At the time I write this, two highly visible figures took their own life and dies by suicide within the last week. I’ve written about suicide before, but once again wanted to share options for support for service members, veterans, and their families seeking support in times of crisis. VA Read more…
There they sit, the boots left behind. Never to be laced again, not by the one who wore them. They’re gone forever, but the reminders of them remain; the boots, to be sure, but the pictures, too. The memories. A small child in a fading photograph, grinning goofy smile. An Read more…
There is an epidemic of veteran suicide in our nation, and around the world. As has been identified by several different studies, the rate of veteran suicide compared to those who have never served in the military is significant. There are a lot of discussions about it, attempts to overcome Read more…
It’s the message that many veterans dread. “Hey, have you heard from ______? I got a message from him, and I’m kind of worried. I tried to get in contact with them, no answer. What do I do?” It could be from one of your closest people, it could be Read more…
It’s impossible to talk about Veteran Mental Health without addressing the elephant in the room: veteran suicide. The crisis surrounding veteran suicide is at epic proportions, and have been for quite a while. The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, David Shulkin, has made combating veteran suicide the top clinical priority of Read more…
When it comes to the veteran support community, there are fewer subjects, in my opinion, that are more sensitive than Veteran Suicide. There are also fewer subjects that are more individualized, and more complicated. Let me throw this firebomb of a question out there: Are there some circumstances that make Read more…
Today’s resource is one that has been written for an external source. Before retiring from the Army, one of my roles in my unit was as a suicide prevention coordinator, and I went through the Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) that helps leaders, first responders, community members, etc., to Read more…
The epidemic of Veteran suicide is pervasive and insidious. As we celebrate those who serve our nation through military service, it would be well if we could take the time to have an honest conversation about the impact of veteran suicide. CLICK HERE TO VEW A LARGER VERSION OF THIS Read more…
Our country can’t have a discussion about veteran mental health without talking about the extreme outcome of failure to address it: veteran suicide. On August 3rd, 2016, the Department of Veterans Affairs released a 45-page summary of a study by the Office of Suicide Prevention, titled Suicide Among Veterans and Read more…
I don’t know who they were, but they odds are nearly 100% perfect that it’s true. It will be true on the day I post this, and it will be true on the day that you read it. Another Veteran will have succumbed to the struggle and died by suicide. Read more…