Supply Crate – Alex

(Me (today's supply crate nominator) on the left, Alex in the middle, and SSG Johnson on the right). SSG Johnson was also a close friend of our soldier we lost and a close buddy to Alex.

Alex was put in for a request by a fellow soldier who could see that he was struggling after the loss of his friend.

I’m writing this request on behalf of one of my Soldiers - Alex. As a company we recently experienced what I would want no one to ever experience, the suicide of one of our brothers. Although the Soldier who passed away was my direct report, Alex was his best friend and the most impacted by his loss. I’d love to see Alex receive this gift and raise his spirits. He’s a phenomenal man, battle buddy and Soldier himself. But I know he wrestles his depression as we all do. I just want him to know his supported and loved and I see this as a great opportunity to highlight someone far more deserving of that special recognition.

One off the hardest parts of being a servicemember and a Veteran, is that sometimes the difficulties of the job get to our battle buddies and unfortunately, we lose them to suicide. It's one of the worst feelings in the world and there's nothing that can replace our friends' place in our lives.

We're sorry to hear about the loss of SSG Johnson.

We hope that by sending Alex this gaming care package, he can find some solace in video games.

This was well received by Alex and I want to say I greatly appreciate what you are doing to bring a little hope and morale. As his First Sergeant, it means a lot to me.

Thank you for reaching out to us, and many salutes to Alex and SSG Johnson.

We thank DjinnJee and his community for doing their part and supporting Stack Up to sponsor a Supply Crate. DjinnJee is a former US Marine himself who understands the importance of gaming for our servicemembers. He does GTAV Roleplay so if you're looking to learn more about that, check him out on Twitch.

Thank you so much to those who served. Normally, we would end our Supply Crate update with something promoting the Call to Arms. Today, we just want to say we appreciate our supporters and those servicemembers who continue to serve, and our Veterans who made it through the struggle. Our staff knows the struggle with mental health and believes in the power of gaming to help cope and build community.

We hope you'll continue to fight suicide alongside us.