Post by LadyBlue on Jan 16, 2012 16:18:26 GMT -5
WASHINGTON — Handsome and friendly, Clay Hunt so epitomized a vibrant Iraq veteran that he was chosen for a public service announcement reminding veterans that they are not alone.
The 28-year-old former Marine corporal received a Purple Heart after taking a sniper’s bullet in his left wrist. He returned to combat in Afghanistan. Upon his return home, he lobbied for veterans on Capitol Hill, road-biked with wounded veterans, and performed humanitarian work in Haiti and Chile.
Then, on March 31, Hunt bolted himself in his Houston apartment and shot himself.
Friends and family said he was wracked with survivor’s guilt, depression, and other emotional struggles after combat.
Hunt’s death has shaken many veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Those who knew him wonder why someone who seemed to be doing all the right things to deal with combat-related issues is now dead.
“We know we have a problem with vets’ suicide, but this was really a slap in the face,’’ said Matthew Pelak, 32, an Iraq veteran who worked with Hunt in Haiti as part of the nonprofit group Team Rubicon.
articles.boston.com/2011-04-16/news/29425950_1_iraq-veteran-fellow-veterans-afghanistan-veterans
The 28-year-old former Marine corporal received a Purple Heart after taking a sniper’s bullet in his left wrist. He returned to combat in Afghanistan. Upon his return home, he lobbied for veterans on Capitol Hill, road-biked with wounded veterans, and performed humanitarian work in Haiti and Chile.
Then, on March 31, Hunt bolted himself in his Houston apartment and shot himself.
Friends and family said he was wracked with survivor’s guilt, depression, and other emotional struggles after combat.
Hunt’s death has shaken many veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Those who knew him wonder why someone who seemed to be doing all the right things to deal with combat-related issues is now dead.
“We know we have a problem with vets’ suicide, but this was really a slap in the face,’’ said Matthew Pelak, 32, an Iraq veteran who worked with Hunt in Haiti as part of the nonprofit group Team Rubicon.
articles.boston.com/2011-04-16/news/29425950_1_iraq-veteran-fellow-veterans-afghanistan-veterans