U.S. Veteran Suicides at Crisis Levels

     20 Per Day Take their Own Life, Equaling all Lost in Iraq and Afghanistan

 

November 8, 2020 – The federal government should spend more on mental health treatment for returning veterans than bombs, an advocate working to reduce veteran suicides said Sunday.

 

Veterans Administration figures show that 17 U.S. veterans commit suicide daily, about 7,300 a year, more than the number of soldiers killed in the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars.

 

Troy Yocum, founder and president of the Kentucky non-profit, Active Heroes, stated on the weekly Retail Politics Podcast with Gerry Shields that the suicide number has climbed to 20 per day since COVID.

 

Soldiers returning from battle should decompress being sent home, said Yocum an Iraq War veteran. Returning veterans are asked whether they need therapy upon their return, he said.

 

            “I know if I check mark that box yes, I’m going to be on that base three more weeks,” Yocum said. “If I check mark that box no, I’m on my way home tomorrow.”

 

            Yocum’s World War II grandfather committed suicide, he said. His family attended a retreat to deal with the death, he said. Yocum realized that military families cannot bear the costs of participating in such retreats so he built his own near Louisville, Ky.

 

            The organization trains peer mentors to talk to veterans who may be struggling war horrors. Many veterans – stretching from World War II to Iraq – don’t share their battle experiences, Yocum said.

 

            Yocum encouraged all Americans, particularly fellow veterans, to connect with sufferers through email, text or just inviting them out for coffee to help them unburden themselves. Yocum’s uncle served in Vietnam.

           

            “He didn’t speak much about it until I came home from Iraq,” Yocum said. “It was almost like I passed a test.”

 

            The leading causes of veteran suicides include depression, survivor’s guild, substance abuse and war head injuries, Yocum said. The Veterans Administration has prioritized the issue by including allowing veterans thinking of killing themselves to press a number when they call, directing them to a crisis center.

 

            Veterans Administration hospital services now match the quality of private hospitals but getting into the system remains a hurdle, Yocum said. Frustrated, Yocum purchased private health insurance.

 

            “I waited seven months of filing paperwork to get into the VA system,” Yocum said. “There is always going to be more spent on bombs than healthcare.”

 

            Yocum drove an Army truck through Iraq roads littered with hidden explosives, resulting in endless anxiety, he said.

 

            “It’s not like something happens every minute that you’re there,” Yocum said. “But there is always the fear.”

 

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Gerry Shields is author of the new book The Front Row: My Jagged Journey Recording American History from Reagan to Trump. The podcast can be heard at: retailpoliticspodcast.com, Spotify or Apple.

 

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