VETERANS | SUICIDE

This Is the Startling Video That Broke My Heart

Finding humanity on a highway in Connecticut

I found a video while scrolling through TikTok. More often than not, I find the platform good for putting me to sleep while lying in bed. Not this time.

The video, posted in September, shows a Connecticut state trooper walking up to a truck to find a veteran sobbing while talking to a veterans’ suicide hotline. In the video, the trooper tells the man he’ll call for an ambulance. The veteran said he couldn’t afford to pay for an ambulance.

Imagine needing help as badly as this man did but being more concerned about the cost of a ride. I’m not talking about just veterans.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 43.8 million adults experience mental illness in a given year. Pardon me for a moment while I raise my hand.

In 2020, USA Today reported the number of suicides committed by veterans averaged 17 each day.

If you need help, please call the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988. Tomorrow is another day. Spend that day — and every day after that with people who care about you and who love you.

The video of Connecticut State Trooper Kyle Kaelberer helping the veteran broke me. I cried. I could not hold back the tears. Maybe it’s because I’m a veteran. Perhaps it’s because I suffer from mental health issues.

But maybe I cried because I’m human. Can I get a hug?

Thanks for reading.

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