Jared Eakin’s Scars and Stripes Addresses Veteran Suicide Prevention

Jared Eakin’s Scars and Stripes Addresses Veteran Suicide Prevention

In 2019, Jared Eakin was waiting for an appointment at a Veterans Affairs facility when he invited another veteran outside for a cigar. They spent hours talking, sharing stories and finding enough common ground to miss their appointments. At the end of their conversation, the man told Eakin that the encounter had saved his life. He had arrived at the facility intending to end it. For Eakin, who was struggling with addiction to pain medication an…