This came from a non-christian and non-libertarian correspondent, but I think it is important to share this in several ways.  Corporal  Rory Hamill will never be reported as a victim of COVID-19, but he is very much one. 

No, let me correct myself: he is a victim of the fear and panic that has gripped the world over COVID-19.  We are seeing the same thing even in South Dakota (and other States), on the reservations, where there has been an epidemic of suicide for years, and isolation makes it greater. People taking their own lives because they do not know God, and do not have the hope given to us by His mercy.. And people denied help needed because of the stupid actions of government bureaucrats and politicians. People driven to despair by the Lockdown and the economic collapse.

THE PANDEMIC, THE GHOSTS OF WAR, AND A BROTHER LOST

The government stripped people of their ability to be with others. And it’s the camaraderie that helps veterans cope. They are a brotherhood, a sisterhood, a family. Remove the family, and the pieces begin to fall apart. We have seen this time and time again when veterans become isolated, they lose their sense of self-worth. Hopelessness takes over, and the future becomes too dim to grasp. For Rory, it was too much to bear.

Rory took his own life on May 1, 2020.

This is horrible.  Rory Hamill was a husband and father of three.

He left a written cry for help.

“I began writing this at 03:46 in the morning, on April 19th, 2020. I’ve been drunk on red wine since the previous night. I haven’t slept. I haven’t stopped suffering. My own personal hell has been reignited, in light of present circumstances affecting us all. This pandemic, although viral in nature; alludes to what happens to us as human beings, when we are stripped of our outlets, and are deprived of our ability to socialize.” Rory

I have written about this before on other posts.  For people who suffer from PTSD and depression, a regular routine is critical to maintain normalcy.

I went through a bout of depression in college, due to some life circumstances, and I know from first hand experience how important it was to get out of bed, go to class, and try and live a normal life.  If I sat alone in my room I would spiral into worsening anguish.

I can only imagine how someone suffering from PTSD finding themselves trapped at home without their routine and support network could crash and self harm like this.

It makes me wonder with churches and other places of congregation shut down how people who suffer from addiction and depression are coping of they can’t go to AA or other support group meetings.  These are not things easily done virtually.  People need the human connection of face to face interaction.

This post is not a dunk, it’s not an “I told you so.”

It’s an example of how in our panic to save lives we have harmed others and how it’s easy to forget about the needs of people like Rory Hammill.

Pray for his family and everyone else suffering in these times.

If you know someone suffering like this, reach out to them in any way you can and remind them that they are loved and needed.