MINUTES for 2019-05-28 FINAL - Laserfiche WebLink

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Veterans Advisory Committee Minutes May 28,2019 Page 2 Nine ayes, minutes have been accepted. OLD BUSINESS None NEW BUSINESS Passing of Lt. Cmdr. Chet Woolley Chair Doolittle: I don't know if anyone knew him, but he was a good friend of a friend. On March 6th in a rather well-planned event, he hung himself. Commander Wooley was a Navy Seal Diver, DOD Ordinance Guy, 52 years old, married and had two small boys, 10 and seven. It absolutely floored me, stunned me. I can't imagine how his two young boys are going to survive. In a rather methodical thing, that he had planned. It devastates me to think that someone of that caliber, Annapolis graduate, I can't even imagine where that dark place is. But it is part of this dilemma that were all looking at with Veteran, 7.400 veterans do that every year. This one just came close to home, he lived in Volcano, he was active in a lot of things. Apparently a well-liked and well-cared about guy. Why would someone sink to that dark place to leave his two young boys who are going to ask themselves the rest of their lives, why did my daddy do that? Wery: That's a selfish act. Chair Doolittle: It's very selfish, but it's also a journey down a dark place that I can't even understand. Isaac you're dealing with mental health issues all the time. Isaac Nahakuelua: A lot of people [in general] commit suicide to escape the pain, emotional pain. They may withhold certain things that they don't want to talk about. There might be the idea where masculinity comes into play where if you talk about your emotions, you're a lesser of a man or a warrior. To hold all that in, think of it like an infected pimple, it festers and if it doesn't gete released something bad can hhappen. They teach us when you're addressing suicide you go up to the person and ask them "do you have thoughts of killing yourself?" It's kind of a taboo subhect but the best way to talk about it is to be blunt, straight about it. Do you have thoughts of killing yourself, here's a number to call. Sometimes they just need someone to talk to. Chair Doolittle: I know it's a difficult subject, I just started counseling at the Vets Center and dredging up a lot of the things in your past is difficult. But not dealing with them and looking at them face on... Nahakuelua: For mental health, it seems to be the human brain, it has an innate mechanism where if its alone, and it doesn't matter the perrsons age, but the more older person is the person with more life experience but when you're alone and at home the brain has a tendency to look back at its past and evaluate it's sense of self-worth. That's cross-cultural, people that are not veterans, people that are veterans. They say it's good to get out in the community so you are not stagnating, along in thoughts. Best thing to do is get involved in the community, hang out with a friend, go for a walk.