I joined the army a few months ago and I leave for basic on January 8th. I have the 11x Ranger contract. Wish me luck as I chase my dreams gentlemen. A thought occurred to me about how men get treated by their significant others who are serving and what becomes of them. Then a memory surfaced in my head from a decade ago. My cousin Travis, God rest his soul, committed “suicide” in 2008. However, the consensus in the family seems to be that his ex Fiancé murdered him in order to collect benefits that the Marine Corp gives to fallen service men. Travis served in the Marine Corp from 2004 until his untimely death. I think he had one tour in Iraq under his belt. He came home with ptsd but he was receiving therapy from a Marine Corp psychologist and he WAS STABLE. Here’s how we know he didn’t commit suicide. Nobody commits suicide while they are making fucking tacos at 1:00 in the afternoon. Although he had suffered from mental heath issued from combat related stress, he displayed absolutely NONE of the warning sights associated with somebody who intended to commit suicide. His sister was on her way to visit him, he was engaged, and he had just been promoted to Sgt. He had everything in his life going for him and was very happy and content. And I can’t emphasize this more, HE WAS MENTALLY STABLE. His ex fiancé was being over the top and dramatic at the funeral and kept pretending to faint when she looked at her engagement ring. The police on base at Camp Lejeune completely botched the investigation. After the funeral the fiancé took all of the benefits and everything Travis owned, disappeared off the map, left nothing for the family and completely lost contact. She is literally off the grid now, nobody knows what became of her. I was very young when all this happened and I had to have it explained to me by my dad a few years later. All I have to say is, Travis, your story taught me a valuable lesson for when I leave for the Army, dark as it may be. Your ex fiancé took a hero from this world wrongfully. Rot in hell bitch. Rest In Peace Travis. Semper Fi.