Growing number of suicides among military members hits home
TMJ NBC News
By Bridget Shanahan
CREATED Nov 7, 2014
MILWAUKEE -- This afternoon, for the first time, TODAY'S TMJ4 is learning the details behind a local soldier's death.
19-year-old Lance Corporal Jeremiah Collins killed himself while he was in Afghanistan. And just days before Veterans Day, this information highlights a growing problem with suicide among our military members.
"Unfortunately, [suicide] is a lot more common than a lot of people think," said Mark Flower, who works with veterans at Dryhooch, a non-profit organization.
Flower said every day 22 veterans take their own lives. That's a suicide every hour and a half.
"Sad. I don't know how else to say that it's just sad," he said. "Folks that more or less give that extreme act of service and then that come home, and then sometimes it seems like we failed them."
According to a military report obtained by TODAY'S TMJ4, Collins committed suicide by shooting himself while serving in Afghanistan last year.
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Showing posts with label Dryhootch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dryhootch. Show all posts
Sunday, November 9, 2014
Friday, June 13, 2014
Dryhootch expands to help veterans heal
Dryhootch opens a second location to help area veterans
WISN.com
By Terry Sater
Jun 12, 2014
WEST MILWAUKEE, Wis. —More area military veterans will be getting help transitioning to civilian life.
The expansion of the nonprofit Dryhootch in Milwaukee County came on a day when a local military veteran fatally shot himself.
"Right here is where we serve coffee to veterans who are looking for a cup of joe, just to sit back, relax and find the camaraderie, you know," Dryhootch veteran Dale Maupin said.
Maupin showed WISN 12 News around the newly expanded Dryhootch on National Avenue in West Milwaukee.
The Iraq war Marine veteran is an example of what can go right when people care enough to help. Maupin was addicted to drugs but is now sober.
"They grabbed me by the hand and said, 'Listen, you were willing to put your life on the line for this country so we're willing to put our names on the line for you,'" Maupin said.
A veteran shot himself outside the VA Medical Center in Milwaukee Thursday, right across the street from Dryhootch where they try to prevent that kind of desperation.
read more here
WISN.com
By Terry Sater
Jun 12, 2014
WEST MILWAUKEE, Wis. —More area military veterans will be getting help transitioning to civilian life.
The expansion of the nonprofit Dryhootch in Milwaukee County came on a day when a local military veteran fatally shot himself.
"Right here is where we serve coffee to veterans who are looking for a cup of joe, just to sit back, relax and find the camaraderie, you know," Dryhootch veteran Dale Maupin said.
Maupin showed WISN 12 News around the newly expanded Dryhootch on National Avenue in West Milwaukee.
The Iraq war Marine veteran is an example of what can go right when people care enough to help. Maupin was addicted to drugs but is now sober.
"They grabbed me by the hand and said, 'Listen, you were willing to put your life on the line for this country so we're willing to put our names on the line for you,'" Maupin said.
A veteran shot himself outside the VA Medical Center in Milwaukee Thursday, right across the street from Dryhootch where they try to prevent that kind of desperation.
read more here
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Veterans long walk for Dryhootch PTSD group
Veterans return from walk to Los Angeles
620 WTMJ News
By Jesse Ritka
CREATED FEB. 11, 2014
MILWAUKEE - It was a journey that began 5 months ago at the Milwaukee County War Memorial.
Veterans Anthony Anderson and Tom Voss set out on a walk that would take them more than 2,000 miles to Los Angeles to support and raise money for Dryhootch, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping veterans return to civilian life after war and with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
153 days, ten pairs of shoes, and seven states later, Voss and Anderson have returned home to Wisconsin. “We were just two bearded idiots with some laptops and maps and we made our way from Milwaukee to LA,” Anderson says.
Despite being often mistaken for brothers with impressive beards, Anthony and Tom didn’t even know each other until they met at Dryhootch after returning home. “Neither of us really had any time to decompress after our deployments so the beginning idea was to take the time to work on yourself, better yourself by walking,” Voss explained.
Walking provided the time to decompress emotionally but physically, pain became a problem. Especially in the first half of the trek Voss adds, “Iowa and into Nebraska we had some pretty bad blisters going on so there was some painful days in the beginning but we came around." Anderson admits he was mentally prepared in the beginning but the toll the walk was taking on his body was wearing on him, “You start to question whether or not your body's going to be able to deal with the rigors of it and people start to reach out to you and start saying you've gone 400 miles so far, this is amazing.”
Support came in all forms Voss details, “We had a farm dog walk with us for about 20 miles. This dog decided to walk with us, it led the way for 20 miles and we gave it water and food when we would take a break. Turns out the that owner of that dog has a daughter who's married to a veteran with PTSD so we thought it was kind of interesting that that happened.
read more here
620 WTMJ News
By Jesse Ritka
CREATED FEB. 11, 2014
MILWAUKEE - It was a journey that began 5 months ago at the Milwaukee County War Memorial.
Veterans Anthony Anderson and Tom Voss set out on a walk that would take them more than 2,000 miles to Los Angeles to support and raise money for Dryhootch, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping veterans return to civilian life after war and with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
153 days, ten pairs of shoes, and seven states later, Voss and Anderson have returned home to Wisconsin. “We were just two bearded idiots with some laptops and maps and we made our way from Milwaukee to LA,” Anderson says.
Despite being often mistaken for brothers with impressive beards, Anthony and Tom didn’t even know each other until they met at Dryhootch after returning home. “Neither of us really had any time to decompress after our deployments so the beginning idea was to take the time to work on yourself, better yourself by walking,” Voss explained.
Walking provided the time to decompress emotionally but physically, pain became a problem. Especially in the first half of the trek Voss adds, “Iowa and into Nebraska we had some pretty bad blisters going on so there was some painful days in the beginning but we came around." Anderson admits he was mentally prepared in the beginning but the toll the walk was taking on his body was wearing on him, “You start to question whether or not your body's going to be able to deal with the rigors of it and people start to reach out to you and start saying you've gone 400 miles so far, this is amazing.”
Support came in all forms Voss details, “We had a farm dog walk with us for about 20 miles. This dog decided to walk with us, it led the way for 20 miles and we gave it water and food when we would take a break. Turns out the that owner of that dog has a daughter who's married to a veteran with PTSD so we thought it was kind of interesting that that happened.
read more here
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Iraq War veterans walking to raise $100,000
Iraq War veterans walking to raise $100,000
The Independent
By Harold Reutter
Posted on October 23, 2013
Knowing how to access veteran services ... PTSD .... suicide ... substance abuse.
Those are some of the issues faced by Iraq War veterans after they return to the United States and try to re-enter civilian life. Tom Voss and Anthony Anderson, two Iraq War veterans, are walking from Milwaukee to Los Angeles to raise awareness of all those issues by people who are not part of the veterans community.
They also are raising money for Dryhootch, an organization run by veterans for veterans that Voss says is designed to help veterans re-integrate into civilian society. Voss and Anderson, who said they want to raise $100,000, said they have already raised $60,000 toward that goal.
That total includes several very large donations.
However, their journey means that numerous veterans organizations such as the VFW have also given smaller amounts of money — several hundred dollars to $500 — to Dryhootch. Individuals also have given money. The two veterans have made that relatively easy by creating a “donate button” on their web page, www.veteranstrek.com, and another “donate button” on their Facebook page, facebook.com/veteranstrek.
Voss said when veterans get out of the service, they often are separated from the people who served with them during their tours of duty overseas. As a result, they can feel isolated because they are separated from their military friends and that can make them feel isolated from the people who are in their life.
read more here
The Independent
By Harold Reutter
Posted on October 23, 2013
Knowing how to access veteran services ... PTSD .... suicide ... substance abuse.
Those are some of the issues faced by Iraq War veterans after they return to the United States and try to re-enter civilian life. Tom Voss and Anthony Anderson, two Iraq War veterans, are walking from Milwaukee to Los Angeles to raise awareness of all those issues by people who are not part of the veterans community.
They also are raising money for Dryhootch, an organization run by veterans for veterans that Voss says is designed to help veterans re-integrate into civilian society. Voss and Anderson, who said they want to raise $100,000, said they have already raised $60,000 toward that goal.
That total includes several very large donations.
However, their journey means that numerous veterans organizations such as the VFW have also given smaller amounts of money — several hundred dollars to $500 — to Dryhootch. Individuals also have given money. The two veterans have made that relatively easy by creating a “donate button” on their web page, www.veteranstrek.com, and another “donate button” on their Facebook page, facebook.com/veteranstrek.
Voss said when veterans get out of the service, they often are separated from the people who served with them during their tours of duty overseas. As a result, they can feel isolated because they are separated from their military friends and that can make them feel isolated from the people who are in their life.
read more here
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