Veteran in Putnam County writing to help other military members

A local veteran is taking to the page to help other military members.

Spencer Wainright could talk about his time in the U.S. Navy for hours.

"We blew up a town that they told us to take out and it came back that they were friendlies," he described.

The stories and experiences have consequences.

Wainright said he turned to alcohol for relief from PTSD.

He explained, "I didn't sleep at night, I had terrifying dreams."

Then he started writing about his volunteer work with Putnam Fire Rescue.

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Now, he has turned those stories into a novel entitled "GOTCHA!!!"

The book is aimed at helping other military members.

"I'm reaching out with this book because I'm saying to them ‘I can do it, I did it'," he told Action News Jax.

The book isn't the only way Wainright is attempting to help.

He has made and distributed hundreds of whistles to fellow veterans so they can alert if they're in danger and contact someone when experiencing an emotional crisis.

"If that helps in any way, I've made my day. I've done what I'm supposed to do," he said.

More than 6,000 veterans committed suicide each year from 2008-2016, according to data from the Department of Veteran Affairs.

"I've got to save one of them, anyway. It's too much of a tragedy. I know where they are and I want to pull them back out. I just can't let that happen," he said.

It's not just an important part of his own story, Wainright believes it's his mission.

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