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Meet a Marine veteran on a personal mission against suicide

Source image: https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/meet-marine-veteran-personal-mission-against-suicide

This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

On Veteran’s Day, America honors its former military members for their service to the nation. 

Some sacrificed their lives fighting for their country. Many others are still with us, fighting battles brought on by their service or post-service that civilians cannot understand.

But Jeremy Knauff understands.

Marine veteran Jeremy Knauff has counseled thousands of fellow vets after overcoming his own post-service challenges.

Marine veteran Jeremy Knauff has counseled thousands of fellow vets after overcoming his own post-service challenges.
(Jeremy Knauff)

The Marine veteran had a health crisis that began nearly a decade ago that ruined his business, left him and his wife deep in debt, and almost killed him.

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Knauff went from being a high-flying publicist to losing nearly all his clients and racking up hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt trying to survive while paying for countless medical treatments in an effort to beat his illness.

He endured debilitating physical pain that took a toll not only on his body, but his mind. That coupled with financial stress led him to the point that he was concerned about the thoughts he was having: considering suicide. 

One day, the thoughts became so intense that he unloaded and disassembled all his firearms, put them in a duffel bag, and alerted a buddy that the friend might need to take his guns from him at some point.

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Then, while he was still in that mindset, he received a call with horrific news he will never forget.

“One of the toughest guys I ever served with ended up taking his life,” Knauff told FOX News Digital. 

It was a wake-up call.

After that, Knauff started sharing with others what was going on with him. Not only people in his own everyday life, but he became very transparent on social media about what was happening. Word got around.

Jeremy Knauff has built back his business after going through a health crisis, and continues to counsel fellow veterans who face suicidal thoughts like he did.

Jeremy Knauff has built back his business after going through a health crisis, and continues to counsel fellow veterans who face suicidal thoughts like he did.

Soon, he started getting a lot of private messages, and began counseling other veterans who reached out to talk to him because they were having similar thoughts of suicide.

“It got to the point where everybody knew that they could give out my cell phone number or my email to literally anyone who was struggling like that,” he said.

Knauff estimates that over the years he has counseled thousands of veterans. 

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“I don’t know exactly how many people we’ve impacted as a result of this,” he says. “But I know there’s a certain number of people who I have pulled back from suicide.”

Knauff says helping others overcome thoughts of suicide has become a mission bigger than himself, that helps him carry on.

Over the years, Knauff has built back his business, Spartan Media, but he still has physical pain. Constant systemic inflation makes him feel like he’s being electrocuted and burned at the same time.

Jeremy Knauff has built back his business, and continues to counsel fellow veterans in what he says is a calling bigger than himself.

Jeremy Knauff has built back his business, and continues to counsel fellow veterans in what he says is a calling bigger than himself.

“If you had asked me nine years ago, ‘how long can you withstand this sh*t?’ There’s no way my answer would have been nine years,” he told FOX News Digital. But he says people don’t realize what they’re capable of or able to overcome until they’re pushed into a situation where they’re forced to do it.

“I knew I was tough back then,” Knauff said. “I know I’ve gone through things that most people couldn’t get through. But having been forced into this, it’s really forced me into a much higher level of mental toughness.”

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“I can’t fold because if I do all those people I helped… that was the thing that got them through,” he says, and he fears it would let those veterans down and could cause them to compromise their own will to live. “Like, boom down like dominoes at that point.”

Overdose and suicide rates among those who have served in the military is somewhere between 2 to 3 times higher than the civilian population, according to American’s Warrior Partnership

Jeremy Knauff with fellow Marines during his time in service.

Jeremy Knauff with fellow Marines during his time in service.

Knauff says that shows not enough is being done to address the mental health needs of current and former service members. But the answer might be in rallying veterans, who are able to help each other.

“I think it’s really just a matter of mobilizing veterans because a lot of veterans don’t realize that this is a thing, because we’ve been conditioned to just push everything down and continue on with the mission,” he says. “Mobilizing other veterans to basically look out for each other, I think, is probably going to be the most effective solution to this thing.”

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“Like you’re in the field,” Knauff explained. “You’re on deployment, you’re doing whatever you’re doing, you’re looking out for the guy to your left and to your right. The same thing applies here.”

Source: https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/meet-marine-veteran-personal-mission-against-suicide

Politics

NY Times article on Biden’s age ripped as ‘slobbering,’ ‘embarrassing’ after latest fall

The New York Times is facing ridicule on Twitter after an article Sunday painted President Biden’s old age in a positive light, describing the 80-year-old president as “sharp,” “fit” and having “striking stamina.”

The Times article by White House reporters Peter Baker, Michael Shear, Katie Rogers and Zolan Kanno-Youngs, titled, “Inside the Complicated Reality of Being America’s Oldest President,” claimed Biden’s aides have been purposely limiting his exposure to the media to avoid any potential gaffes.

“The two Joe Bidens coexist in the same octogenarian president: Sharp and wise at critical moments, the product of decades of seasoning, able to rise to the occasion even in the dead of night to confront a dangerous world,” the article said. “Yet a little slower, a little softer, a little harder of hearing, a little more tentative in his walk, a little more prone to occasional lapses of memory in ways that feel familiar to anyone who has reached their ninth decade or has a parent who has.”

“Like many his age, Mr. Biden repeats phrases and retells the same story, often fact-challenged stories again and again,” the article continued. “He can be quirky; when children visit, he may randomly pull a book of William Butler Yeats off his desk and start reading Irish poetry to them.”

Biden falls at Air Force Academy

President Joe Biden is helped up after falling during the graduation ceremony at the U.S. Air Force Academy, near Colorado Springs, Colorado, on June 1, 2023. (Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images)

“At the same time, he is trim and fit, exercises five days a week and does not drink,” it added. “He has at times exhibited striking stamina, such as when he flew to Poland then boarded a nine-hour train ride to make a secret visit to Kyiv, spent hours on the ground, then endured another nine-hour train ride and a flight to Warsaw. A study of his schedule by Mr. Biden’s aides shows that he has traveled slightly more in the first few months of his third year in office than Mr. Obama did in his.”

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Steve Guest, a special adviser for communications for Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, called the article “embarrassing.”

News Cycle Media President Jon Nicosia called the article “slobbering.”

Former Obama speechwriter Jonathan Favreau, who now co-hosts “Pod Save America,” said the article was “pretty positive.”

National Review contributor Pradheep Shanker said the article was “not totally objective” but at least opened the door for questioning the president’s capabilities.

“Good for the Times to actually write this… It’s still not totally objective, but it’s a solid effort at least,” Shanker wrote. “I mean those is a positive spin at best. What’s more likely is that many, many of the presidential level decisions are not being made by Biden at all.”

Biden tripped and fell during a U.S. Air Force Academy commencement ceremony Thursday, prompting three Secret Service agents to rush to help the president up.

Biden fall

US President Joe Biden fell during the graduation ceremony at the U.S. Air Force Academy on June 1, 2023. (Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images)

Air Force Academy salutes Biden

President Joe Biden arrives to deliver the commencement address at the Air Force Academy on June 1, 2023. (Getty Images)

The White House said Thursday that Biden tripped over a sandbag and was not injured by the fall. 

The fall reignited concerns about Biden’s age, prompting a number of media outlets to pounce and seize on Republicans voicing concerns about Biden’s physical health.

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Politics

Capitol Police stop youth choir during national anthem performance, sparking outrage: ‘I was shocked’

Video footage showing a South Carolina-based children’s choir being stopped by a Capitol Police officer from singing the national anthem in the U.S. Capitol has gone viral with millions of views.

Capitol Police said singers with the Rushingbrook Children’s Choir from Greenville were stopped because of a “miscommunication,” which occurred May 26.

Capitol Police initially issued a statement that said they were under the impression the group didn’t have permission to perform in the building but clarified later that they “were not aware that the Speaker’s Office had approved this performance.”

Choir director David Rasbach and another choir leader said the visit was approved by the office of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., which the speaker’s office confirmed.

Rushingbrook Children’s Choir

In this image taken from video, the Rushingbrook Children’s Choir sings the “The Star-Spangled Banner” in the U.S. Capitol’s Statuary Hall on May 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Farnoush Amiri)

“I was shocked, I was dismayed, I was stunned,” Rasbach, who said he secured permission from three congressional offices to perform at the U.S. Capitol, told the Daily Signal. “I couldn’t believe that was happening, that they would stop the national anthem, of all songs.”

Video of the event showed the children singing as a Capitol Police officer spoke with two other men. One of the men, who appears to be a congressional staffer, then approached Rasbach. A few seconds later, Rasbach motioned to the choir and cut them off to stop singing.

A patch for a United States Capitol Police Officer

Capitol Police said singers with the Rushingbrook Children’s Choir from Greenville were stopped because of a “miscommunication,” which occurred May 26. (U.S. Capitol Police)

Capitol police officers at the capitol building

Police arrive by bus at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2022. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez/File)

Some Republicans accused Capitol Police of taking action against the kids due to political bias, but the Capitol Police said that is untrue and accused the congressional staffer of lying “to the officers multiple times about having permission from various offices” in one emailed statement to the Daily Signal.

“Recently somebody posted a video of a children’s choir singing the Star-Spangled Banner in the U.S. Capitol Building and wrongfully claimed we stopped the performance because it ‘might offend someone,’” the Capitol Police said. “Here is the truth. Demonstrations and musical performances are not allowed in the U.S. Capitol.”

“Of course, because the singers in this situation were children, our officers were reasonable and allowed the children to finish their beautiful rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner,” the statement added. “The Congressional staff member who was accompanying the group knew the rules, yet lied to the officers multiple times about having permission from various offices. The staffer put both the choir and our officers, who were simply doing their jobs, in an awkward and embarrassing position.”

McCarthy and three Republican members of Congress involved in inviting the group to the Capitol issued a joint statement, saying they were “very disappointed” that the performance was cut short.

“We recently learned that schoolchildren from South Carolina were interrupted while singing our National Anthem at the Capitol. These children were welcomed by the Speaker’s Office to joyfully express their love of this nation while visiting the Capitol, and we are all very disappointed to learn their celebration was cut short,” McCarthy and three House Republicans said. “We are delighted that the People’s House has been reopened particularly for our children and we look forward to welcoming more Americans back to the halls of Congress.”

Capitol Police did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Politics

Biden admin slammed as granting ‘major coup’ to China after top officials visit on Tiananmen massacre date

EXCLUSIVE: The Biden administration is getting slammed as handing a “major coup” to Chinese President Xi Jinping after two senior officials made a trip to China on Sunday in an attempt to ease tensions between the two countries.

Critics immediately pointed out that Sunday, June 4, marks the 34th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, when the Chinese military slaughtered hundreds, possibly thousands, of pro-democracy protesters.

Daniel Kritenbrink, the assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, and Sarah Beran, the National Security Council’s senior director for China and Taiwan affairs, arrived in Beijing to discuss “key issues in the bilateral relationship,” the State Department said in a press release.

Tiananmen Square in Beijing

Demonstration at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China, on June 1, 1989. (Eric Bouvet/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)

Wang Yi and Antony Blinken shake hands

Secretary of State Antony Blinken shakes hands with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi during a meeting on the Indonesian resort island of Bali on July 9, 2022. (Stefani Reynolds/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., called attention to the timing of the trip on Twitter.

“Is the Biden Administration sending senior officials to China as we remember the anniversary of the massacre in Tiananmen Square?” he wrote.

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Issa, who serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told Fox News Digital that the trip only benefits China and Chinese President Xi Jinping while weakening the United States’ position on the world stage.

“This is no ordinary foreign policy stumble,” he said. “It’s a concession demanded by the Chinese and granted by a White House and State Department willing to bend. It’s a major coup for Xi, and America’s position in the world just got weaker – where it matters most.” 

“There’s no way the Congress can just look away and let this go,” he added.

Darrell Issa

Rep. Darrell Issa during a House Judiciary Committee field hearing in New York on April 17, 2023. (Stephanie Keith/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Nearly two hours after the first press release, the State Department issued another one honoring the Tiananmen Square anniversary.

“Tomorrow, we observe the 34th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre,” the release said. “On June 4th, 1989, the Government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) sent tanks into Tiananmen Square to brutally repress peaceful Chinese pro-democracy protesters and bystanders alike.” 

“The victims’ bravery will not be forgotten and continues to inspire advocates for these principles around the world,” it added. “The United States will continue advocating for people’s human rights and fundamental freedoms in China and around the world.”

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Issa’s office said he plans to send a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken demanding answers about the China trip.

A State Department spokesperson told Reuters that Kritenbrink’s official meetings will begin Monday, and that he would raise the issue of human rights in the communist country.

Blinken

Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a joint news conference after the 32nd annual Australia-U.S. Ministerial Consultations, Dec. 6, 2022, in Washington, D.C. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Michael Sobolik, a fellow in Indo-Pacific Studies at the American Foreign Policy Council, responded to the press release about the China visit by asking, “Is this a joke?”

Isaac Stone Fish, the CEO of Strategic Risks, which “quantifies corporate exposure to China,” and a visiting fellow at the Atlantic Council, offered a “pro-tip” on Twitter, saying, “Don’t be a senior government official visiting China on the anniversary of Tiananmen Square.”

Fox News Digital asked the State Department and the White House whether the Tiananmen Square massacre would be discussed, but neither responded.

Dialogue between the Biden administration and Beijing has been nearly dormant in recent months as attempts at interactions have been shuttered since the U.S. shot down a Chinese surveillance balloon that traversed the country earlier this year.

A previously scheduled trip by Blinken, where he was expected to meet with Xi, was canceled because of the China spy balloon incident.

The U.S.-China relationship has been further strained over China’s military activity in the South China Sea and the United States’ support of Taiwan.

34th anniversary of Beijing Tiananmen crackdown

People take part in a vigil at the Liberty Square of the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall to mark the 34th anniversary of the Tiananmen crackdown in 1989, in Taipei, Taiwan, on Sunday, June 4, 2023. (Lam Yik Fei/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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Additionally, Beijing has taken umbrage after the U.S. warned China against arming Russia to help its war in Ukraine. 

CIA Director William Burns secretly visited China last month in an effort to restore relations, meeting with his Chinese counterparts to emphasize “the importance of maintaining open lines of communication in intelligence channels,” according to the Financial Times, which first reported the visit. 

Fox News’ Louis Casiano contributed to this report.

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