President of The NCVF
I was dispatched to a medical emergency about 20 miles away. Unsure of what was going on I called my desk SGT. to see if he had anymore information on the call. He told me he wasn't sure however the mother told him her daughter was trying to hurt herself. Well I stepped on the gas down long dark roads. Finally I arrived on scene and right behind me pulled up German EMT's We first made contact with the mother and she informed us her daughter was upstairs and didn't know what was going on. I then entered the residence, a strange feeling in the air and a strong scent of carbon monoxide. I made my way in and was calling her daughters name. I received no answer. As we made our way to the second floor the smell was getting stronger and I could see a little smoke exiting from under one of the room doors. The door was locked so I went ahead and kicked it in. A barbeque in the middle of a teenage girls bedroom. Fire was still going as the coals in the barbeque began to go out. I looked over on the bed and there lay a young girl. I made my way over but it was to late. The teenager with so much life left to give was no longer with us. We were seconds too late. After speaking to her mother I found out her father, an army officer, was stationed in Iraq and didnt yet know what was going on. Her mother told me ever since her father left she was having a little trouble in school but not to serious. She kept her emotions to herself.
I was frustrated to see such a young beautiful child take her life because she couldn't deal the constant struggle of a missing a father figure in her life. I tell you this story because it made me realize that the soldiers deployed are not the only ones this conflict is affecting. It is affecting all of us, friends family and loved ones. This is why we need your help to bring about change in our childrens everyday lives while a family member is deployed serving his or her country.
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