Delay, deny, did older veterans already die?

Did old veterans vanish?

Combat PTSD Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
March 12, 2019

The headline is "Snoop Dogg Is Helping To Lower Suicide Rates Among Veterans" but when you read it, you see something that will make you want to just smack your head down on the desk...less painful than reading this.

"The Press-Enterprise reports co-founders John Wertz and Nate Parienti are motivated by the high rate of suicides amongst Iraq War veterans."

OMG! Not enough they are still stuck on the 22 a day, but now they just bumped all the other veterans out of the conversation? Looks like all the other generations are not even worth honorable mentioning.

Well, this is from the report with the "22" that apparently no one read before they decided to become the knight on a white horse to raise awareness on something THEY KNOW NOTHING ABOUT!!!

How the hell do any of them expect to change anything when they do not even understand what the "anything" actually is? 

VA Struggles To Unlock The Reasons Behind High Suicide Rates Among Older Veterans 

NPRHeard on All Things ConsideredMarch 11, 2019

The VA National Suicide Data Report for 2005 to 2016, which came out in September 2018, highlights an alarming rise in suicides among veterans age 18 to 34 — 45 per 100,000 veterans. Younger veterans have the highest rate of suicide among veterans, but those 55 and older still represent the largest number of suicides.

Much of the focus by the Veterans Health Administration has been on the growing number of younger veterans who commit suicide. However, statistics show that the suicide rate for elderly veterans is higher than that of non-veterans of the same age.

Robert Neilson was drafted in 1961. He spent two years in the Army just before the Vietnam War. Three years ago, the 76-year-old came into the VA Hospital in San Diego after contemplating suicide.

"That's what really brought me into the emergency room. That wasn't really the first time," Neilson said. "Two months after I got out of the service, I attempted suicide."

After he got out of the Army, Neilson remembers going back home to New Jersey. He was standing on a subway platform watching a speeding train."

"And I figured if I just hold my hands in the air, I could just let [the train] suck me in," Neilson said. "Somebody shouted, 'What are you doing?' And that was enough to snap me out of the trance. But I still didn't seek any help. I just figured, OK, I'll just struggle through life."read more here 

Hey NPR...how about you read this site and then you'll know why! While most people get the "number" wrong, they also get the demographics wrong. 


So, here are some thoughts on that.

According to the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs Report of 2018, the veterans population breaks down like this.

Fiscal Year 2017 (Federal Year: 10/1/2016-9/30/2017) demographic information from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Veteran Population Projection Model 2016 (VetPop2016). Florida has the third largest veteran population in the nation. 

There are 1,525,400 veterans in the State of Florida.

Less than 354,000 currently receive VA service-connected compensation and pension benefits (not to be confused with military retirement benefits)

Post-9/11 Veterans

There are 177,494 post-9/11 veterans in Florida. Our returning veterans, much like the Greatest Generation of World War II, are seeking employment, housing and education opportunities for themselves, their spouses and families. Research suggests that 10% to 18% of these service members are likely to have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after they return.

Gulf War (1990 to 9/11)

There are 188,024 Gulf War era veterans in Florida, from Gulf War 1990 to 9/11. Urban warfare has changed not only the face of war, but also what our veterans face after the war. With advances in technology and medicine, more service members are surviving injuries incurred in war that would have killed them in previous eras.

Peacetime

There are 352,600 Peacetime veterans in Florida, who served on active duty from 1976 to 1980. Almost a quarter of Florida’s veteran population served honorably during a unique and relatively conflict-free time in our history. Many of these veterans do not seek benefits, mistakenly believing that if they did not serve in combat, then they must not qualify for veteran benefits and programs.

Vietnam War

There are 519,843 Vietnam era veterans in Florida, who served during 1961 to 1975. FDVA has seen an increase in disability claims filed on behalf of Vietnam veterans due to triggered responses to the current wars and the manifestation of acute diseases brought on by exposure to Agent Orange.

Korean War

There are 139,129 Korean War era veterans in Florida, who served during 1950 to 1955. As these veterans have aged, benefits and services that address a variety of issues unique to their demographic, including changing health risks and long-neglected mental health needs, financial challenges and long-term care needs are being implemented.

World War II

There are 61,646 World War II veterans in Florida. World War II veterans were among the nation’s first to participate in modern warfare. Their service also coincided with major advances in modern medicine, resulting in a then extraordinary survival rate.

In one of the latest reports from the VA, Florida and Texas topped the country for the most known suicides reported.

When they "awareness" folks decided that all they needed to do to gain fame, fortune and a huge following, was yack about veterans killing themselves, and wow, you know, THEY GOT IT! They got it because the American people want to help but have no clue how to do it. These people took over social media, so that is what the public was made aware of and they wrote checks, clicked the donation buttons and shared the crap out of it with everyone they knew...and so on...on so on.

Veterans need to know what PTSD is, why they have it, how they can heal most of it, and learn to live a better quality of life...but hey, why complicate a slogan with pesky facts?

In the process, they made it seem as if all the older veterans you read about had already vanished! 

In other words, the MAJORITY OF OUR VETERANS ARE SENIORS and waited for help a hell of lot longer!