LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – The phrase ‘I’ve got your back’ is a strong one for those in the veteran community.
Take it from Brian Jimenez, an Army veteran who expanded his suicide awareness event this year at ‘Hold Fast Tattoo Parlour’.
“For me personally, it comes down to going to a store and having somebody see that tattoo on you and they know that guy has my back,” Jimenez said. “I’ve had it happen to me where I was at a convenient store. Somebody sees the tattoo and says ‘hey, can I talk to you?”
Some taking part in this event haven’t served, but wanted to support everything it had to offer. Kristain Jenkins is a local artist who created paintings for the occasion.
She also received a tattoo on Thursday, and says her two uncles were some of her greatest heroes growing up after they served in the Air Force and the Marine Corps.
“You start to learn some of the demons we fought through, things that we see and go through that we can’t unsee,” Jenkins said, “and so having to miss those people and knowing ultimately that the blessings we have aren’t always free. Americans, we think we’re a free country, but people pay dearly for the luxuries and the freedoms that we have.”
And for those who have served, the tattoo holds even more significance.
Tommy White serves the Texas South Plains Honor Flight and served in Vietnam as a tank mechanic. His life changed weeks before his 19th birthday.
“We got ambushed and I was firing an M-16 machine gun and all of a sudden, I got hit,” White said. “It was the loudest slap you’ve ever heard.”
White made the decision to stop by and get ‘IGY6’ permanently on his skin in honor of his son, who died by suicide two years ago at the age of 25.
“I’m blessed to have my son for as long as I had him, but I do miss him,” White said. “This is one way to celebrate his life. We had his back, even though he didn’t understand at one point and time, and he left us.”
A true showcase of why Lubbock, and its people, have the backs of those who’ve served our country.
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