On January 6th, 1995 at 7:30 p.m., While Stationed At Camp Legune, N.C. In The United States Marine Corps, My Wonderful, and One and Only Son, Gregory James Albrecht Took His Own Life at the age of 20 years. He Suffered From A Self Inflicted Gunshot Wound To The Head, From His Government Issue M-16 Rifle. He was discovered by his Fellow Marines. Greg died alone, in an isolated guard station. A copy of the 23rd Psalm was with him. Even Now, My Heart Breaks Just To Think Of It! I Can't Even Begin To Imagine The Emotional Pain He Must Have Been Going Through.

In November of 1994, Greg's Paternal Grandmother & Best Friend, Dorothy Mae Smith, passed away following a long illness. Greg kept it hidden from almost everyone, except one close friend, how he suffered her passing away and how painful it was for him. He loved her very deeply, and she adored him. She helped raise Greg and they were very close. Greg's father & I believe that this was the one thing that triggered his suicide. Although, there were other factors involved. He apparently just couldn't deal with the pain of losing his Best Friend and Beloved Grandmother!

Please Note~
Many People Commit Suicide "Following the Death of A Loved One"!

Greg's Suicide also occurred directly following the holidays. More People Commit Suicide "During The Holidays" Than Any Other Time of The Year!

Depression is the Direct Cause of 60% of All Suicides! Depression is a "Treatable Illness"! It can be caused by Something as Simple as a Chemical Imbalance in Your Body, which can Easily Be Corrected! If You Are Experiencing Depression, Contact Your Family Doctor Right Away! This Condition is Nothing to be Ashamed Of!

Greg was a Vibrant Young Man, Full of Life & Mischief! I'll Always Remember His Happy Smile and Shining Blue Eyes, and The Way He Lit Up a Room With His Humor and His Presence. He Never Told Anyone What He Had Planned, and Never Said Exactly Why. We have had to piece together what we Thought Caused it. To This Day We Still Don't Know For Sure. All We Know Is That Our Lives Are Forever Changed In A Way That Is More Devastating Than Anything Else We Could Have Ever Imagined!

This Site Is Dedicated In Greg's Memory To Provide Information and Help For Anyone Who Needs It~So That Hopefully We Can Spare Another Parent & Another Family From The Heartache That We've Had To Endure. Please Feel Free To Use The Links Here For Teens & Parents. And Please If You Ever Have Suicidal Feelings, Talk to Someone About Them! Remember, There is Nothing, Nothing, That Gets Broken That Cannot Be Fixed! There is No Problem that Cannot Be Solved!

If Someone You Know Threatens Suicide, Take Them Seriously! You Cannot Afford To Think That They Are Kidding! It May Cost You The Life of a Loved One! You Will Pay That Debt For The Rest of Your Life!

Tell The People In Your Life How Much They Mean To You, and Exactly How Much You Love Them! Don't Assume That They Know~It Could Cost You The One Thing That You Hold Most Dear~

THE LIFE OF YOUR CHILD!

A teacher in New York decided to honor each of her seniors in high school by telling them the difference they each made. Using a process developed by Helice Bridges of Del Mar, California, she called each student to the front of the class, one at a time. First she told them how the student made a difference to her and the class. Then she presented each of them with a blue ribbon imprinted with gold letters which read, "Who I Am Makes a Difference".

Afterwards the teacher decided to do a class project to see what kind of impact recognition would have on a community. She gave each of the students three more ribbons and instructed them to go out and spread this acknowledgment ceremony. Then they were to follow up on the results, see who honored whom, and report back to the class in about a week.

One of the boys in the class went to a junior executive in a nearby company and honored him for helping him with his career planning. He gave him a blue ribbon and put it on his shirt. Then he gave him two extra ribbons, and said, "We're doing a class project on recognition, and we'd like you to go out, find somebody to honor, give them a blue ribbon, then give them the extra blue ribbon so they can acknowledge a third person to keep this acknowledgment ceremony going. Then, please, report back to me and tell me what happened."

Later that day the junior executive went in to see his boss, who had been noted, by the way, as being kind of a grouchy fellow. He sat his boss down and he told him that he deeply admired him for being a creative genius. The boss seemed very surprised. The junior executive asked him if he would accept the gift of the blue ribbon and would he give him permission to put it on him. His surprised boss said, "Well, sure." The junior executive took the blue ribbon and placed it right on his boss's jacket above his heart. As he gave him the last extra ribbon, he said, "Would you do me a favor? Would you take this extra ribbon and pass it on by honoring somebody else? The young boy who first gave me the ribbons is doing a project in school and we want to keep this recognition ceremony going and find out how it affects people."

That night the boss came home to his 14-year-old son and sat him down. He said, "The most incredible thing happened to me today. I was in my office and one of the junior executives came in and told me he admired me and gave me a blue ribbon for being a creative genius. Imagine. He thinks I'm a creative genius. Then he put this blue ribbon that says 'Who I Am Makes A Difference' on my jacket above my heart. He gave me an extra ribbon and asked me to find somebody else to honor. As I was driving home tonight, I started thinking about whom I would honor with this ribbon and I thought about you. I want to honor you. "My days are really hectic and when I come home I don't pay a lot of attention to you. Sometimes I scream at you for not getting good enough grades in school and for your bedroom being a mess, but somehow tonight, I just wanted to sit here and, well, just let you know that you do make a difference to me. Besides your mother, you are the most important person in my life. You're a great kid and I love you!"

The startled boy started to sob and sob, and he couldn't stop crying. His whole body shook. He looked up at his father and said through his tears, "I was planning on committing suicide tomorrow, Dad, because I didn't think you loved me. Now I don't need to."

~Helice Bridges