By Paul Waldmiller
Did you know that 16 million Americans fought in the Second World War? But as of today their numbers are dwindling due to many of these veterans being in their 80s, 90s and even over 100 years-old. In fact, today there are less than one million of these World War II veterans still alive today and their numbers are rapidly decreasing by nearly 400 per day!
Similarly, today we are also losing our American military veterans from other wars of late including in Afghanistan and Iraq. They are not dying so much to natural death and age as our World War Two veterans, but instead, to suicide. Researchers from the Veterans Affairs Office and other groups found that risk of suicide for our Vets is 21 percent higher than when compared to civilians. From 2001-2014, as the non-military serving population rose to approximately 23 percent, the rate among veterans rose more than 32 percent.
During the recent Wuhan (Covid-19) Virus pandemic, President Trump stated several times during speeches to the media as well as to the public that he was concerned for the mental health of Americans because of prolonged time in isolation all in attempts to “flatten the curve” of the infection rate. Although his concern may have been genuine, recent studies show that there is an increase in alcohol and drug use as well as the number of Americans seeking mental health treatment–including military veterans.
Surprisingly, the Veterans Administration does not give many specific answers as to why veterans kill themselves. There is a lot of speculation and educated guesses, such as “brain injuries” and “alcohol or drug abuse”, but according to Kristopher Goldsmith of The Military Times, there are other significant factors contributing to the veteran suicide rate. Among those reasons were lack of personal support from the VA and others. Perhaps one of the largest factors contributing to the suicide rate is the lack of emotional support from family.
Looking through the eyes of our veterans, the following video may help us comprehend the importance of family support for our vets. (Warning: Contains violence)