behind the names in those staggering statistics that are just too many to mention, would that you got as much coverage as those featured in the endless end of year celebrity death parade ... to show just how much you all should be missed.
WHEN NUMBERS ARE MORE THAN NUMBERS ... SEE THE FACES OF THOSE LOST:
http://projects.militarytimes.com/valor/
FIND ... AND WATCH ... THIS DOCUMENTARY:
http://www.hbo.com/documentaries/crisis-hotline-veterans-press-1/synopsis.html
SOME SOBERING THEORIES BEHIND THE NUMBERS:
http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/21/us/22-veteran-suicides-a-day/
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