CBS Eye on Veterans is focused on the men and women who served the nation and their families. For suicide awareness and prevention week, host Phil Briggs spoke with several veterans about suicide, how they overcame it, and how they are helping other veterans today who are going through the same thoughts and feelings they did. Listen to the incredible stories below.

Air Force combat veteran David Sharpe lost several friends from his unit to suicide. After the pain seemed too much, he sat down by his bed, pulled out a gun, and started to do the unthinkable. “I remember the metallic taste of the gun,” he said. But seconds before he pulled the trigger, his dog Cheyenne stormed into the room and prevented yet another heart-breaking chapter in veteran history.

After leaving the Army, Sgt. Major Darlene Taylor was afraid her life would never have meaning again. But after attending the Onward to Opportunity program, she found herself coaching others and using her unique ability “to care” to inspire veterans to live happier lives.

Marine Corps veteran Kirstie Ennis, a former door gunner, lost her leg in a helicopter crash. The story she shared about overcoming fear and eventually becoming a world-renowned mountain climber (who has reached the heights of Mt. Everest) began with a story about suicide.