Sgt. Eric Landon served in the Army for 10 years, seeing combat in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
- Rachel Landon works for organization Stop Soldier Suicide
- Run scheduled for July 30, register below
- Congressman's COVER Act, PROMISE Act signed into law
His widow, 26-year-old Rachel Landon, said he was haunted by the deaths of his close friends and suffered survivors guilt and most likely Posttraumatic stress disorder.
Though he sought therapy through the VA, Rachel said Eric was never able to find the right fit and, at 27, took his own life.
Along with Rachel, Eric left behind two daughters, ages 4 and 2. The family lives in Palm Harbor.
"They understand that he's not coming back," Rachel said. "But the year has been difficult."
With an estimated 22 veterans committing suicide nationwide each day, it's a scenario U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla) said he hears all too often.
The congressman's COVER Act and PROMISE Act were just signed into law last week. The bills address PTSD and similar health care issues directly, and once implemented are meant to help with the treatment of Veterans dealing with mental health issues.
"These are our heroes. Our true American heroes," Bilirakis said. "We're sending them over there. The least we can do is provide the care that they need."
It could have helped Sgt. Eric Landon transition home.
“You spend so much time building a civilian into a soldier, but to bring that soldier back into civilian life, there's a gap in training for that," Rachel said. "And I think that is why we see such a high suicide rate now."
Rachel is doing her own part to spread awareness. She now works for the organization Stop Solider Suicide and is hosting a 5k fun run in Dunedin in Eric's honor. The run will be held July 30.
You can register for the race by clicking here.