According to the National Library of Medicine, the suicide rates among members of U.S. Armed Forces are approximately 19.74 deaths per 100,000 each year. A study from Brown University on the ‘Costs of War’ found that 30,177 active-duty personnel and veterans who served in the military after 9/11 have died by suicide compared to the approximate 7,057 service members killed in combat in the same 20 years. This makes military suicide rates four times higher than deaths that occur in military operations.
Statistics like these truly sadden me and should be a shock to all Americans. As someone who has never served in uniform, I know that I will never fully be able to understand what these men and women have endured, but I do know that dealing with scars - both visible and invisible - can make daily life nearly impossible. Most of us civilians will never understand the difficulties our service members face, but we should all be part of the support they receive when they return home.
No mother or father, brother or sister, son or daughter, should have to deal with the hardships that follow a loved one taking their own life. Jenette Nazario, a dedicated Fisher House volunteer is tragically all too familiar with this experience when in 2017, her son died by suicide on deployment in South Korea. Today, Jenette shares the story of her son in the hopes that it will lead others to seek help when they need it and has become a great advocate for veteran and active-duty service member mental health.
We know that putting effort and resources towards the mental health of our active and veteran service members can help save lives and keep families together. That is why during September, Suicide Prevention Month, I want to bring special attention to this issue to encourage conversations about mental health, spark people to take action and donate to places that support veteran mental health, and especially call upon our politicians in Washington DC to continue to push legislation that fights for veteran healthcare services and fights for their families.
Small things can go a long way in saving a life. Simple acts of kindness or urging someone who you feel is struggling can sometimes be the difference between life and death. Adaptive sporting events like the Invictus Games and Warrior Games are amazing outlets of hope and inspiration I’ve had the privilege of attending in recent years. At these events, I’ve seen men and women who overcame impossible challenges, people who had lost limbs, been burned, paralyzed, but had not given up.
Through the power of sport, these men and women found hope and meaning in their lives.
I have also witnessed the healing power of community and a family’s love. Having loved ones close by during recovery, being surrounded by others who are going through the same thing, and simply feeling gratitude in action through volunteers and those who care can be powerful medicine.
It is things like this that make me feel that we truly do have the power to make a difference and help prevent suicide.
The time to have these conversations is now. Suicide and mental health issues have run rampant across the United States, including the civilian population. We must all do our part to support our loved ones and put pressure on legislators to make mental health services more available.
We also have to stand up for the families of those who have lost their lives to suicide, and treat it like a battlefield casualty – because it is. All to often, these families are forgotten, and don’t receive the resources they need as survivors.
I urge all who can to get involved this National Suicide Prevention Month. There are many great nonprofits working to support mental health and our military including Fisher House Foundation.
It is on all of us to work to make a change and I believe united, we will be able to accomplish this feat. Through combined efforts between civilians, government leaders, non-profits, and military partners, we can help these men and women who have sacrificed so much for us.
I urge all this Suicide Prevention Month, and all year round, to check in on their loved ones and do what you can to make a difference.
Ken Fisher is CEO of Fisher House Foundation
If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, contact the Veterans Crisis Line to receive free, confidential support and crisis intervention available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Dial 988 then Press 1, text 838255 or online here.