This year, more than 6,000 veterans of the U.S. military will take their own lives.
While many of the conditions that precipitate veteran suicide are the same as for nonveterans, untreated depression, life-changing events and feelings of hopelessness and loneliness are made worse by long deployments, exposure to conflict, long periods of isolation and PTSD.
“When we lose a veteran, we actually lose a significant contributor to schools, businesses and just the community in general,” said Derek Collins, community engagement director for the Concerned Veterans for America Foundation (CVAF).
Collins was one of several people who gathered Oct. 15 at Luna Café in St. Augustine to address the issue. The mental health awareness program was organized by CVAF in cooperation with its sister organization, the Americans for Prosperity Foundation, and The Fire Watch, a five-county program designed to get at-risk veterans the help they need.
Rick Disney, a retired police officer and veterans’ advocate who gave a slide presentation on the issue, shed some light on one of the reasons veterans pose a special challenge for those trying to render aid.
“A lot of veterans are tough,” Disney said. “They don’t want to talk about this stuff. They think it’s weak, so that’s like a piece of their body armor.”
The scope of the problem is significant. The total number of active-duty personnel killed in both Afghanistan and Iraq since 2001 is nearly 7,000. Each year, suicide claims nearly as many veterans.
Nick Howland, executive director for The Fire Watch, said his group is taking its message to as many gatherings as possible.
“We’re getting pretty good community reception,” Howland said. “What I need everyone to do, though, is go to thefirewatch.org and learn to be a Watch Stander. Register through the portal.”
The Watch Stander program is an early-intervention initiative that trains the community to recognize signs that a veteran is in crisis and get those veterans the resources they need. Organizers are hoping to sign up at least 10,000 people.
Howland compared it to the American Heart Association’s CPR program, which has made it possible for bystanders to take early action and help save lives.
Recently, Howland had an opportunity to speak with Second Lady Karen Pence about The Fire Watch and its work. He said she liked how it was putting into action what the Trump administration’s REACH campaign was trying to engage communities to do – empower veterans and all Americans to help prevent suicide.
Also in attendance was Amanda Conley, program manager for Northeast Florida Women Veterans. The organization serves as a voice for women veterans, helping them to excel via a number of strategies. Among the issues of concern for both male and female veterans is the suicide rate.
“Suicide touches everybody,” said Conley. “Rank, socio-economic status, gender – it doesn’t matter. Suicide touches everybody.”
To sign up or learn more about the Watch Stander program, go to thefirewatch.org. To learn about the Northeast Florida Women Veterans, go to forwomenvets.org. Information about the Concerned Veterans for America Foundation can be found at cvafoundation.org.
To get help for veterans thinking about suicide, call the Veterans Crisis Line at 1-800-273-8255 and press 1, text to 838255 or chat online at VeteransCrisisLine.net/Chat.
