06/16/2026
DEAR FRIENDS,
Would you take a moment to share this on your page? It helps the message reach people we could never reach on my own. Thank You, Brent and Paula.
SUBJECT: “Honoring Those
Who Serve: PTSD, Trauma & the Story of Major Chris AuCoin”
We are reaching out to share a project that is deeply personal to our family and urgently relevant to the veteran, law‑enforcement, mental‑health, and faith communities. We have recently completed a book titled, I’m Okay, If You’re Okay, which tells the true story of our son, Major Christopher AuCoin—a Combat Veteran Marine, a 22‑year veteran of the New Hampshire State Police, longtime Commander of the NHSP SWAT Team, and a man widely respected for his strength leadership, and service. Chris retired from the NHSP, at the rank of Major in 2012.
Chris also endured a decade‑long battle with complex PTSD, trauma, physical pain, and alcoholism—an invisible war that ultimately took his life in December 2022. His story is not
only about loss, but also the hidden cost of service, the complexity of mental‑health struggles, and the urgent need for better
understanding, support, and intervention for those who protect us. It also challenges the long‑standing stigma surrounding veteran and first‑responder su***de, reframing it not as a selfish act or moral failure, but as the tragic end of an overwhelming, untreated injury. We hope to shift the conversation toward understanding,
compassion, and love—so that no family, agency, or community misinterprets the depth of suffering behind these losses, and more
lives can be reached before the breaking point.
This book can become a resource, conversation starter, and catalyst for change. It is written with honesty, compassion, and the desire to help families, agencies, churches, and organizations recognize the signs of struggle earlier, respond more effectively, and support those who serve with greater wisdom and care. All proceeds from
this book will be used to directly support veterans and first responders, ensuring that the help Chris needed becomes more accessible to others who are still fighting their battles.
Below, you will find a brief overview of the book, including its themes, purpose, and platform. We would be honored if you would consider carrying the book, hosting a discussion or event, or inviting us to speak to your organization or community.
This July 12th we, will be at Tucson Village, in Salem, New Hampshire. If you’re in the area, stop by our booth. Books will be on sale. **Also, PRE-BUYS will be available within the coming days! Stay Tuned!
Thank you for your time, consideration, and commitment to the people who serve our nation and our
neighborhoods.
With gratitude,
Brent & Paula AuCoin (on behalf of the AuCoin family)
Please read on …
Overview-I'm Okay, If You're Okay
Chris AuCoin didn’t want to die and yet he no longer knew
how to live. The epitome of strength, bravery, and professional proficiency, Chris was a Marine who later rose through the ranks of the New Hampshire State Police and NHSP SWAT Team, securing steady promotions, accolades, and a reputation for excellence, competency, and dependability. A beloved son, brother, husband, and father of three girls, Chris was everything to his family, and an icon in the New Hampshire law enforcement community. Known as
“the rock,” nothing rattled Chris—not the life-or-death nature of his job, his military past, or the cancer and heart surgeries he endured. Chris was the toughest man anyone knew, until he wasn’t.
Like a tightly wound ball of yarn unraveling inch by inch, Chris’s decline wasn’t immediate nor stoppable. Instead, the complex PTSD and alcoholism brewing inside of him started as a low boil, then a rising of temperature or an out of context encounter that raised dire concerns among family members, friends, and colleagues. Something about Chris was off. Over the course of a decade, Chris rode one emotional wave after the next, at times violent and unpredictable, destructive and dangerous—and then, remorseful, and committed to a course of correction that would include inpatient treatment, dozens of prescribed psychiatric drugs,
intense therapy, family interventions, and an always temporary restoration of peace. Surrounded by the support of other military veterans, specialists in addiction, depression, complex PTSD, and extensive multidisciplinary psychotherapy intervention, Chris made a valiant effort to rediscover who he’d once been. There were flashes of him, brilliant breakthroughs, and unwavering hope, but the pain festered and twisted his logic and actions. Eventually, it
became too powerful—and despite every effort to salvage his
wounded soul, Chris entered the woods near his home in New Hampshire one night in December of 2022, and while his family searched for him, prayed for his safety and awaited his return, he burrowed into the frozen frost of the underbrush, and took his own
life.
About the Book:
This book is, by virtue of extensive interviews with key participants, the recounting of an extraordinarily courageous life, and the cataclysmic impact of addiction, stress, trauma, war, physical pain,
anxiety, depression, self-sabotage, and psychological despair. Filled with personal accounts of those closest to Chris, it sheds light on the magnitude of PTSD in our culture, our law enforcement
communities and military veterans: How a person can be a physical
specimen of strength and grit, have a profound impact on others, live an exceedingly high-value life, and still succumb to the invisible disfigurements of a moment, event, experience, loss, or ordeal. Laid
out as bare, broken and dismantled as they became, the AuCoin family wants this book to be a resource and blueprint of what worked, what failed, what must be
done, and what’s at stake if nothing changes.
Marketing and Platform:
The author of nine published novels, including two award-winning and best-selling narrative nonfiction books, TV news anchor Jennifer Vaughn is well-positioned to promote this across
established media circles that include New England based radio and TV stations, podcasts, publications, and veterans’ organizations. Brent and Paula AuCoin, Chris's parents, are also available for speaking engagements. The veteran-service and support-based organization, Swim With A Mission, (SWAM) will
commit to purchasing this book in bulk to distribute across its nationwide platform, as we encourage other corporate sponsorship to purchase this book and lead discussions on its impact. This is an entirely charitable endeavor, with proceeds from I’m Okay If You’re Okay directed to SWAM.
Professional Experience and Credentials:
Jennifer Vaughn has over two decades of TV experience as a news anchor, reporter, investigative analyst, political commentator on the state and national level, presidential debate moderator, and storyteller. She has received multiple Emmy nominations and is the
recipient of several awards that recognize exceptional coverage of breaking news, politics, special events, and team weather coverage. She is the author of both narrative nonfiction, and fiction, and has earned Amazon Hot New Release bestselling status, and several Readers' Favorite honors for Excellence in Writing.
Once again, would you take a moment to share this on your page? It helps the message reach people we could never reach on my own. Thank You, Brent and Paula.
