How is America Failing Its Heroes?
The specific causes and personal reasons for veteran suicide vary, but the reasons all connect to the same thing: PTSD or (post-traumatic stress syndrome), which is the long-term inability of an individual to live with the traumatic events he or she witnesses, takes part in, and is a victim of, and which renders our soldiers unable to make the transition from warrior living in a war zone to civilian living among people who have no idea what the warrior has experienced.
Military service is the most common cause of PTSD in men, according to HelpGuide and Nearly 50% of veterans who saw combat in Iraq and Afghanistan have been diagnosed with PTSD. We spend exorbitant amounts of money and time intensively training men and women to become warriors and not even a modicum of those resources are spent in transitioning them back to civilians.
Perhaps Montana Senator John Walsh, a veteran himself who served as a commander in the Montana National Guard in Iraq and who experienced veteran suicide first-hand when one of his soldiers took his own life, sums it up best:
We spend billions of dollars making sure that our men and women are trained and equipped. . . . We need to make sure that they’re ready to go back into society
– (CNN politics, cnn.com)
THIS is how America fails its heroes.
Victims of PTSD and Veteran Suicide
Each of the following veterans was or is a victim of PTSD. Each attempted or completed suicide. Each is a true account:
- Levi Derby, a combat engineer who served in Afghanistan, hanged himself in his father’s garage. His mother told the Fallen Heroes Project that the death of an Afghan child haunted him and plagued him with guilt because it was his job to clear the land mines in the area, and he had missed this one. He offered the little girl a bottle of water, and as she reached out to take it, she stepped on the land mine. He left behind a wife, a baby boy, and his parents.
- Jack Williams, a member of the Air Force, was raped three times by a drill sergeant when he was 18. After the third assault, he tried to hang himself in the barracks shower but survived. The assaults, however, severely damaged his bladder and destroyed a kidney. At the hospital he was told he might not make it, and his lifelong dream of serving his country ended with an honorable medical discharge. He suffered from severe PTSD and life-long physical disabilities from the assaults, including incontinence and acute back and neck pain. He tried to take his life a second time and survived the second attempt also.
- Brian Lewis served in the Navy and was raped by a superior aboard a ship. Like Williams, he tried to hang himself. Like Williams, he suffered severe PTSD his entire life.
Studies show that victims of military sexual assault are 6 times more likely to commit suicide than non-victims.
- Jordan Dubois posted to his Facebook page that he was getting “kicked out” of the army in two months. Later, he posted that he was going to kill himself and that he would miss his friends and family. An hour after the second post and the upload of what he called his last picture, he slammed his truck into a light pole and tree and died at the scene.
- Cameron Dossey, who served in the Navy, exhibited the classic symptoms of PTSD as soon as he returned home after deployment to Africa, which followed his deployment to Afghanistan. He told his mother that no one cared, no one understood what was going on inside his head, and that he didn’t want to live. His wife reported that he had withdrawn from his family and friends and was suicidal. When police were called to a disturbance at his home, he told the deputies that he wanted them to kill him and then lunged at them with a knife. Police shot him once. Recovering in the hospital from the gunshot wound, he told his mother that if the police didn’t finish the job, he would do it again.
Know the Warning Signs of PTSD Veterans and a potential Veteran Suicide:
- Depression.
- Loss of interest.
- Trouble eating and sleeping that do not go away.
- Chronic insomnia and nightmares.
- Flashbacks.
- Extreme emotional and physical reactions to reminders of the traumatic event.
- Trouble concentrating.
- Always guarded and on alert for danger.
- Insisting on sitting with his or her back to the wall in public places.
- Deteriorating physical appearance.
- Self-destructive behavior like drinking too much or driving recklessly.
- Withdrawal from family, friends, and activities.
- Sleeping too much or too little.
- Dramatic mood changes and swings.
- Outbursts of aggression, anger, and hostility.
- Feelings of excessive guilt or shame.
Ways to Help Prevent a Veteran Suicide:
- Ask a direct question:
Are you thinking about suicide?
Experts widely agree that directly asking about suicidal thoughts and intentions does not plant the suicide seed in a person’s head but rather helps the person to open up and accept help.
- Help the veteran make the initial call to a mental-health professional. Often, making the initial call is the hardest part of the process for the suicidal person.
- Never use force. Understand that the veteran is experiencing severe emotional pain.
- Actively listen.
- Be nonjudgmental.
- Be positive and helpful
- Go with the veteran to seek help.
- Call the Military Crisis Line
- Don’t leave the veteran alone before he or she is in treatment.
- Adopt the attitude that you are going to help.
“In war, there are no unwounded soldiers.”
~Jose Narosky
We at Advanced Bio Treatment proudly support our heroes, both active duty and veterans. We proudly support community programs that reach out to veterans and their families and that raise community awareness of the unique hardships our heroes face when they return to us. Read our blog about military volunteer opportunities, here.
Resources for Veterans Their Families:
Veterans Crisis Line: Available 24/7. Connects veterans, their families, and their friends with qualified responders from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Confidential and toll-free phone, chat, and text.
Stop Soldier Suicide:
http://stopsoldiersuicide.org/
http://www.helpguide.org/articles/ptsd-trauma/ptsd-in-veterans.htm
Give an Hour: a non-profit group that pairs volunteer mental-health professionals with combat veterans.
