Telemaster, I will never understand suicides. As a law enforcement officer I have been on many suicide scenes. Personally, it has struck close to home on a few occasions and with two good friends. I had a good friend with a promising aviation career. He was an FAA pilot examiner. He certified me as a flight instructor and later an instrument flight instructor. He became Chief pilot for the newly formed police helicopter unit. Rivalry caused a complaint to be filed against him. The complaint was later determined to be false. But the stress of the situation was too much for him to bear. He shot himself in the helicopter hangar. I still think about him from time to time.
Fast forward a few years, I’m retired visiting with another friend. During lunch the conversation of the suicide of our friend comes up. We both can not understand why or how this happens. We both agree we cannot or would not ever commit suicide.
Fast forward a few more years. I try to contact my friend with no success. After many attempts to contact, I decided to call the company where he works. The person there was very hesitant to talk to me and stated he did not work there anymore. Pressing the issue, the person finally told me that my friend had committed suicide by shooting himself. It was a very difficult day for me. I still think about them often. I still see their names on the Memorial List.
Just something I don’t understand and will never understand.