I write to express my pain, renewed by several articles I’ve read lately, [including] "Myths revictimize Columbine families" (Opinion, Meghan Daum, Oct. 25). Her view as an outsider differed from mine because she didn’t see the school, peaceful just an hour before the shooting.

To me, closure or pandering was not at all what Susan Klebold’s essay or its appearance in November’s issue of O Magazine was about. By expressing herself after 10 years, Klebold has opened a new avenue of healing for herself and the Columbine community.

I would spend National Suicide Survivors Day with her and her family because we all have survived together. Growing up in the Columbine community, I know that the school shooting was not our first instance of suicide or school violence. Myths don’t "revictimize" our community. It’s the fact that people continue to be targeted by random violence.

Klebold’s essay was voicing a national cry for help. Listen to the cry. Show an interest in others; ask if they had thoughts of suicide. Just as families miss the signals of suicide, we miss them in the military community as well. Maybe we have become desensitized and need to remember what it means to care.

I’ve encountered three such instances in the Army. Two were here on Camp Speicher, Iraq. Only one was diverted, unfortunately after a shooting spree. After a drawn-out talk down, the quick reaction force helped escort the soldier to safety.

Spc. Brian M. SmithCamp Speicher, Iraq

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