FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. -- This is a prime example of Airmen taking care of another Airman who was not only a complete stranger, but one in desperate need of help.
On April 24, 2018 Air Force Office of Special Investigations rookie Special Agent Charles Woomer of Detachment 322 here discovered a posting on the Reddit.com social media message forum, where someone was asking about how their Serviceman’s Group Life Insurance would pay out should "something" happen to them before they separated from the military in about a week.
The person wanted to make sure his family would be set up comfortably. The post had a concerning tone that SA Woomer was keen to pick up on as did others.
However, SA Woomer acted by bringing this information to detachment leadership. With SA Justin Collins' guidance, SA Woomer coordinated with both the Reddit and Google law enforcement services to positively identify the Airman who made the original post.
SA Woomer tracked down the Airman and immediately coordinated with the Airman's unit leadership at Ft. Gordon, Ga. The Airman's superintendent contacted the Airman, who was scheduled to separate from the Air Force April 28, 2018, and confronted him about the post. The superintendent said the Airman confirmed he was the one who made the post and was in fact intending on hurting himself before the end of the week.
The Airman was taken to Dwight D. Eisenhower Medical Facility, Ft. Gordon, Ga., to receive the appropriate treatment.
Tracking the Airman down proved to be more difficult than just dialing a phone number. April 25, 2018, was a non-duty day for the Airman's unit. SAs Woomer and Collins made approximately 25 phone calls before finally getting in contact with the superintendent who immediately notified his First Sergeant and went to the Airman's residence.
The Airman was previously diagnosed with depression and prescribed medication for it. He also made suicidal ideations in the past. He recently ran out of his medication which apparently caused him to revisit the idea of ending his life.
The Airman's spouse and command expressed their gratitude to SAs Woomer and Collins for intervening.
It's safe to say that SA Woomer's and SA Collins’ efforts were directly responsible for saving this Airman's life. The Airman would have left behind a spouse and two children, ages 9 and 4.