Hi. Some of you may have seen in a couple of my posts that I am a Veteran. I'm posting this because it is important. Very few people realize just how severe this is. And it was brought to the forefront of my attention tonight when I saw Prodigal's thread, here.
Prodigal, I apologize for linking to your post without first asking your permission. You have my deepest sympathies for your loss. If you wish me to take the link down, I will.
Veteran suicide is vastly misunderstood, and even more importantly, vastly under reported. Current figures estimate the rate of Veteran suicides at 22 per day. That's one suicide every 65 minutes. And those are just the reported ones. Only 21 States report these statistics to Veterans' Affairs. Most of those reported are dismissed due to errors in paperwork.
I have fought with this myself, and have almost lost that fight. It's especially difficult, because Civilians just don't understand what we as Veterans are going through. Bless them for trying, but they will never be able to understand.
All of you know a Veteran. Some of you are Veterans. If you are or know a Veteran/Active/Reserve, and you are struggling, reach out to me. I will happily share my cell via PM, and you are free to call any time.
If not me, then reach out to another Veteran. Take the Pledge. We are in this together, and nobody can help us but ourselves, so we must do that. We must help each other.
I will not take my own life by my own hand until I talk to my battle buddy first. My mission is to find a mission to help my Warfighter family.
Prodigal, I apologize for linking to your post without first asking your permission. You have my deepest sympathies for your loss. If you wish me to take the link down, I will.
Veteran suicide is vastly misunderstood, and even more importantly, vastly under reported. Current figures estimate the rate of Veteran suicides at 22 per day. That's one suicide every 65 minutes. And those are just the reported ones. Only 21 States report these statistics to Veterans' Affairs. Most of those reported are dismissed due to errors in paperwork.
I have fought with this myself, and have almost lost that fight. It's especially difficult, because Civilians just don't understand what we as Veterans are going through. Bless them for trying, but they will never be able to understand.
All of you know a Veteran. Some of you are Veterans. If you are or know a Veteran/Active/Reserve, and you are struggling, reach out to me. I will happily share my cell via PM, and you are free to call any time.
If not me, then reach out to another Veteran. Take the Pledge. We are in this together, and nobody can help us but ourselves, so we must do that. We must help each other.
I will not take my own life by my own hand until I talk to my battle buddy first. My mission is to find a mission to help my Warfighter family.
Put the internet to work for you.
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