Veteran miraculously survived shooting himself in the face, recalls his ‘instant regret’

A young Arizona veteran miraculously survived shooting himself in the face — sharing how he felt “instant regret” over the “split-second decision.”

Joshua Duncan, 26, said he fell into a depression after getting booted from two years in the US Army over a series of infractions, including tardiness and not wearing his uniform, but never thought about killing himself.

Then, in a “split-second decision” in November 2022, he grabbed a gun from under his bed in Phoenix and shot himself in the face.

“I turned it around and I pulled the trigger. Instantly, it was a moment of shock,” he told Kennedy News, describing it as “instant regret” at something he hadn’t planned.

“One side of my brain was speaking to the other, like ‘Did we really just do that?’” he said.

“Like, ‘Yeah, you really just shot yourself in the f—ing face with a f—ing shotgun.’”

Amazingly, Duncan managed to crawl across the carpet and get to the next room to alert his 32-year-old brother, Anthony — who grabbed his own AR-15-style rifle, assuming his brother had been attacked by an intruder.

“I’m yelling for him, the best I can with half my jaw gone,” Duncan said of crawling on his hands and knees and begging his brother to help.

“I have a big hole in my face. Because the injury was around my mouth and my throat, I started to suffocate. I was breathing in puddles of blood. I started drowning” in blood, he said, adding it felt like someone “pouring a hot bucket of water” down his body.

“My brother is the toughest guy you’ve ever met. For the first time in his life, he had concern on his face.”

Amazingly, Duncan survived. However, it damaged his tear ducts, nasal cavities, oral socket, upper and lower maxilla and facial nerves.

He also became deaf in one ear and says his memory has been affected, leaving him struggling with basic math and spelling.

He is sharing his story online in the hope that he will encourage others — especially struggling veterans — to seek help.

Duncan, who was in a military occupational specialty in communications, said getting kicked out of the service was “one of the most devastating things” to have happened to him.

He was so ashamed, he tossed all of his uniforms in a dumpster and for years refused to tell anyone — including his family — what had happened.

“I wish I could say that this attempt snapped me into a better mindset, but it took a lot of work for a long time,” he said.

“It took a good year of having to strongly reflect and come to terms with how my life has turned out.”

Fourteen months after the incident, Duncan is urging others to pay attention to those who might be vulnerable to similar rash decisions they will regret — if they survive.

“Check on your friends. Ask for help if you need it, that’s the hardest part. Have those difficult conversations, even if they are difficult.”

If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.