A father remembers his veteran son at Veterans Legacy Summit in Sarasota
SARASOTA -- Michael Robert Gehrz served two deployments in Iraq as a Navy corpsman, taking care of wounded Marines at Fallujah and in Anbar Province in some of the fiercest fighting of the war.
Severely wounded in combat, he returned home with traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder after his most recent deployment in 2005, and was medically retired from the Navy.
He also returned home beset by unknowable torment. On Oct. 10, he took his own life at age 33, leaving behind a wife and three children.
Mike's grief-stricken father, Jim Gehrz, a photographer for the Minneapolis Star Tribune, was scheduled to participate in Veterans
Legacy Summit this week. He was invited because his photo of a joyous homecoming from deployment in Afghanistan by 101st Airborne Division soldiers is part of Patriot Plaza at Sarasota National Cemetery.
But Jim Gehrz told summit organizers at the Patterson Foundation that under the circumstances, he didn't think he would be able to attend.
But at the funeral, Jim's daughter, Alyssa Gehrz, offered him a new perspective:
"I told him that he needed to go, that he needed to do it for Mike," Alyssa Gehrz, 24, said. "I told him I would come if he needed someone to get him through it."
And suddenly, it made sense that by sharing their story and by participating in the summit, maybe something could be done for returning veterans, who are killing themselves at a rate of 22 a day.
Making Mike's death even more ironic for Jim Gehrz was that his photos illustrated a five-part series on veteran suicide in the Star Tribune.
"We are pretty shocked. We were aware that there was a problem, but he just bought a truck, and was talking about getting into organic medicine," Jim Gehrz, 58, said.
"He was my pal. When he was a child, I would take him on my back to freelance photo assignments," Jim Gehrz said.
Alyssa and Jim Gehrz said they are haunted by the unexpected way that Mike took his life, and by not knowing what they could have done to help him.
"He would tell these stories about his experiences in Iraq. I thought that some time I would record them, but you never think that you won't have a second chance," Jim Gehrz said.
Mike Gehrz had been in a therapy group, led by a Vietnam vet who also committed suicide. It's unknown whether that played a role in Mike's death.
"I have talked to other veterans, and they don't seem to see a way out," Alyssa Gehrz said. "I want us to find a way to help these people. I want people to know that when veterans are discharged, the war comes home with them, too."
With Alyssa at his side, Jim Gehrz took part in the first day of Veterans Legacy Summit at Ringling College of Art and Design.
During the session, artists and photographers talked about their contribution to Patriot Plaza and the challenges of producing their work, whether photos taken in a combat zone or sculptures or other art work commissioned for the $12 million amphitheater.
Saturday highlights:
"Zoned In" workshops on veterans issues and services 8 a.m.-noon Saturday at Florida Studio Theatre, 1241 N. Palm Ave. Col. Steve Parker, executive director of the White House's Joining Forces initiative, will give the keynote speech to start the program.
12:30-4:30 p.m. Legacy Zone. National veterans-serving organization showcase their programs at Patriot Plaza. Registration not required.
2 - 3:30 p.m. "Celebrate Service &Sacrifice" at Patriot Plaza, presenting the story behind the plaza. Tickets required.
The public is invited to many of the events. Admission is free, but prior registration is required at onlineregistrationcenter.com/veteranslegacysummit. For more information about the summit, visit thepattersonfoundation.org.
James A. Jones Jr., Herald reporter, can be contacted at 941-745-7053 or on Twitter @jajones1.
This story was originally published November 15, 2014 at 12:00 AM with the headline "A father remembers his veteran son at Veterans Legacy Summit in Sarasota ."