Prevent Veteran Suicides

There is a war after war that is far more deadly but the country hasn't seemed interested in it. Not as fascinating as "shock and awe" was or a war computer game devouring hours of focused play time. Not as obviously patriotic as standing by the road with flags waving. Still thousands of families fight this war everyday even while they lose more of their family members than were lost in combat each year. These are family members suffering from what happens when they come home from war.

I've been talking to John Henry for months now about his efforts to present the case for families left behind. He is dedicated. He is also a lot nicer than I am. My issue is that the DOD keeps pushing what has already failed hoping for a different result. John has more faith in them than I do. I signed the petition. Will you?
You can sign the petition here
Prevent Veteran Suicide by Addressing the Hidden Wounds of War Before Service Members Leave The Military

Veteran Suicides Each Year Eclipses Total OEF/OIF U.S. Military Killed in Action Since 9/11
Huffington Post
John Henry Parker
Co-Founder, Purple Star Veterans and Families (PSVF)
Posted: 12/21/2012


Wake Up, America.

We are crossing a serious milestone in our nation's history -- and nobody knows it.

The latest U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) report from the DEFENSE CASUALTY ANALYSIS SYSTEM puts the number of U.S. military killed in action (KIA) while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan at 6,567 as of December 14, 2012.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of Americans are not correlating the lives lost in The War On Terror with the catastrophic loss of life occurring when warriors come home. In the United States, every 80 minutes a U.S. Military Veteran dies from suicide. That's 18 per day, 6,570 per year.

Skeptical of this statistic? Here's a Policy Brief titled: Losing the Battle, The Challenge of Military Suicide from the Center for a New American Security.

If this trend continues there will be more Post 9/11 Veteran Suicides on the near horizon than are names on the Vietnam Wall (58,261), do the math.

Herein lies a big "Catch 22" that is a part of the homecoming dilemma Veterans and their families are faced with.

Problem: The Preparedness and Decompression Dilemma

When service members leave the military and become veterans they are no longer employees under the care of the Department of Defense. Upon separation from military service, all health care and mental health services transfer from the DOD to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). DOD out-processing ends and the VA in-processing begins.

Unfortunately, by the time Veterans who need help the most arrive home, for many, an opportunity to most effectively help them has already passed. And no one is speaking up about it with a strong enough call to action... Until now.

Because Veterans are trained to be self-reliant and to "complete the mission" at all cost, it is unacceptable for many who are "at risk" to ask for help or to receive assistance when offered. Historically, this has been a major barrier to receiving care and continues to be the case with present day Veterans.

Despite the best efforts of the military, the Veterans Administration and other providers, it is not enough (by themselves) to prevent thousands of veterans and their families from falling through the cracks of our society. To illustrate this point, you need only to pick up any newspaper, watch any news channel, or use any search engine to find an alarming volume of tragic statistics indicating our returning veterans and their families are in trouble.

Common sense is telling us that veterans who are reluctant to seek help can fall into a higher "at risk" group, especially if they suffer from Post Traumatic Stress (PTS) from their wartime experiences. To compound the problem, self-medicating their symptoms with alcohol and drugs can lead to addictions, domestic violence, divorce, homelessness, incarceration and suicide.
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