Sitting in a darkened room with nothing left to live for, former Marine Sgt. Jeff Brennan pointed a gun to his temple and squeezed the trigger. All went dark. It was over - no more nightmares, drug-induced states filled with enough morphine to kill a small horse, no more shame at others bathing him, no more pain. After almost dying in a coma, having several strokes and numerous surgeries, losing a lung, after a traumatic brain injury left him 60 percent blind, he'd had enough.

An NCO-leadership instructor with extensive weapons and tactics training, Brennan was among the first on the ground when Iraq invaded Kuwait.

But the real war didn't begin until he came home. He ended the worst day of his life - or so he thought. Brennan passed out before the hammer fell - by attempting suicide.

"Returning from war, you're not the same, and you know it deep down," he said quietly. Thinking people wouldn't understand, he lied and pretended his way through life and through a divorce. After another near-death experience, when he shattered his ankle and tailbone in a racing accident, Brennan decided that his life had been saved for a reason.

But he didn't yet know why.

He reached a milestone the day he discovered his cousin dead. "I never realized how much it affects others around you until his suicide," Brennan explained. However, it wasn't until a chance meeting with another veteran, who invited him to join American Vets, that Jeff found his life's purpose. "I didn't have hope before. But once I saw I wasn't alone, I knew suicide wasn't the answer no matter how bad life got."

Today, Brennan is on the board of directors and serves as the public relations officer for both the Marine Core League and VetsMeetVets, a non-profit organization dedicated to ending veteran suicide. He is also active with Pierce County's Crime Stoppers and was part of relief efforts after tornados ravaged Tuscaloosa, Ala. earlier this year. He also helped 556 children after the Japanese Tsunami this year.

"Asking for help isn't a sign of weakness. Helping others saved my life and that's the reason I'm still here. I am one of them," he said when asked what he would say to a veteran contemplating suicide. "It was scary when I first talked about it, but a burden was lifted."

Determined to raise awareness about veteran suicide, Brennan believes it's not a matter of if, but rather when the epidemic ends, and that the key to reducing veteran suicide and homelessness is increased community awareness and involvement.  

"We stood together as a community on 9/11 and made a difference," he said.

"We have to reach out again and give veterans purpose. Volunteer, donate, create projects to get veterans involved before it's too late."

Facing possible leg amputation soon, Brennan remains focused on his mission as the voice of VetsMeetVets. "I want veterans to know they are cared for. They have to believe it gets better."

Visit www.vetsmeet.vets.org or email Jeff at Jeff@vetsmeetvets.org.