Did you know that more Veterans commit suicide each year than the combined death count from all wars that have occurred in the past 15 years?

Are you aware that hundreds of thousands of veterans are refused treatment for injuries and illnesses they suffered while in combat?

Statistics are showing that 120 soldiers are taking their lives each week. Suicide has become an epidemic, but the government does not want to talk about it.  

Advocates are demanding to see records so the proper help can be administered before it is too late. Veterans Affairs and Government Agencies are ignoring requests.  No one is showing records or numbers and the government is making believe that this problem does not exist.

Beyond the individual loss, it turns out little information exists about how widespread suicides are among those who have served in the military. There have been some studies, but no one has ever counted the numbers nationwide.  Why?  The reason is that they do not want the true numbers of casualties to really be known.  I do not know about you but this makes me furious as an American citizen.  Something needs to be done now before it is too late. 

The veteran’s rights groups are accusing The Department of Veteran Affairs of not doing enough to stem a looming mental health crisis among veterans. As part of the lawsuit, internal e-mails raise questions as to whether top officials deliberately deceived the American public about the number of veterans attempting and committing suicide.

Attorneys for veterans’ rights groups accused the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs of nothing less than a cover-up – deliberately concealing the real risk of suicide among veterans.

Advocates for veterans strongly believe that the system is in crisis and unfortunately, the VA is in denial.

Horrific cases of suicide are happening each day.  Here are a just a few cases told by the families of these brave soldiers.

Twenty-three-year-old Marine Reservist Jeff Lucey hanged himself with a garden hose in the cellar of this parents’ home – where his father, Kevin, found him.  “There’s a crisis going on and people are just turning the other way,” Kevin Lucey said.

Kim and Mike Bowman’s son Tim was an Army reservist who patrolled one of the most dangerous places in Baghdad, known as Airport Road.
“His eyes when he came back were just dead. The light wasn’t there anymore,” Kim Bowman said. Eight months later, on Thanksgiving Day, Tim shot himself. He was 23.

Diana Henderson’s son, Derek, served three tours of duty in Iraq. He died jumping off a bridge at 27.

Video: 18 Veterans A Day Are Committing Suicide

The Warning Signs

Here is a list of resources for how to find help and recognize the warning signs of mental health issues that could also be warning signs for suicide.

Talking about wanting to hurt themselves

Talking about wanting to kill themselves

Trying to get guns

Trying to find ways to harm themselves

Talking or writing about death, dying, or suicide

Hopelessness

Rage, uncontrolled anger

Acting in a reckless or risky way

Feeling trapped, like there’s no way out

Saying or feeling there’s no reason for living

Calling old friends, particularly military friends, to say goodbye

Cleaning a weapon that they may have as a souvenir

Obsessed with news coverage of the war, the military channel

Wearing their uniform or part of their uniform, boots, etc

Sleeping more (sometimes the decision to commit suicide brings a sense of peace of mind, and they sleep more to withdraw)

Becoming overprotective of children

Standing guard of the house, perhaps while everyone is asleep staying up to “watch over” the house, obsessively locking doors, windows

If they are on medication, stopping medication and/or hording medication

Hording alcohol — not necessarily hard alcohol

Spending spree, buying gifts for family members and friends “to remember by”

Defensive attitude like “you wouldn’t understand.”

When they stop making eye contact or speaking with others

What to Do You If You Think Someone Is Having Suicidal Thoughts

Ask questions:

 

“Are you thinking about killing yourself?”

“Have you ever tried to hurt yourself before?”

“Do you think you might try to hurt yourself today?”

“Have you thought of ways that you might hurt yourself?”

“Do you have pills/weapons in the house?”

This will not increase the person’s suicidal thoughts. It will give you information that indicates how strongly the person has thought about killing him- or herself.

If you think the person might harm him- or herself, do not leave the person alone.

Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 1-800-273-TALK. You will be connected to the nearest available crisis center

Or go to SAMHSA’s Mental Health Services Locator http://mentalhealth.com/samhsa.gov/databases/

Substance Abuse Treatment Facility Locator http://dasis3.samhsa.gov

Organizations That Can Help

VA’s suicide hotline at (800) 273-TALK (8255)

www.mentalhealth

http://dasis3.samhsa.gov

 

To find the closest Dept of Veterans Affairs facility to you that have mental health professionals, go to http://www2.va.gov/directory/guide/home.asp?isFlash=1 and type in your zip code to find veteran clinics near you.

What we do as individuals?

Create Petitions and send them to your local council and/our government

Write letters to the media

Write to your local newspapers

Create blogs

Call your local TV stations

Create an advocacy group

They survived the war, but they are not surviving civilian life.  Soldiers are suffering from emotional problems due to the horrific events they have witnessed in war and something needs to be done now for these American heroes. The horrors of what they experienced from the war are destroying their lives and the lives of their loved ones.

The veterans fought to protect us, now we need to fight for them and make sure they get the help they need before it is too late.

“The price of freedom is very high, we as a nation often time forget but to the family and friends of the men and women who pay the price they never forget.” – Quoted by Fred Rendon

Visit this advocate site:  http://www.veteranshelp.com/