Henrico veteran – living in tent – needs your help fixing his fire damaged home
WTVR 6 News BY SHELBY BROWN JANUARY 23, 2019
HENRICO COUNTY, Va. -- Fifty-six years ago Walter Flanagan was 17 years old and eager to start his stint in the U.S. Navy. The 73-year-old Henrico man has many stories to tell of his days in the military and working in the fishing industry.
He’s not nearly as comfortable talking about his current situation.
“Every morning I would get up and look at this mess and say oh, what’s going to happen?” Flanagan explained.
In mid-December, fire damaged his West End home.
Flanagan said the house used fuses.
Financial challenges kept him from being able to upgrade the electrical system. Because of that, the insurance company would not cover the home.
read more here
120,000 Florida Veterans Might Lose Their Food Stamps If Government Shutdown Continues
WJCT Danielle Prieur January 17, 2019
“I just recently started coming to Soldiers’ Angels. I was homeless at the time and went from there into the HUD-VASH program. And that’s when I became aware of Soldiers’ Angels.”
One of the federal programs affected by the partial government shutdown is the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, or SNAP. If the shutdown continues into March, funding for the program could run out. And in Florida that means a lot of low-income and homeless veterans may have to fend for themselves. More veterans in Florida rely on food stamps than any other state.
Florida has the largest number of veterans on food stamps. The USDA has guaranteed food stamps through February.
FLICKR CREATIVE COMMONS
Every third Friday, volunteers at the VA mobile food pantry in Baldwin Park pack supplies for veterans. An older veteran shows junior ROTC kids how to pack clear gallon bags with carrots and potatoes and brown paper bags full of pasta.
A line of older sedans and minivans has started to form while the volunteers were working. Cristina Mercado who runs the VA pantry says donations from nonprofits Soldiers’ Angels and Second Harvest can only feed 200 veterans so spots have been going fast.
“Within 2 hours, 153 people signed up on our list and within a day and a half the list was completely filled up. And then within a few days after that, our wait list also filled up. So this was the quickest [sign-up] so far.”
Mercado says demand for the food bank has grown since the fall. That’s partly because of an influx of veterans coming from Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. read more here
When I read a headline like this, it makes me sick to my stomach.
Trump’s VA vowed to stop veteran suicide. Its leaders failed to spend millions set aside to reach those at risk.
The Washington Post By Lisa Rein December 18, 2018
The agency had no permanent director of suicide prevention for months. So the staff spent its resources updating the website of the crisis hotline. Its employees also began reporting to VA’s Office of Mental Health, which pulled them away from suicide prevention, the report says.
President Trump hands then-VA Secretary David Shulkin a pen after signing an executive order in January. A VA spokesman blamed Shulkin, who was fired in March, for problems with outreach to veterans. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)
The Trump administration said from its first days that preventing suicide was its top clinical priority for veterans.
The performance of its national outreach campaign shows otherwise, though, because of a leadership vacuum at the Department of Veterans Affairs and nonexistent means to measure effectiveness, a new report by the Government Accountability Office found.
As the number of veterans taking their own lives climbed, VA’s media outreach plunged in fiscal years 2017 and 2018 — with fewer social media posts, public service announcements and paid advertisements compared with the agency’s efforts during the Obama administration, auditors said.
About 20 veterans die by suicide every day, VA data shows. That’s nearly twice the suicide rate among Americans who did not serve in the military.
VA set aside $6.2 million this year alone to advertise its crisis hotline — the centerpiece of its suicide-prevention efforts — online, on billboards, buses and trains, and via local and national radio commercials. But as of September, the agency had spent $57,000 — less than 1 percent of that budget, auditors wrote.
read more here
I have been involved in all of this for over 3 decades. While they continue to die after their service, the claims of how important it is to prevent suicides, boils down to just a bunch of words. It is just about as bad as not fixing something so the next time it happens the government offers their "thoughts and prayers" but no plans. They do not even acknowledge how many times they have failed our veterans. There are plenty of thoughts and prayers standing next to caskets with the American flag over it. Plenty of thoughts and prayers as Taps plays and salutes slowly drop from brow to hip. Plenty of thoughts and prayers as the flag is folded and handed to a grieving family member. Or to strangers when the veteran had been sent away from their families and no relative came to attend their funeral. There are plenty of things that sound good until people actually look at the results. Now add in these reports
Police: Man playing Russian roulette calls VA crisis line during SWAT standoff in southwest Houston
ABC 13 News December 10, 2018
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A standoff ended in southwest Houston after a SWAT negotiator talked a suicidal man out of his apartment.
Police said the VA crisis hotline received a call just before 2 a.m. from a man in his 60s threatening suicide at an apartment complex on Beverly Hill near Richmond Avenue. read the rest here
Man taken into custody after nearly 4 hour long standoff with MPD
The suspect surrendered to police shortly after 11 a.m. without any shots being fired. No firearms were recovered. Police say the man may have mental health issues, and possibly is a military veteran with ptsd. read more of this here
But this is the most telling thing of all.
Most Veterans Who Kill Themselves Are 55 Or Older. The VA Is Trying to Learn Why.
KSTX Steven Walsh December 19, 2018
The VA National Suicide Data Report for 2005 to 2016, which came out in September, highlights the alarming rise in suicides among veterans age 18 to 34, who had the highest rate of suicide - 45 per 100,000 veterans. But those 55 and older still represent the largest number of suicides among veterans.
76 year old Army veteran Robert Neilson writes notes of encouragement to fellow veterans who have contemplated suicide. He's struggled with mental health issues since he left the Army in the 1960s.
MATT BOWLER / KPBS
Veterans are about twice as likely as non-veterans to die by suicide. But the majority of those suicides are among veterans aged 55 or older -- whose military service was decades earlier.
Robert Neilson's military service ended decades ago. He was drafted in 1961 and spent two years in the Army just before the Vietnam War.
But that experience still weighed on him three years ago, when he sought help from the San Diego VA after contemplating suicide.
"That's what brought me into the emergency room," said Neilson, who's now 76.
It wasn't Neilson's first time seeking treatment. He said he also considered suicide shortly after getting out of the service. He remembers standing on a subway platform in New Jersey watching a speeding train.
"And I just figured if I just hold my hands in the air, I could just let it suck me in," Neilson said. "Somebody shouted, 'What are you doing?' And that snapped me out of the trance."
Neilson traces his mental health issues to the trauma of a sexual assault he suffered while in the military. Still, didn't seek help for fifty years.
"I just figured I'll struggle through life," he said.
read more here
CNHI News Indiana By Haley Cawthon 2 hrs ago
Tackling mental health issues, one conversation at a time
“I served in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War, during the Cold War and then during Desert Shield and Desert Storm, so there’s that connection with my fellow veterans in terms of deployments, missions and that sort of thing. In the Army they have this thing called your battle buddy, in the Navy it’s your shipmate, in the Air Force it’s your wingman — it’s the concept of leaving nobody behind and we are all in this together.” Ken Gardner
In a divisive time in the United States, almost all politicians and civilians can find common ground when it comes to supporting the troops. Yet, veterans are still dying daily due to a lack of mental health services.
In 2016, 6,079 veterans died by suicide across the country, according to data released by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Seventy of those deaths occurred in Indiana, and more than half of those veterans were 55 or older.
As bleak as those statistics are, there is somewhat of a hidden silver lining: Indiana’s veteran suicide rate of 16.7 percent is significantly lower than the national rate of 30.1 percent, and even the Midwestern region suicide rate of 28 percent.
So while there is still room for improvement, the Hoosier state appears to be leaps and bounds ahead of the nation. What sets us apart?
Recognizing the signs
Part of the solution to improving veterans’ mental health lies within another persons’ ability to notice the veteran is struggling before a crisis occurs, said Brandi Christiansen, a Navy veteran and executive director of Mental Health America of North Central Indiana. If no one intervenes, a veteran struggling with mental illness can become dangerous to themselves or others.
“We are waiting too long. We are waiting too long to have difficult conversations, we’re waiting too long to get help and identify those warning signs and symptoms,” Christiansen said. “I think we have become complacent as a society.”
According to the VA, about 11 to 20 out of every 100 Operation Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom veterans have post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). About 12 out of every 100 Gulf War veterans and 15 out of every 100 Vietnam veterans also suffer from PTSD. read more here
Seniors share Thanksgiving meal with Marines who saved them from fire
CBS News Nikole Killion November 22, 2018 Two months after running into a burning building to save elderly residents at the Arthur Capper Senior Public Housing complex in Washington, D.C., U.S. Marine Corps Captain Trey Gregory is coming to their aid again – with a Thanksgiving meal.
"These people have been through a traumatic event," said Capt. Gregory. "It is so sad right before the holidays but I'm just honored that we get to serve them again and give them food and put a smile on their face."
There were plenty of smiles and hugs to go around as Gregory and several other Marines from the Washington Barracks dished out turkey, macaroni and cheese, sweet potatoes, green beans and other traditional fare for dozens of residents and their families.
"It is an honor and a blessing to see them serving us this way, you know, because we know they care," said D'Artois Davis who has been stuck at a hotel since the fire. "It's the holiday and you're used to your family coming around but there's no place for them to come and we've lost so much."
read more here
On Memorial Day, this is a pleasure to post. A reporter actually did a fantastic job regarding our Vietnam veterans. Sherry Barkas, The Desert Sun, wrote 'I need help.' Vietnam veteran in Palm Springs had been living for decades with PTSD and Agent Orange exposure
A comprehensive study of veteran suicide rates was released in 2016 by the Department of Veterans Affairs and showed that, on average, 20 veterans a day died from suicide in 2014. While it doesn’t break down results by wars, approximately 65 percent were 50 and older – which would include those who served in Vietnam and Korea.
David Carden served as a medic in Vietnam after volunteering for the draft in 1968. (Photo: Courtesy Photo)
The dates are right too,
By choosing the Army, Carden knew he would wind up on the battlefield where he said the lifespan of an infantryman was 30 to 60 days, but enlisting in the Navy or Air Force meant four years of service vs. two.
The Vietnam War started in November 1955. The U.S. had ships off the gulf in 1964 with the first ground troops sent in on March 8, 1965, landing in Da Nang. Direct U.S. military involvement ended on Aug. 15, 1973, though the war continued until the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975.
Those who served came home to a cold reception from a nation angered by U.S. involvement in the war – a far cry from the “Welcome Home” banners and parades that greeted veterans of wars before and since Vietnam.
And this is yet another important part to remember,
Carden recalled 1990 and the first Gulf War under President George H.W. Bush, when people were hanging yellow ribbons in trees.
“I remember driving through a neighborhood in Long Beach and they had all these yellow ribbons hung on both sides of the street with big yellow bows, and I thought they’re having a big neighborhood party. Then I went to another neighborhood and there were more of them.
“I was listening to the radio and they were saying the American public tied these ribbons around the trees for the Gulf War guys to come home safely” and as an expression of gratitude, Carden said.
“I pulled the car over and I started crying. I said, ‘What about me? What about us?’ We didn’t get this kind of reception, and I always resented that,” he recalled.
At the time, the VA and government weren’t helpful to the Vietnam vets either, he said.
“I never talked about the war. All of my pain and anxiety – PTSD issues – were just kept inside,” he said.
We didn't shut up then, why do it now? Combat PTSD Wounded Times Kathie Costos April 25, 2018 Just got done reading and ranting about what was written for the generation of veterans and families forgotten about, yet again, and was so pumped up, I forgot to do this part, so that is the update. Now for the old news.....us! Caregiving for veterans who have PTSD, at any age
Jeanette Steele at San Diego News Tribune is at least trying to get people to open their eyes that the majority of veterans and families in this country have been forgotten about. Yes, that means us! Oh, sure, we were not the ones who invented PTSD, but we did invent the awareness of what it is and what it does. I've been in this for 36 years now, but others were ahead of me. This generation wants to take away a letter because they don't like it? We don't like what it has been doing to OUR FAMILIES and if they freak out with the word "disorder" then how the hell are they going to be tough enough to fight the actual fact that anything can get out of order until people know what they are doing to PUT IT BACK INTO PLACE! We did it the old school way, of writing to newspapers, and mostly by word of mouth. You know, that thing we did on the phone with the cord we now call a landline and used for a lifeline and used out mouths to communicate instead of fingers. Hell, the only time I use my fingers other than on my computer, is still to use the middle one. (Care to guess what I'm doing right now?) Cut through the part where we get the stupid pins, and displays of appreciation. Sure, that's all nice, but when we hear anyone talk about taking benefits away because we're old, talk about sending our veterans into the private healthcare system the rest of us have to deal with, then manage to eliminate the majority of the majority of our families from benefits they give to newer generations, that is more salt into our very old wounds. When will this country wake up to the fact that our veterans and families, like mine, ask for nothing more than we were promised? When did it become OK with anyone to have different classes of veterans who merited more than those who came before them, with the same wounds, and waited longer but not getting the same benefits? They want to talk about things they have no clue about and most reporters just say, I'll print that, without ever asking a single question. That is how the rumor of "22 a day" took over social media, while the rest of us were running into stupid claims that it was only the OEF and OIF generation they were concerned with. Well, look what happened after that! Groups popped up all over the place, collecting money for talking about something they had no clue was a big-fat-lie! Yep, the report they failed to read was chocked full of facts, like the majority of the veterans committing suicide (at least the ones they knew about from the measly 21 states in the report) WERE OVER THE AGE OF 50~ Are you willing to settle for any of this? Then get old school on them and WRITE TO THE NEWSPAPERS SO MORE REPORTERS ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS ONE DID!!!!
91-year-old World War II veteran crosses finish line of 5k race KTXS News by Ariana Lubelli, SBG San Antonio April 12th 2018
SAN ANTONIO - Jim Ulbrich, a WWII Navy veteran, celebrated his 91st birthday weekend by running.
"I wanted to finish strong so I took off running," Ulbrich said.
The Poteet native and retired vocational agriculture teacher competed in the '65-year-old and up' category of the Caterpillar Seguin 5K Power Race on April 8th. He came in first place, breaking a record for Seguin.
"But my knees kind of squeak so I have to watch my knees," Ulbrich said. "They're a little old."
Cell phone video posted on Facebook by 'SS American Memorial located at the Lazy U Ranch Seguin TX' captured the 91-year-old running across the finish line. read more here
93-Year-Old WWII Veteran Checks Skydiving Off Bucket List WFMY 2 News March 27, 2018
He is 93-years-old, served in World War II, and once won the lottery but in his life, he hasn't done one very important thing: jump out of a plane.
Age is just a number when it comes to Stanley Sasine.
He is 93-years-old, served in World War II, and once won the lottery. But the Sandy Springs native says, in his life, he hasn't done one very important thing: jump out of a plane.
So, he did.
At 93, the filter is gone and the years become golden. Surrounded by family, Stanley is happy to show his life in pictures especially the album of his “fun days.” read more here
Jan Thornton of Vallejo is among hundreds of relatives worried about their loved ones at a Northern California veterans home that was locked down after reports of an active shooter.
Thornton says her 96-year-old father — a WWII fighter pilot — is inside a hospital wing at the home in Yountville, north of San Francisco.
Reminder, this is a State run veterans home...not The Department of Veterans Affairs. Police descend on Napa County veterans home after gunfire, hostage report Mercury News By ROBERT SALONGA March 9, 2018
Reports suggest that gunman is former resident of veterans home and may be suffering from PTSD-type issues
YOUNTVILLE — The Yountville Veterans Home in Napa County was placed on lockdown Friday morning after reports a gunman opened fire near the facility’s main dining hall and took hostages, authorities said.
“The safety of our residents, workers and the community is our top priority,” the state Department of Veterans Affairs said in a Twitter post. “We have activated our emergency response protocol and are cooperating with law enforcement.”
A Napa fire official and the California Highway Patrol affirmed that an armed man took at least two hostages at the veterans home and described the incident as an “active shooter situation.” The Napa County Sheriff’s Office reported that shots had been fired, but there were no immediate reports of any casualties. read more here
Fairfield Harbour continues tradition of feeding Marines at Camp Lejeune
WCTI 12 News
Stephanie Brown
Jason O. Boyd
November 23, 2017
The Obers said they love sharing a space at their table. The Marines said it's nice to spend the holidays with people who make them feel at home.
FAIRFIELD HARBOUR, Craven County - It's a tradition that started in 2006 and was still going strong Thursday.
Families at Fairfield Harbour opened their doors, hearts and dinner tables for Marines stationed at Camp Lejeune. There were 110 Marines that got off buses and, for the first time in a long time for many, got to enjoy a home-cooked Thanksgiving this year.
It's how they've started Thanksgiving in Fairfield Harbour for the past nine years.
"When we lived in Pennsylvania, we had a lot of people, a lot of family, and I always had a full table," said Mary Ann Ober. "When we moved to North Carolina, we didn't have as much family and we still enjoyed the holiday, so we decided we would invite someone that wasn't going to spend time with their family."
This year, they're joined by Austin Sampson and Mikel Harden. It's Mike's first Thanksgiving from home.
"I can handle it, it's easier to understand knowing that my family knows why I'm not with them," Harden said.
Marines find a home for the holiday at Murrieta senior community The Press Enterprise Shane Newell November 23, 2017
“It’s a marvelous feeling you have to have them here,” said Sharon Boll, the Murrieta resident who organized this year’s event. “It’s the first time they’ve been away from home on a holiday like that.”
US Marine Pfc. Ryan Nguyen, 18, from St. Louis Missouri digs into the turkey during Thanksgiving dinner at Murrieta resident Sharon Boll home, Boll hosted three Marines and 27 neighbors at her home for Thanksgiving in Murrieta Thursday, November 23, 2017. FRANK BELLINO, THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE/SCNG
They may not have spent the holiday at home, but 55 Camp Pendleton Marines got all the comforts of a homemade feast on Thanksgiving in Murrieta. read more here
Florida Among Top States Competing For Military Retirees
WLRN News
Bobbie O'Brien
November 17, 2017
"I was one of the first into Afghanistan, then to Iraq and then Africa. So I’ve been around the world," Neil said. "And luckily for me, the headquarters of Special Operations is in Tampa when I decided where I should retire to, I chose my last assignment as Tampa, Florida MacDill Air Force Base so it naturally fit."
Former Green Beret Scott Neil points to the framework for the glass wall that will separate the American Freedom Distillery from the restaurant under construction.BOBBIE O'BRIEN/WUSF PUBLIC MEDIA
States are competitive whether they’re vying to keep their military bases or to attract new corporate headquarters. And now, there’s a new tug of war over military retirees who come with pensions, health care and are a proven workforce.
Florida, already a retirement haven, is adding veteran specific programs to entice even more military retirees to the Sunshine State.
"It means that if you are processing out of the military and you want to build your business here in Florida – we’re going to waive the application fees on almost every occupational license that’s out there," said Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam at a business conference last year. "It means if you’re applying for a concealed weapons license, you’re going to go to the front of the line and it’s going to be expedited in less than two weeks."
Florida officials like to brag that they’re the most veteran friendly state in the nation. So, there’s no ambivalence – if you’re retiring military – Florida Wants You!
read more here
Air Force veteran, 90, attacked in Publix parking lot; police search for suspects, witnesses
ABC Action News
Kelly Razzle
October 27, 2017
Police say the arguing lasted approximately six minutes. Police say one of the occupants of the black vehicle struck the 90-year-old man, causing him to land face first on the pavement and hit his head. The victim briefly lost consciousness due to the fall.
WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - A 90-year-old Air Force veteran was attacked in a Winter Haven Publix parking lot on Wednesday and police are now searching for the suspects involved and anyone who may have witnessed the incident.
On Wednesday, October 25, at approximately 4:50 p.m. the 90-year-old victim, who police are not identifying, was backing his car out of a parking space at the Publix located at 1395 6th St. NW in Winter Haven.
Man accused of killing veteran, 87, commits suicide, officials say
WFTV ABC News October 27, 2017 ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. - A man who was arrested on charges of killing an 87-year-old veteran, was found unresponsive inside the Orange County Jail, officials said Friday.
Authorities said Edward Marrero was taken to a hospital where he died. They believe he committed suicide. Officials said he was not on suicide watch. read more here
Please explain something to me. Why is it that you went into combat with others, but find it impossible to ask for someone to help you fight the battle afterwards? Look at this picture.
Are they standing together? Did you fight in Vietnam alone?
Sure, you had no problem asking for help to defeat the enemy there. So why have such a hard time asking for help to defeat the enemy that came home with you?
For all the talk about PTSD and the number folks accept as the suicide total of veterans taking their own lives, most of them are Vietnam veterans.
65% are over the age of 50. You survived all these years but seem to want to retire and sit alone with your thoughts that you cannot control or stuff anymore.
Isolation is not the answer. Brotherhood is. Find a group of other Vietnam veterans and have someone to help you fight this battle. After all, as soon as you defeat it, the sooner you can help another veteran.
Memorial Day Participants Visit Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall
Barney Bidders, a retired soldier, and Les Newell, a retired Marine, both Vietnam War veterans from Virginia, recall memories of service at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial during a Memorial Day event at the wall in Washington, D.C., May 28, 2012.
Missing leg won't keep 94-year-old veteran from standing for national anthem
The Buffalo News By LOU MICHEL October 5, 2017
Marian Morreale, a Coast Guard veteran, was honored during the national anthem at the Buffalo Sabres home opener on Friday, October 6 2017.SCREENSHOT VIA NHL
Marian Morreale has been practicing how to stand for the last three months. She is a 94-year-old World War II veteran and her left leg was amputated last year.
But she practiced standing so that she could when the national anthem opening game of the Sabres tonight.
She is trying to make a point.
"I think for these young athletes and the salaries they make, they should stand for the national anthem," she said. "But I don't think our president should use that word, SOB." read more here
Man accused of ripping off Vietnam War Veteran for $200,000 KSDK Sam Clancy September 27, 2017
The charging documents said Ryan S. Saunders borrowed 203,387 from the veteran in a business arrangement at the beginning of 2014 and promised to pay the veteran back by February of 2015, but never did.
(Photo: Washington County Sheriff's Office, Custom)
WASHINGTON COUNTY, MO. - Charges were filed Tuesday against a man who police said borrowed more than $200,000 from a disabled Vietnam War Veteran and never paid him back.
According to charging documents, Ryan S. Saunders of Potosi Missouri was charged with financial exploitation of a disabled person, forgery and passing bad checks.
The charging documents said Saunders borrowed $203,387 from the veteran in a business arrangement at the beginning of 2014. He promised to pay the veteran back by February of 2015 but never did.
Saunders wrote multiple checks from different bank accounts that totaled more than $220,000, but all the accounts were either closed or nonexistent, according to charging documents. read more here
Yale finally figured out what we've known all along. Veterans need to be with other veterans. They are the only ones who know what it is like to hold that rare distinction of putting the lives of others ahead of their own. I think they should add in retirement coupled with loneliness.
For suicidal veterans, loneliness is the deadliest enemy
Yale News
Bill Hathaway
September 28, 2017
“To date, there has been a strong emphasis on treating pathology rather than bolstering resources these individuals may already possess. Results of this study suggest that preventing suicidal thinking may not only be about fixing what is wrong, but also building what is strong.”Robert H. Pietrzak
About 20 veterans commit suicide every day. The primary enemy most veterans face after service is not war-related trauma but loneliness, according to a new study by researchers at Yale and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for Post traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
The study, scheduled to be published Oct. 1 in the journal World Psychiatry, followed 2,000 veterans over a period of four years to help explain why studies have shown that vets are more than twice as likely to kill themselves as their civilian counterparts. At enrollment, the participants never had suicidal thoughts and were representative of U.S. military veterans as a whole: They were predominantly older, with an average age of 62, and two-thirds had never seen combat.
“When you look at the age breakdown of veterans who kill themselves, 65 percent are over the age of 50,” said lead author Robert H. Pietrzak, Director of the Translational Psychiatric Epidemiology Laboratory of the Clinical Neurosciences Division of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD and associate professor of psychiatry at Yale. “We sought to identify early warning signs of suicide risk in this population, much like high blood pressure and cholesterol levels can help predict heart disease.”
It is a bond that cannot be broken with time or distance. It turns strangers into brothers, willing to die for each other. Civilians do not understand that and veterans are uneasy among them. Yet put veterans together at a veterans event and you see life come back into their eyes and years mean nothing.
You Survived Yesterday, Do It Again Combat PTSD Wounded Times Kathie Costos September 27, 2017 Since you are reading this today, safe to assume you survived yesterday with PTSD. You survived all the other days, years and decades since you got home from serving in combat zones or on missions around the world. You put your life on the line and won.
Bet you never thought of it that way. If you are still here, then "it" lost! If you served, then the life of others mattered so much to you, you were willing to die for their sake. So why are so many thinking of taking their own lives now? The bigger question is why are senior veterans the majority of veterans committing suicide? Yes, your generation. 65% of the suicides reported by the VA study are over the age of 50!
Approximately 65 percent of all Veterans who died from suicide in 2014 were 50 years of age or older.
Veterans accounted for 18 percent of all deaths from suicide among U.S. adults. This is a decrease from 22 percent in 2010.
Since 2001, U.S. adult civilian suicides increased 23 percent, while Veteran suicides increased 32 percent in the same time period. After controlling for age and gender, this makes the risk of suicide 21 percent greater for Veterans.
Since 2001, the rate of suicide among U.S. Veterans who use VA services increased by 8.8 percent, while the rate of suicide among Veterans who do not use VA services increased by 38.6 percent.
In the same time period, the rate of suicide among male Veterans who use VA services increased 11 percent, while the rate of suicide increased 35 percent among male Veterans who do not use VA services.
In the same time period, the rate of suicide among female Veterans who use VA services increased 4.6 percent while the rate of suicide increased 98 percent among female Veterans who do not use VA services.
Most of those years between war and now, were taken up with being busy. Work, raising families and other things didn't leave you with much time to think about yourself. Now with retirement, too much time to think of what you brought back home with you. What you may be missing is the other things you brought home with you, like courage, compassion and dedication. Why live all those years and give up now? You don't have leave us now as long as you understand what PTSD is, why you have it and the most important message of all is, you still have time to heal and see tomorrow living a much better life!
