A young Arizona veteran miraculously survived shooting himself in the face – sharing his feelings of “instant regret” over a “half-second decision.”
Joshua Duncan, 26, said he suffered from depression after being dismissed from two years in the US Army for a series of infractions, including tardiness and not wearing his uniform, but never had suicidal thoughts.
Then, in a “split decision” in November 2022, he grabbed a gun from under his bed in Phoenix and shot himself in the face.
“I turned and I pulled the trigger. Immediately, it was a shocking moment,” he told Kennedy News, describing it as an “instant regret” of something he hadn’t planned.
“One part of my brain was talking to the other, like ‘Are we really doing that?'” he said.
“Like, ‘Yeah, you really just shot yourself in the f—ing face with a shotgun.’”
Duncan said that moments after shooting himself, he felt “immediate remorse.” Kennedy News
Amazingly, Duncan managed to crawl across the carpet and into the next room to alert his 32-year-old brother, Anthony — who grabbed his own AR-15-style rifle, assuming his brother had been attacked by intruders.
“I screamed for him, the best I could with half my jaw missing,” Duncan said of crawling on his hands and knees and begging his brother for help.
Joshua Duncan said his depression stemmed from the shame of being discharged from the Army. Kennedy news
“I had a big hole in my face. Because of the injuries around my mouth and throat, I started suffocating. I was breathing in a pool of blood. I started drowning in blood,” he said, adding it felt like someone “poured a bucket of hot water” on under his body.
“My brother is the toughest man you will ever meet. For the first time in his life, he had concern on his face.
Amazingly, Duncan survived. However, it damages the tear ducts, nasal cavity, oral socket, upper and lower maxilla and facial nerves.
Duncan was seriously injured as a result of the incident. Kennedy news
He also became deaf in one ear and says his memory has been affected, leaving him struggling with basic math and spelling.
She shared her story online in the hopes she would encourage others — especially struggling veterans — to seek help.
Duncan, who is in the military’s occupational specialty of communications, said being fired from the service was “one of the most devastating things” that had happened to him.
He was so ashamed, he threw all his uniforms in the trash and for years refused to tell anyone – including his family – what had happened.
“I wish I could say that this experiment jolted me into a better mindset, but it took a lot of work for a long time,” he said.
“It took a good year to reflect and understand how my life had changed.”
Fourteen months after the incident, Duncan urges others to pay attention to those who may be vulnerable to similar rash decisions they will regret — if they survive.
“Check your friends. Ask for help if you need it, that’s the hardest part. Have those difficult conversations, even if they are difficult.”
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 24/7 at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
