I can't begin to tell you how incredibly sad this makes me. Thinking of Clay has been heavy on my heart and mind, and I don't even really know him. I first saw Clay on the blog Jake's Life several years ago. Most of you know that I followed Jake through his tour in Iraq, then Afghanistan, and then Team Rubicon. Jake is an amazing young man, a leader, and a hero. You can follow the links and find out more about him, but this is about Clay. I remember looking at pictures on Jake's blog and seeing Clay for the first time. My first thought was, "Wow, look at that smile - what a handsome young man!" I showed the pictures to Jesse, and she remarked on his looks - especially his eyes. After that, I saw Clay in lots of Jake's photos. I saw him dirty and grimy in Afghanistan. I saw him all dressed up at his wedding, I saw him partying on his return to the USA. I saw him working to save people in Haiti. At first I thought of him as Jake's sidekick - every hero needs one, but this sidekick is a hero himself. He was always smiling in those photos as if he were happy to be helping people. For those of you who do not follow the links, Clay died yesterday - apparently a suicide after battling depression. How does this happen to our young heroes? My mind is screaming, "What the hell went wrong?" and "What can I do about it?" Knowing how sad this makes me, my heart and prayers go out to his family, friends, and Jake.
15 comments:
Jake's death is beyond sad... it's tragedy of epic proportions. My best and kindest thoughts go out to his friends and family.
Words fail me in this space, Lou, but your words were both wonderful and appropriate... straight from the heart.
RIP, CPL Hunt.
take care ~~~ visiting here with a smile ~~~
Buck, you always have the right words, and I appreciate that.
Mr. Lonely, Thanks for leaving a comment - come back anytime.
This is a profoundly sad event, and my feeling is that there is no way to put our grief into words when something this terrible happens. I am so sorry that Clay did not get the help he needed. So sorry....
I only just realized I misspoke, using Jake's name when I meant Clay. That is inexcusable.
Buck, Sorry, I didn'e even notice the mistake.
"my heart and prayers go out to his family, friends, and Jake."
Mine do too. I wish this world were a place where things like this didn't happen. :(
Oh, this is heartbreaking. Thanks for sharing with us. No words to help, prayers for the family.
Such sad news. What a terrible loss. :-(
I'm sorry for him, sorry for us all.
When you're ready for a Red River fix, Ake has a key to the house and you're more than welcome to use it, to recover, go back to roots, rest, relax, enjoy Texas Red's, Sundance and old friends. Just let me know. It is sitting empty till first of June.
Didn't mean to make my comment anonymous - hit wrong button.
Thanks, Barbara.
All,
Thanks for the thoughts on Clay. Be praying for his brothers in arms.
Lou, I read this on Saturday, but did not comment at the time.
It's been troubling me in my soul. What went wrong? What goes wrong with anyone who commits suicide.
Maybe you have not been to that place, but I have. I'm not proud of it...it's just the truth. It is the dark night of the soul...no way out...everything is hopeless...you can see no light.
Thanks be to God that He rescued me with a glimmer...not a blinding light...just a faint glimmer. A "Andy, I'm pregnant. This is a sign from God. He would not be giving us this child if He wasn't going to make a way for us to provide for it."
I was angry. Mad at God even! What I did NOT need was ONE MORE THING to deal with. But, standing on the bridge, He spoke to me. "This is your task. This is your hope." And, I'll be darned if God wasn't right.
#3 son has been the joy of my life. Part of my purpose.
Jeepers, that was a long comment.
Andy, that was a great comment. As someone who not only believes in God, I trust Him. I do believe God gives purpose to our lives. I guess not everyone knows this or lives it or listens to God's voice. I'm glad you listened and obeyed.
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