I served in combat with the 9th Infantry Division in Vietnam during 1968-69. As horrific as that was, it is not the subject of my remembrance. One point I would like to make is that I witnessed trained and experienced soldiers wounded or killed by weapon malfunctions and accidents. Storing firearms safely away from anyone under 18 is a health and safety issue, which must be addressed with appropriate legislation. Mental health assessments, with regular updates, must become part of the criteria for ownership of firearms.
My second point is that too many of my fellow veterans have taken their own lives. In 2020, the number was 20 veteran suicides per day. A close friend of mine took his own life a few years ago, and many of us (his friends and family) are still not over the shock. Bob and I went to high school together (graduated 1966). When I met up with him again in the 1980s, I learned that he had served at a MASH unit in Vietnam. We kept in touch after that, and I thought I knew him. His wife also thought she knew him. We must be serious about suicide prevention.