Soon-to-be-freed Chelsea Manning has delivered an emotional thank you to fellow prisoners who she says helped her survive behind bars after her conviction on espionage charges.
The transgendered Army soldier — who was born Bradley Manning but now considers himself a woman — wrote in London's Guardian newspaper: "To those who have kept me alive for the past six years … I never would have made it without you."
Manning will be released on May 7 after her 35-year prison sentence for espionage, theft and computer fraud was commuted by President Barack Obama last month.
"Recently, one of you asked me 'Will you remember me?' I will remember you. How could I possibly forget? You taught me lessons I would have never learned otherwise," Manning writes.
"When I was afraid, you taught me how to keep going. When I was lost, you showed me the way. When I was numb, you taught me how to feel …
"We were friends in a way few will ever understand. There was no room to be superficial. Instead, we bared it all. We could hide from our families and from the world outside, but we could never hide from each other."
Manning attempted suicide twice in 2016, according to his lawyers. Last month, White House officials said Obama was inclined to grant clemency because Manning had expressed remorse for her crimes and had served several years of her sentence.
While the Army provided transgender treatments to Manning and determined she qualifies for sex-change surgery, she will soon lose her military health benefits after a dishonorable discharge.
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