From Military.com:
“This
Veterans Day, Make Sure the Vets in Your Life Know They Are Not Alone”
President
Dwight D. Eisenhower, hero of the Second World War and Kansas' favorite son,
established Veterans Day in 1954 to allow "a grateful nation (to) pay
appropriate homage to the veterans of all its wars who have contributed so much
to the preservation of this Nation." As the chairman of the U.S. Senate
Committee on Veterans' Affairs and secretary of the Army, we seek to fulfill
Eisenhower's vision as we support the needs of our military and veterans. This
Veterans Day, we are particularly mindful of vets dealing with the challenges
of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the past eight months, some have suffered
unimaginable loss and others significant hardship, but one thing we have all
experienced is the feeling of isolation. Thanking someone you know, or even
complete strangers, for their service on Veterans Day is an American tradition,
but this year will be different. Veterans Day parades are canceled, gatherings
at local veterans halls are discouraged, and schools will not host vets for
assemblies. The vet handing out red poppy pins for donations to the local
veteran service organization might instead spend this Veterans Day alone. Unfortunately,
this portrait of a lonely veteran is more common than we might think.
The statistics
on veteran suicide are chilling. As of 2017, an average of 20 veterans and
service members die by suicide every day. This represents a 7% increase in the
rate of suicide among veterans in just over a decade. Some reports indicate
that suicides among service members have increased as much as 20% this year,
when compared to previous years.
Let's put those
numbers into perspective: Every day, we lose nearly the same number of veterans
and service members to suicide as we did soldiers to enemy action during
Operation Gothic Serpent, the mission made famous by the book and movie
"Black Hawk Down." Every week, veteran and service member suicides
are equivalent to the number of soldiers that constituted the original
"Easy Company," memorialized in the HBO series "Band of
Brothers." Moreover, every month, we lose more veterans and service
members to suicide than we did in our worst year of fighting in Afghanistan. The
stress of the unknown has been felt at every level in the U.S. Army; from the
newest recruits on their way to basic training to the highest levels of
leadership. Just because American soldiers can carry the weight, doesn't mean
that it isn't heavy. This year has strengthened the Army's resolve to take
rapid, positive and meaningful steps to safeguard every American soldier by
listening, learning and taking action.
Army leaders
are developing deep, interpersonal connections at every level so they better
know their teammates. When those connections exist, someone will likely know if
a teammate is struggling. To assist our leaders and frontline soldiers, we are
fielding better leader visibility tools and new awareness materials. These
initiatives are integral to equip leaders at all levels with creative,
effective tools for building resilient soldiers and cohesive teams. There is no
single explanation for suicide, but the loss of even one veteran or soldier to
suicide is too great. This past year, the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee
made significant strides for veterans with an aggressive agenda, including the
passage of the Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care
Improvement Act. This landmark veteran mental health care legislation, signed
into law last month, will improve care and services for our veterans and
bolster outreach by establishing a grant program for community organizations
already serving vets across the country. It will also direct the Department of
Veterans Affairs to pioneer new research on mental health to better diagnose
and treat our vets; improve rural veterans' access to life-saving mental health
care through a telehealth expansion; and will hold the VA accountable for its
mental health care and suicide prevention efforts.
This Veterans
Day, we challenge you to help us make certain veterans across our county do not
feel alone. This pandemic continues to impact the mental and physical health of
communities across the country, and our veterans depend on us to reach out and
provide support during this challenging time. Americans have battled fiercer
enemies before, but the military community can confirm that it takes all of us
to win.
If you or
someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or ideations, please
contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and Veterans Crisis Line at
(800) 273-8255, and then press 1, or via text at 838255.
^ This help and
support is needed all year long (whether it’s Veterans’ Day, Memorial Day or
during a pandemic.) These men and women have risked life and limb for all of us
and the least we owe them is the to listen to their stories and their problems
and try to help in whatever way we can – and that includes giving them the name
and number of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and Veteran Crisis Line.
^
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