Heartbreak and Misery (Part 2)

Heartbreak and Misery 

(Part 2)

It was a rainy Thursday Night when Lucky called N.F. at work about Hank.  He was back from Afghanistan about one week when he found that his world had flown apart and he was in a fight for his daughter.  

Hank’s parents helped out with renting a house for him in Ellenville, but Lucky’s call was for help…for both Hank and for Lucky.

“Lucky calm the fuck down, meet me at my house when I get home from work at 1:30 am and I will ride with you to Hank’s, OK!”  “N.F. he said he can’t deal with this shit and then I heard the slide slam shut on a shotgun when I was on the phone with Hank.  Hank said, ‘it will all be clear in the morning’” Lucky then started to cry, saying “I might never see my Granddaughter if Hank kills himself.”

It was sure enough dark thirty in the morning when Lucky and N.F. got to Hank’s place on a ridge overlooking a large valley below.  N.F. and Lucky eased up on the house like burglars, looking into windows being that one end of the house was lit up with candles like an Irish wake.  Lucky called Hank’s cell and waited for an answer, Hank picked up on the third ring.  “Lucky, what are you calling me for?

“I’m here I wanna come in Hank, N.F. is with me” said Lucky.  Hank stumbled to the door and let them in.  Hank reeked of liquor and perspiration, sweating so much he had soaked through his wife-beater t-shirt and grey sweat pants, holding the half empty bottle of Southern Comfort.  As N.F. held Hank, guiding him to the couch, Lucky had went into the Den area and shouted “N.F. come here.”

Their jaws dropped, then N.F. kept his eyes on Hank who was guzzling the rest of the bottle.  What Lucky and N.F. saw was this:  all of Hank’s uniforms were laid out inspection style on the floor, perfectly folded and presented with his medals, honors and citations.  His dress uniform was hung from a bayonet impaled into the wall.  His assorted weapons, AR15’s, .30-06’s, .308’s and an M1 Garand were displayed in a semi-circle.

In the center of the semi-circle were pictures of Hank, Glenda and Lucinda on Camping Trips, Disneyworld, Church events and other family gatherings and special occasions.  Also in the semi-circle was a note, which Lucky read out loud to N.F.  The note was sweet, it was also angry and it was to the point.  Hank was going to kill himself.  What mystified Lucky was the video camera, why record his suicide?

N.F. didn’t take his eyes off of Hank who stank of booze and who looked tired empty and drained.  Hank said, “I was gonna skype Glenda and have her watch me die…even if she disconnected me, the other camera was a backup so she would have it.”  Hank rambled on slurring his words saying “I got nothing now, nothing without my little girl, nothing without my family.  I get angry thinking about all I done to make a life, I should have died instead of Matt in Afghanistan.”

N.F. said, “we can’t let you kill yourself right now Hank”.  It was 3:21 am when N.F. called me and told me the details.  “RJ, what’s the best thing to do?

I don’t want to call the cops and Lucky doesn’t want to leave him by himself.”  I said, “take him straight to the VA Hospital Emergency Room and tell the Doctor’s what he’s going through.  Take pictures of the suicide shrine and give copies to the VA.  The VA has a whole battery of options to help him without screwing up his life or career.”

Lucky and N.F. took Hank to Castle Point.  Hank was admitted and his unit notified, Hank will get help and not be professionally ruined.  But the drama isn’t over.  Glenda was told that Hank got drunk and got sick but Lucky didn’t tell her about his suicide preparations.  I talked to N.F. and Lucky on a conference call about Hank and Glenda and their kid, Lucinda.

Lucky talked about how Hank went from being super solid to a basket case and N.F. talked about the war, the politics and the failure of leadership to really help these young Vets.  I talked about Hank and his options, “Hank has no job options out here in the ‘real’ world.  Hank’s already re-enlisted to go back to Afghanistan.  His career is all he’s got left if the courts give Lucinda to her mother.” 

N.F. sharply disagreed, “He will never give up his little girl, that’s his heart, Hank will snap out of this and fight one way or the other.  This is bullshit, this is what a man who fights for his country has got to go through…nobody really gives a fuck.”  I let N.F. know the facts.  “A Veteran commits suicide every 80 minutes in America, at one point in 2010 there were 18 suicides a day.”

Later that weekend at an apartment in Walden, the police arrived at Glenda’s.  Glenda’s girlfriend, Butchy was covered in blood and semi-conscious as the ambulance siren screamed into the night.  Glenda was interviewed by the detective that arrived with the marked units.  As the ambulance took Butchy away the police searched and found Butchy’s meth stash along with a list and garbage bag full of cash.

As the Police attempted to cuff Glenda she resisted and said she had to take care of her little girl.  “Where is she” barked the overweight fat faced detective.  Glenda called “Lucy baby come here” from back in the laundry room behind some clothes came a four year old little girl, crying… “mommy, mommy”.  Glenda picked up her baby girl as the Detective said, “Call CPS”.  Glenda said, “please, let me call my Dad.”  (to be continued)

RJ