“Vets’ growing suicide rate worries officials”
Article by John Koopman in the San Francisco Chronicle on veterans suicides, including a feature on Swords to Plowshares client Tim Chapman.
“Vets’ growing suicide rate worries officials”
Tim Chapman hit bottom on a trip to Reno.
He had been a soldier and served in the Middle East. But after his discharge for mental health problems, he returned to his home in Manteca and started a rapid descent. He joined a gang, sold and used drugs. His wife left him.
He wanted to commit suicide. And almost did.
The number of veterans who commit suicide is growing, and it is causing major concern among veterans groups and lawmakers. A recent report by CBS News, now supported by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, indicates that an average of 18 veterans commit suicide every day nationwide.
Chapman lived through his ordeal. He is now in recovery at San Francisco’s Swords to Ploughshares [sic] and living in an apartment on Treasure Island.
Chapman likes the place a lot. He smiles, and he’s put on some weight. He lives with other veterans, and the people who run the place were in the military, too. They understand, he said.
“It’s a little easier to talk to these guys,” he said. “I can work on my issues.” There’s more…
