Hundreds gather for National Military Suicide Survivor Seminar

Hundreds gathered to support one another for National Military Suicide Survivor Seminar on Saturday.

Survivors shared stories of suicide loss in the military and received healing through The Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, or “TAPS.”

Misty Blum was one of those people.

“In 2013, my husband had just retired from 20 years of the Marine Corps,” Blum explained.

She and her husband Michael were living in Missouri, transitioning into civilian life. Michael suffered from PTSD.

“He became progressively more sick, but he was in denial. And the military, they try to be. They have a facade of being very strong,” said Blum. “He took his life 135 days after retirement in our garage, in my presence.”

“When you hear it, it’s hard… Suicide is a touchy subject. It’s hard to talk about it, it’s hard to ask about it,” said Misty Blum.

That’s why Blum reached out to TAPS for help. The goal of the program is to remind survivors that they’re not alone through peer-based support.

“Peer support is one of the most healing things for survivors of suicide. Being with someone who is walking the same journey really helps with the feelings of shame, the feelings of guilt, helps people understand that they’re not the only one that this has happened to,” said Kim Ruocco, with TAPS.

“It’s amazing. It is something you can’t get anywhere else. Someone who’s been there who’s also a military loved one and knows the lifestyle and knows what it was like to live with deployments and moving around and having children. Our kids have questions,” explained Blum.

Blum said she’s now ready to answer those questions for others, having recently become a mentor through the program. She hopes her story can inspire those who are struggling to be strong.

“Strength isn’t trying to handle it yourself, strength is being able to ask for help,” Blum added.