Mentor veteran loses battle with PTSD, community wants to remind vets help is out there

MENTOR, Ohio (WOIO) - A Mentor veteran took his own life last weekend. 19 News is told the man barricaded himself inside his home. Police and SWAT tried to talk the vet down, but sadly, it did not work.

On Tuesday night the community held a vigil to remember the veteran and to raise awareness for PTSD.

Tim Foret, 38, was no stranger to being out on the battlefield.

“He had been over in Iraq and Afghanistan, several tours, seen things that no man should have to see and sadly he brought that home with him,” said Chris Blood, friend to Foret and First Lady of the US Militia RC, a veteran support group.

There was one enemy the soldier could not defeat, PTSD.

“Devastation is the best way to put this,” Blood said, choking back tears. “Being in a veteran support group we understand what these vets go through. We realize it’s a daily struggle. Sometimes the demons win and we do our darnedest to try to get the word out about this because there is help.”

The army veteran took his own life Sunday.

“Tim was the kind of guy that would make you smile no matter what was going on in your life,” Blood said.

Blood says they tried getting Foret help.

“We tried doing everything and he was just a proud vet,” she said. “He didn’t want the help. He kept telling everybody he was fine, he was anything but.”

Greg Peterson knows all too well the pain Foret was in. He survived a suicide attempt more than 15 years ago after getting out of the military.

“I am a suicide survivor and the only reason why I’m here today is I don’t want these guys to go through it myself,” said Greg Peterson, advocate for Safe 22. “My family went through it.”

Peterson says at only 30 years old he spent more than six months in a nursing home recovering.

“What got me through it was seeing my mom’s tears and I had one more fight left in me, and I fought that fight and now I’m here to speak for veterans that are going through this,” Peterson said.

Their number one message to all veterans: get help.

“To the families, if they see someone struggling, pick up the phone for them, there’s no shame in it,” insisted Peterson. “For the longest time we were told not to tell our feelings or show emotions, but put that aside, you need help get the help.”

If you are struggling reach out to someone. You can call the Veterans Crisis Line anytime at 1-800-273-8255 and press 1. You can even send them a text message at 838255.

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