WEBVTT

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My name is Senior airman Gavin Myrick

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with the 21st civil engineering

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squadron and I recently won the 2024

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National Defense Industrial Association

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Patriot Award . It all started at my

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last base . I started a suicide

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prevention and awareness course . I did

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about 12 classes taught over 300 people

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during this time . One of my friends

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was going through a very hard time in

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his life . And he called me one

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day and asked like , hey , where's that

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shooting spot that we went to like a

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couple of years back ? So I thought it

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was a little weird . It's kind of out

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of the ordinary , already had plans

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that day with my wife , but I kinda

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canceled them and invited myself on the

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trip and we went out , we had a good

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time . And on the way back , he

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confessed that he was gonna go out

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there to commit suicide . And I talked

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to him through everything and tried

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to uh give him sources on seeking

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help and talking to like a counselor .

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And then from then on , he sought help ,

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found a counselor and is like , really

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happy to still be here . And I'm glad

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for him that he is still here . If

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we're constantly losing friends and

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family to suicide , it's hard to stay

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in that mission ready mindset and we're

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just losing people along the way . So I

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feel that it creates mission readiness

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and spreads awareness . So we keep

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those individuals prevent those

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possible suicides and then get them

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back into the fight mission ready in

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the right mindset along with their

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friends and family as well .