STAND DOWN NOT MAN DOWN! Domestic Violence and the Combat Vet - Part 2

Ten days ago I wrote a blog that was on a topic that I felt was of the utmost importance to speak about. It's the topic of domestic violence. However, I didn't know at the time how prophetic this blog would end up being.

In the wee hours of the morning yesterday in Waterford, Michigan a Marine Combat Vet was shot down by police during a PTSD fueled domestic violence episode. 

His name was Colton Puckett. He was only 28 years old. 

Allegedly, Colton and his wife got into a fight and he started punching her. She took their son and fled the home. She also called the police. 

Colton Puckett was shot down after he emerged from the house with a shotgun and charged at the police after an hours long standoff.

No shots were fired by Colton according to the news. 

If you have read my other blog regarding Combat PTSD and domestic violence, then you know what I have said will happen when you call police during a PTSD episode. The SWAT team will be disbursed. They were. 

You will also know that the SWAT team is not there to shoot the breeze. They are there to do some shooting but it's definitely not under the guise of a friendly chat. They are there to kill the Combat Vet, if needed. 

Colton Puckett is now dead. 

Taking a further look into the incident, there are a few things that stand out to me. Firstly, Colton's wife had safely left the home with their son and then called the cops. Secondly, he was clearly BADLY triggered by the events that happened prior to the arrival of the police and from what he said and did afterwards. 

Colton Puckett threatened to kill police, burn down his house and finally kill himself. 

Instead of killing himself, he succeeded at provoking "suicide by cop" by charging at an officer who delivered fatal firepower. Clearly, this young man was not in a right state of mind. He was a badly triggered Combat Vet. 

What could have been done instead to have saved this Wounded Warrior's life? 

This is the 64 million dollar question.  Maybe his wife could have called his battle buddies when she noticed a change in his behaviors. Maybe his family could have talked to him. Maybe he could have been admitted into the VA when he started becoming erratic. There's plenty of "maybes".

Does hindsight always have to be 20/20? What about some foresight? 

This is where we, as a society with over 450,000 Combat Vets suffering from PTSD, need a lot of help and insight. You see, we DO NOT have the proper support and precautions in place when it comes to Combat trauma. We are a nation of fools. We do not see the writing on the wall. 

Colton Puckett is not the first nor will he be the last. 

With no proper game plan in place regarding these types of incidents, there's no way that we can prevent another tragedy like this. Colton Puckett is just one of many that will lose his life to this disorder and "suicide by cop". 

Instead of asking ourselves how this happened, let's ask ourselves a few other questions. Would this have happened if Colton's wife was better able to recognize the early signs of a triggered Combat Vet and had called someone BEFORE he was going full blown psycho? Would this have happened if there was a team of Combat Veterans who work with police in every county across the United States who are trained to respond and react to these types of crises?  Would this have happened if we had a team of Officers and Combat Vets along with local police that have put together a safety plan on how to disarm the Veteran without incident?

There's no way of knowing because currently there is NOTHING in place.

There are no programs that join the skills of our Military and the police in effectively handling these situations. All that we have is the SWAT team. 

And another dead Veteran. 

We need a system in place that keeps EVERYONE safe. Not just the family and the police. We need a system that is designed to end these altercations in a STAND DOWN and not a MAN DOWN! 

We NEED to fix this! 

These brave souls have broken minds. They are not evil people. They are not the enemy. They are just another casualty of war. 

Colton Puckett survived Afghanistan only to be shot down in Waterford.  Colton Puckett was a son, husband and father.  Colton Puckett was a hero that succumbed to PTSD.  Colton Puckett was failed by the system. 

My name is Leilani. I, too, fear a system that is broken and is stacked against our Warriors. I urge other partners of Warriors to be very afraid as well. Their Warrior may be the next MAN DOWN.