Death by suicide has long been a problem within the U.S. military, and not just among veterans: In 2020, suicide rates among active duty service members hit a six-year high.

On August 28th, 2015, Heather’s husband Tyler became one of those statistics.

Theirs is a story of friendship, of love, of family, of service and duty … and of trauma, domestic abuse and mental illness.

If you’re experiencing thoughts of suicide, you can call or text 988. If you’re a victim of domestic violence and want out, you can call the National Domestic Violence hotline. You’re not alone.

References: 

• 
  
• Recommendations for Reporting on Suicide
• 
  
• Common Factors in Military Domestic Homicides: Implications for Prevention and Intervention 
• 
  
• Military Versus Civilian Murder-Suicide
• 
  
• Military Suicide Rates Are at an All-Time High
• 
  

Support our new independent production (and get bonus content galore!) by joining TTFA Premium. We now offer tiers as low as $5 / month. Sign up.

Our email subscribers get first dibs on ticket sales, new merch, show announcements and more. Join our mailing list here.

You can catch up with TTFA on Instagram, Twitter  and Facebook using @ttfapodcast. Nora's Instagram is @noraborealis.

Read the transcript for this episode here.

HAPPYISH HOLIDAYS, EVERYONE! Join us for a live show in-person or via livestream on December 6th. Tickets here.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices