A victory for Army’s war on suicide: Soldier saves a buddy from taking his own life
By APSaturday, June 19, 2010
A victory as Army mounts anti-suicide campaign
DENVER — The Army has a success story in its battle against suicides: The case of a soldier who prevented his buddy from taking his own life.
Joseph Sanders and Albert Godding were serving in Iraq in 2008 when Sanders says he was thinking of killing himself. Godding secretly disabled his friend’s rifle by removing the firing pin. Hours later, when Sanders turned the gun on himself, it wouldn’t fire.
Godding received the Meritorious Service Medal for saving Sanders’ life. He credits his Army training for teaching him how to spot suicide warning signs. Sanders says he’s doing well after counseling.
Suicides claimed the lives of 245 active-duty, Guard and Reserve soldiers last year, nearly 20 percent more than the year before.
