HBO Documentary Sheds Light On The Hidden Cost Of War

Heartbreaking HBO Documentary Sheds Light On The Hidden Cost Of War
Business Insider Australia
PAUL SZOLDRA
IN AN HOUR

Since 2001, more veterans have committed suicide than have died in combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

That’s just one of many heartbreaking statistics found in “Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1,” a new HBO documentary which profiles the people working behind the scenes to help veterans and active-duty military members in their darkest hours.

The New York-based Crisis Hotline call center receives more than 22,000 calls each month, and the short film highlights some of the responders taking the calls.

Calls can be minutes or hours and can sometimes lead to dire circumstances — with supervisors calling local police to visit veterans on the line that have guns right by their side. The responders use phrases like “No one can replace you,” “Your children need you,” and “Your family loves you” — sometimes being the last person that a veteran may talk to before taking their own life.
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