My friend, Steve Trudel, who works at the Men’s Resource Center counseling men who batter, sent me the articles below about the awful toll the two current wars are taking on those participating. I had heard a statistic that as many men as died in Vietnam – over 50,000 – committed suicide in the aftermath of the war. The statistics on the current rate of suicide is so deeply disturbing and lends testimony to the immeasurable harm being done to our soldiers. I am also reminded of the film I wrote about recently, “No Unwounded Soldiers”, and the men who so inspirationally sought to use drama to heal. I remember thinking that if only such programs were available to many more men, much more healing could occur and then, during the Q and A following the film, the drama therapist said she was not aware of any similar programs…When I read statements such as the following, I knew that without more recognition and resolve to get our soldiers home and get them the support they need, many more will die: “One age group stood out. Veterans aged 20 through 24, those who have served during the war on terror. They had the highest suicide rate among all veterans, estimated between two and four times higher than civilians the same age. (The suicide rate for non-veterans is 8.3 per 100,000, while the rate for veterans was found to be between 22.9 and 31.9 per 100,000.)” And the bottom-line is the government does not want us to know about this, to realize the true cost in American lives of these horrible conflicts, which could be endless if we let them be. The final sentence in what follows is perhaps the most damning, frightening and disheartening: However, while the bill (to try to address the needs of the soldiers at risk and suffering from PTSD and other mental illnesses) requires the VA to provide these services, it provides no new funding.” There must be a way to help these veterans get the help they need…
Veterans for Common Sense was featured on the CBS Evening News with
Katie Couric. On November 13, Armen Keteyian, the top CBS
investigative reporter, reveals an enormous epidemic of suicides among
our returning Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans. CBS News has three
excellent videos: the news broadcast, an interview with VCS’s Paul
Sullivan, and an interview with veterans’ families.
Veterans for Common Sense was featured on the CBS Evening News with
Katie Couric. On November 13, Armen Keteyian, the top CBS
investigative reporter, reveals an enormous epidemic of suicides among
our returning Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans. CBS News has three
excellent videos: the Evening News broadcast, an interview with VCS’s
Paul Sullivan, and an interview with veterans’ families.
The Veteran Suicide Epidemic
NEW YORK, November 13, 2007 – (CBS News) They are the casualties of
wars you don’t often hear about – soldiers who die of self-inflicted
wounds. Little is known about the true scope of suicides among those
who have served in the military.
[VCS Note: For information about suicide prevention assistance, please
see second article below. Hotline for Veterans: Veterans who need help
immediate counseling should call the hotline run by Veterans Affairs
professionals at 1-800-273-TALK and press 1 identifying themselves as
military veterans. Staff members are specially trained to take calls
from military veterans and its staffed 24 hours a day, everyday. While
all operators are trained to help veterans, some are also former
military. For a wallet-size card titled "What to do you if you think
someone is having suicidal thoughts," please click here.]
But a five-month CBS News investigation discovered data that shows a
startling rate of suicide, what some call a hidden epidemic, Chief
Investigative Reporter Armen Keteyian reports exclusively.
“I just felt like this silent scream inside of me,” said Jessica
Harrell, the sister of a soldier who took his own life.
“I opened up the door and there he was,” recalled Mike Bowman, the
father of an Army reservist.
“I saw the hose double looped around his neck,” said Kevin Lucey,
another military father.
“He was gone,” said Mia Sagahon, whose soldier boyfriend committed suicide.
Keteyian spoke with the families of five former soldiers who each
served in Iraq – only to die battling an enemy they could not conquer.
Their loved ones are now speaking out in their names.
They survived the hell that’s Iraq and then they come home only to
lose their life.
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.
“Going to that morgue and seeing my baby … my life will never be the
same,” she said.
Beyond the individual loss, it turns out little information exists
about how widespread suicides are among these who have served in the
military. There have been some studies, but no one has ever counted
the numbers nationwide.
“Nobody wants to tally it up in the form of a government total,” Bowman said.
Why do the families think that is?
“Because they don’t want the true numbers of casualties to really be
known,” Lucey said.
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., is a member of the Veterans Affairs Committee.
“If you’re just looking at the overall number of veterans themselves
who’ve committed suicide, we have not been able to get the numbers,”
Murray said.
CBS News’ investigative unit wanted the numbers, so it submitted a
Freedom of Information Act request to the Department of Defense asking
for the numbers of suicides among all service members for the past 12
years.
Four months later, they sent CBS News a document, showing that between
1995 and 2007, there were almost 2,200 suicides. That’s 188 last year
alone. But these numbers included only “active duty” soldiers.
CBS News went to the Department of Veterans Affairs, where Dr. Ira
Katz is head of mental health.
“There is no epidemic in suicide in the VA, but suicide is a major
problem,” he said.
Why hasn’t the VA done a national study seeking national data on how
many veterans have committed suicide in this country?
“That research is ongoing,” he said.
So CBS News did an investigation – asking all 50 states for their
suicide data, based on death records, for veterans and non-veterans,
dating back to 1995. Forty-five states sent what turned out to be a
mountain of information.
And what it revealed was stunning.
In 2005, for example, in just those 45 states, there were at least
6,256 suicides among those who served in the armed forces. That’s 120
each and every week, in just one year.
Dr. Steve Rathburn is the acting head of the biostatistics department
at the University of Georgia. CBS News asked him to run a detailed
analysis of the raw numbers that we obtained from state authorities
for 2004 and 2005.
It found that veterans were more than twice as likely to commit
suicide in 2005 than non-vets. (Veterans committed suicide at the rate
of between 18.7 to 20.8 per 100,000, compared to other Americans, who
did so at the rate of 8.9 per 100,000.)
One age group stood out. Veterans aged 20 through 24, those who have
served during the war on terror. They had the highest suicide rate
among all veterans, estimated between two and four times higher than
civilians the same age. (The suicide rate for non-veterans is 8.3 per
100,000, while the rate for veterans was found to be between 22.9 and
31.9 per 100,000.)
“Wow! Those are devastating,” said Paul Sullivan, a former VA analyst
who is now an advocate for veterans rights from the group Veterans For
Common Sense.
“Those numbers clearly show an epidemic of mental health problems,” he said.
“We are determined to decrease veteran suicides,” Dr. Katz said.
“One hundred and twenty a week. Is that a problem?” Keteyian asked.
“You bet it’s a problem,” he said.
Is it an epidemic?
“Suicide in America is an epidemic, and that includes veterans,” Katz said.
Sen. Murray said the numbers CBS News uncovered are significant:
“These statistics tell me we’ve really failed people that served our
country.”
Do these numbers serve as a wake-up call for this country?
“If these numbers don’t wake up this country, nothing will,” she said.
“We each have a responsibility to the men and women who serve us
aren’t lost when they come home.”
An update: Another member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen.
Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, responded to the CBS News story Tuesday.
“The report that the rate of suicide among veterans is double that of
the general population is deeply troubling and simply unacceptable. I
am especially concerned that so many young veterans appear to be
taking their own lives. For too many veterans, returning home from
battle does not bring an end to conflict. There is no question that
action is needed.”
Article 2: Help And Resources: Veteran Suicide
NEW YORK, November 13, 2007 – (CBS News) Today, CBS News reported the
findings of a five-month investigation into veteran suicides.
[VCS Note: If you are a veteran or know of a veteran considering
suicide, VA operates a 24/7 toll-free hotline (800) 273-TALK. Call
today if you need help.]
The results were startling: according to data from 45 states, 6,256
men and women who had served in the armed forces took their own lives
in 2005 – that’s 120 suicides every week. Chief investigative
correspondent Armen Keteyian and his investigative team found that
veterans were more than twice as likely to commit suicide that year
than non-veterans.
During the course of the investigation, the investigative team
compiled 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.
How to Spot Warning Signs
The Department of Veterans Affairs provides the following warning signs.
* Talking about wanting to hurt or kill oneself
* Trying to get pills, guns, or other ways to harm oneself
* Talking or writing about death, dying, or suicide
* Hopelessness
* Rage, uncontrolled anger, seeking revenge
* Acting in a reckless or risky way
* Feeling trapped, like there’s no way out
* Saying or feeling there’s no reason for living
Suicide Signs Unique to Veterans
Experts on suicide prevention say for veterans there are some
particular signs to watch for.
* Calling old friends, particularly military friends, to say goodbye
* Cleaning a weapon that they may have as a souvenir
* Visits to graveyards
* Obsessed with news coverage of the war, the military channel
* Wearing their uniform or part of their uniform, boots, etc
* Talking about how honorable it is to be a soldier
* 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, could be wine
* Spending spree, buying gifts for family members and friends “to remember by”
* Defensive speech “you wouldn’t understand,” etc.
* Stop making eye contact or speaking with others
Where to Get Help
Hotline for Veterans: Veterans who need help immediate counseling
should call the hotline run by Veterans Affairs professionals at
1-800-273-TALK and press 1 identifying themselves as military
veterans. Staff members are specially trained to take calls from
military veterans and its staffed 24 hours a day, everyday. While all
operators are trained to help veterans, some are also former military.
Veterans Affairs Health Benefits
Read more about what benefits are available to veterans.
To find out more about what kind of services returning service members
qualify for, check out this summary at the Department of Veterans
Affairs.
Related Links
Air Force Suicide Prevention Program
Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine
410.671.4656
Navy Environmental Health Center’s Suicide Prevention site
757.953.0959
Marine Corps Suicide Prevention Program
National Center for PTSD
802.296.6300
Nonprofit group Give An Hour
SAMHSA’s National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
800.273.8255
TTY: 800.799.4889
Recent Legislation to Prevent Veteran Suicide: On November 6, 2007,
President Bush signed into law the Joshua Omvig Veterans Suicide
Prevention Act. It’s named after a soldier who committed suicide in
Grundy County, Iowa, in December 2005, after serving an 11-month tour
in Iraq. The bill requires the Department of Veteran’s Affairs to meet
deadlines in providing the following services:
* Train VA staff on suicide prevention and mental health care
* Staff each VA medical facility with a suicide prevention counselor
* Screen soldiers who seek care through the VA for mental health needs
* Support outreach and education for veterans and their families
* Research the most effective strategies for suicide prevention
* Create a peer support counseling program so veterans can help other veterans
However, while the bill requires the VA to provide these services, it
provides no new funding.
——————————————————————————–
By Laura Strickler with reporting from Sarah Fitzpatrick in Washington.
The idea that anyone can return from war unscathed is pretty obviously one debunked here. Devastating. I keep thinking that as a nation we have the party line about supporting the troops not the war down pretty well (learned from the past maybe?) but am stunned that the rights of vets–alarming numbers homeless too already–aren’t more front & center in the national conversation about this war. We owe these men & women & their families so much better.
Hi Tom,
I worked at the VA hospital for a couple of years as a psych research assistant. It would have been from 1972 – 1974. (maybe 1971 too). I mainly worked alone – which was great for me. But every once in awhile I was asked to go do some kind of interview or maybe give a psych test to a recently returned vet.
It broke my heart. One guy I met (for all I know he could have been the only one I worked with – I don’t remember) just hurt so much. And I saw him on the street for years … he used to say hi … and then he forgot me. I haven’t seen him in a long time.
Clearly his life was devastated by the war … and I have met so many other vets whose lives were so derailed. Not all – I know others who seemed to do better or who recovered. It all makes me sad.
~ Diane Clancy
http://www.dianeclancy.com/blog