As we all continue to process the tremendous loss of our beloved husband, father, and friend Neal, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for the tremendous outpouring of support and kindness you have shown toward our family during this incredibly difficult time. Your love and words of encouragement have provided the strength our family needs to grieve, comfort our family, and navigate though our first few days without the cornerstone of our lives physically present. Although his memory will always be with us, the physical loss is one that all of us will only learn to live with in time with the knowledge that he has gone to a better place and with the knowledge that we have all grown to be better people for knowing such an incredible man.

The Neal that all of you grew to know, either through personal interactions, or though his media presence was the real Neal. He adored his six children as they were pieces of him, truly loved the life we built as a husband and wife, cherished his whole family, and gave to his friends as if they were devoted family members he had been with his whole life. He poured his heart and soul into his business which reflected what he loved and held dear and devoted his life to the pursuit of excellence in everything he did. Whether it was becoming an Army Ranger, learning to be the most knowledgeable river guide possible, creating and running incredibly successful businesses, or spending quality time with his family and friends, Neal did it all with passion and to the fullest extent possible. He never shied away from a challenge and became the person that we all loved, admired, and lived a life many of us could look to as an example of what a man, husband and father should be.

Although Neal lived what many considered to be the “perfect life”, it is also important that people know that there was another side of him that reminds all of us that life is never as perfect as it seems and that the struggles we face in life, especially those of soldiers who have seen the horrors and trauma of combat, are real no matter who we are and what our lives seem like on the exterior. Neal struggled, like many of you with the unseen wounds that follow soldiers home from war and continue to live within the recesses of their psyche for the rest of their lives, long after the battles are over and the accolades of their service go silent. Although Neal was able to compartmentalize this part of his life most of the time, the struggle would periodically surface and become an internal war which, not unlike combat, sees days of triumph and days of loss. Despite his incredible ability to fight and persevere, Neal unfortunately and ultimately lost this war and took his own life on September 10th and tragically became one of many in a long line of statistics that has come to be a long-term and painful reminder of the costs of our twenty-plus years of war.

As painful and shocking this news is to all of you with many questions of “why?” and “how could this be true?”, I feel like this information is not only important to all of you to dispel any rumors or erroneous news stories many of you may have already seen, but primarily to show that despite the fact that many soldiers live among us as our family members, loved ones, and closest friends, the pain and scars they carry with them are real and many continue to struggle no matter what kind of life they may live or how successful they are. The ones fighting their own personal battles aren’t only those isolated or show the signs of struggle in their outward, daily lives. They are our husbands, fathers, children, and friends who largely hide those pieces of themselves from the public and primarily in times of stress or periodically and the painful reminders of their service surface, only we can see. In the midst of our collective grief, and if there is any positive that can be derived from this tragic event, it is my profound hope that we can all become more vigilant in seeing the signs that someone needs help and offer it to those that we see living through these struggles. If you are personally struggling, ask for help and see that there is a better alternative to choosing a path that destroys the lives of loved ones and friends and leaves a hole that can never be filled, no matter how much time passes. A path where we refocus our efforts to support our returning soldiers and end the cycle of veteran suicide in any way that we can.

Thank you all again for your support and in honoring the memory of Neal. Our family is deeply moved by your kind words, love, and encouragement during this incredibly difficult time and greatly appreciates your understanding as we navigate this process as we privately grieve such a tremendous loss.

Love,

Casey Currey and Family