Warrior Tim's Blog Entry 22
THE WARRIORS ARE DYING INSIDE TO END UP DYING FROM WITHOUT BECAUSE THE PAIN AND SUFFERING FROM WITHIN JUST WILL NOT END!
There have been reports and studies done by the U.S. Government (Department of Veteran Affairs Administration) that on an average of 22 Veterans a day end their lives through suicide, but that was the original report from several years ago, but there has been a new study that it is now about 20 Veterans a day end their lives and down below I will have links of the data coming from reports from the U.S. Government. There have been some studies coming out of other organizations that have come up with their own statistics that confirm the number is about the same or higher or lower.
Regardless if the reports of the statistics of the numbers of how many Veterans take their own life each day is accurate or not; that is really not important of the accuracy of the number; because one is to many and if the number is 22 a day that is not a problem; that is an epidemic that is becoming or depending who you talk to is actually currently a horrifying account of Veterans dying each day.
Now keep in mind that suicide in the military has been going on for a very long time, and when I first joined in the U.S. Army and freshly out of Basic Training/ A.I.T. (Advanced Individual Training) just got to my duty station at Ft. Polk, La of my unit Warrior Brigade/ 46th Engineers there was a soldier that committed suicide by hanging himself I believe with 550 cord (Military Rope) and the cord was wrapped around his neck that was secured to a shower head in his barracks room. He was a Specialist/ E-4 and he was a very high speed/ low-drag soldier who was very popular and very known by not just his peers but by his leadership. The death of the Warrior came by surprise but many it sided blinded pretty much everyone. From what I was told and found out by others that there was no tell tell signs. It was a major blow to my unit, and when I got to the unit the suicide of the Warrior just took place the week I showed up during the time I was being processed into my new unit.
While going through the motion and having to be at the formations and at the Memorial for the fallen Warrior it was a sober reminder that serving in the military has its hook-ups, and everyone has their limits, and that I am truly living a life where others around me are reminding me that not everyone is able to handle what is going on in their head, and my first encounter of a very low morale in my unit showed me that facing reality was not just knocking at my front door it is busting in and making an entrance that kind of at the time took me by surprise. I know now but didn't then that being a soldier is not always what it is cracked up to be, and there is so much going on with all that serve or served, and even if you didn't know it about others you served with that the high stress, and the demanding excellence is no joke, and even if you think the soldier next to you is doing alright that isn't always the case.
While I was going up I dealt with a lot of stress in my life, and the only thing I thought would help me deal with all the stress in my life of feeling as if I was a failure, and I could never be someone then who I was already before joining the military, it was to do whatever it took to make my childhood dream become a reality by getting what I had to finalize to be able to join. I did just that, I got all my ducks in a row, and I joined the military in 1996. Many in my family thought I could do it because of my past, and because of my many failures before joining, but I proved them and myself wrong.
Joining the military was the best thing I could of done, and knowing what I know now, and what I have experienced while serving in the Armed Forces has truly been valuable lessons, and has helped me with being able to gain so much knowledge as a soldier who eventually was deployed in a combat zone twice, but there is always a downside, and there is always consequences or residual affects of whatever you do in the civilian world if it is good or bad, and that is no different in the military world.
I understand and know that suicide is not just a military thing, it is also in the civilian sector, and the suicide statistics for youth especially teenagers are high in numbers and seem not to be really slowing down, and with other demographic groups as well, but with me being a Combat Veteran who has tried to commit suicide several times after serving in the military, and of knowing people who I have served with who have tried to commit suicide and failed and of others who have succeed, lets just say the to close to comfort of being to much of a reality in my life has impacted me in such a profound way where I have for many years been involved with organizations like NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness of being a peer to peer specialist, advocate, lobbyist, and a Minister who started a homeless shelter for homeless veterans (The Quincy House-Topeka, KS) where there have been Veterans who have in the past tried to commit suicide, and hearing their stories throughout the years is a sober reminder that suicide is not bias, it is not racist, it doesn't care if you are male or female, it doesn't care about your creed or religion, etc.
My past experiences of trying to end my life through intentional drug overdoses, of violently trying to end my life through attempts of jumping off of a bridge or building or of trying to cause a violent act to end myself happened to me too many times after my military service, and at the time I could never understand why could I not end my life, because I didn't want to live any more, I could bare the thought of accomplishing so much in life to lose it all many times over in my life, and to end up being alone, with no relationship with a lover or with my family, and of being a drug addict that couldn't seem to control my addiction, and of all the pain and suffering inside of my mind of what I encountered while serving in the military as a Combat Veteran, etc.
I know to darn well what our Warriors are going through way before 22 a day campaigns become known or even before the elephant in the room was even addressed. I am writing Warrior Tim's Blog Entry 22 because this is my 22 blog entry, and I want to dedicate this blog entry 22 to those Warriors or for that matter anyone wanting to end their lives today or have in the past, because there is an epidemic going on with Warriors in the Service or out of the Service who are really hurting inside, and there is a lot of factors behind what I believe to be many of the reasons why for decades and decades of Warriors taking their own life, and down below I will show you my thoughts on the underline factors of bullet points of why, what, who, when, and where I think the 22 a day is happening, and what I think isn't happening to end 22 a day, and what I think needs to happen to stop it.
Here are my Why-What-Who-When-Where Reasons of the 22 a Day:
The Why's
Not seeing the warning signs in a Warrior who is becoming suicidal or is suicidal
Lack of a support network
Mental Health Disorders/ Illnesses (P.T.S.D./ Bipolar/ Depression & Anxiety Disorders, etc.)
Drug addiction to street drugs/ prescribed medication
Lack of a solid spiritual approach to the recovery process of healing from within or from without
Not given the chance to get the help the Warrior facing the suicide idolization or having the plans of caring out the suicide act
The stigma that the Warrior is dealing with while trying to cope with whatever is causing the thoughts or of willing to take the course of action to fulfilling the idea of ending their life
The Warrior or others around them lacking the experience or knowledge of knowing how to help the Warrior from following through of committing suicide: https://www.uspharmacist.com/article/suicide-in-the-veteran-population
The What's
The overall freewill and choice of the Warrior taking their own life of fate just taking over of a Warrior's mind of being determined to take their own life
Street Drugs/ Some prescribed medication is causing the Warrior to be more depressed, more emotional, and feeling more hopeless, and the overall end result of addiction to drugs is causing the Warrior to mentally, emotionally, and even physically to just breakdown and given into the self-defeating thoughts that you are better off dead than alive, and may be a link of helping with the Warrior to end their life: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/watchdog-says-psychotropic-drug-link-to-military-and-veteran-suicides-warrants-federal-probe-300493676.html
The Dept. of Veteran Affairs Administration has been, and still is failing to properly address those or identify Warriors at risk of committing suicide, because there are many Warriors being turned away after trying to seek help for depression, mental or emotional conditions, and it is because of some of those who have been charged with the duties of responsibilities of caring for our Warriors are dropping the ball, and I choosing to deny our Warriors the care they need and support because of the human element of error that is plaguing society, especially the Veteran Community, and also because there is no real accountability factor of an outside entity that is the watch dogs of the Doctors who are making horrible and unethical approaches, and not having the compassion or desires to do the right thing for the Warrior needing to be treated: https://www.stripes.com/watchdog-found-deficiencies-in-care-for-veteran-who-committed-suicide-in-minneapolis-va-parking-lot-1.549145
The Who's
The Warrior is giving up or just can't take on living anymore in all cases
The System (Government) is failing in many cases
The Doctors are failing by not really being able to treat the Warrior properly because science is not able to truly treat the Warrior without major side affects coming from the medication they are treating the Warrior with in many cases
The When's
From the past to present, and future if there is nothing set in place to stop 22 a day
Every day
The perfect storm combines with many factors of what the Warrior is facing in their mind or the reality around them
The Where's
Anywhere our Warriors are committing suicide from their own residency to others residency, in the hospital, on the streets, while incarcerated, alone or while others are around
The Solution of 22 a Day to End
Reform the Dept. of the VA
Hold the Doctors accountable and force their hand by having a watch dog outside entity making sure all Warriors who seek help are getting their needs met in which I think their should be a Anti-Suicide Squad that don't work for the Doctor who is treating or not treating the Veteran that their main mission is to keep everyone honest and accountable, and to prevent a Warrior from being discharged prematurely or is not getting proper care by the Doctor or medical or mental health staff (Team)
Stop the stigma of mental health
Keep educating everyone on how to prevent suicide or to at least inform everyone willing to know more about why a person would want to end their life in the first place
Give a Warrior other alternatives of healing the Warrior in all aspects of treated the Warrior who is or could follow through with committing suicide
Support organizations such as Wounded Warrior Project, Mission 22, Awareness 22, and other organizations that are truly doing what it takes to make a big impact for those who are thinking of ending their life or for those that need to help educate others in the civilian community that are so misinformed on why would someone what to take their own life in the first by any means practical & effective
Keep encouraging those who are planning or about to end their life even if you know they may or not be vulnerable to committing suicide by expressing how important they are to you, show the love and support, and just be visible with expressing that support through social media platforms, etc.
Note: Not all mental health or medical health providers are incompetent or causing issues in the Veteran Community of failing those seeking help, but how the system is currently with the Dept. of the VA still makes it possible for those Warriors wanting to end their more plausible because a flawed and broken failing system not able to function at a level and capacity that is not tainted by misguided and failing guidelines of caring for our Warriors in distress.
Do I have all the answers of course not? But do I have creditably or the knowledge and experience of why our Warriors are ending their lives and of how the Dept. of VA has a track record of failing our Warriors; you betcha?
In my book and documentary I will be explaining more in detail of my experience and others of all aspects of the epidemic of 22 a day, but for now I have given you a glimpse of my personal and professional thoughts on the 22 a day epidemic.
In closing:
Do I think that we can truly end 22 a day? No, but I know we can truly decrease or discourage those to take their own life by being more active in advocating for those who are our Warriors who are on the verge of ending their own life through also putting pressure on the Law Makers to make it a crime for Doctors to release a Warrior or turn away a Warrior after the Warrior Ending their life because neglect of caring for a Warrior by charging the Doctor or anyone involved of not helping the Warrior for reckless and incompetency of failing to honor the oath all health providers take as professionals in the medical or mental health field: by making it easier to hold them accountable.
Furthermore, if a Doctor fails to care for a Warrior they should be charged with assisting with a Warriors suicide by not caring for the Warrior, and they should be stripped of their medical or mental health license, and never be able to practice medicine or treat a Warrior as a Doctor.
Lastly, if you put the pressure on the medical/ mental health field to hold Doctors accountable and make it easier to take their licences you will see more of them not making as much errors, and they will think twice to just discharge a Warrior from their care even if current Policies of the Dept. of the VA doesn't line up with what is expected from the Doctor or health provider because there will be a situation of major conflict that has to be forced to be resolved by addressing the issue not ignoring it.
Citations/ Supportive Links:
Background. In 2012, an estimated 6,500 former military personnel died by suicide. ... In 2013, the VA released a study that covered suicides from 1999 to 2010, which showed that roughly 22 veterans were dying by suicide per day, or one every 65 minutes.
How many veterans suffer from PTSD?The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that PTSD afflicts: Almost 31percent of Vietnam veterans. As many as 10 percent of Gulf War (Desert Storm) veterans. 11 percent of veterans of the war in Afghanistan.
Other Links:
https://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=2951
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_military_veteran_suicide
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2015/02/04/the-missing-context-behind-a-widely-cited-statistic-that-there-are-22-veteran-suicides-a-day/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.3f72ab168955
Note: The research that has been compiled and has been the information provided by third party doesn't reflect or even support the opinions or thoughts on what I think to be true completely or do I support any of the entities that I provided of their research of studies or stories that relate to this blog entry 22!
Supportive Videos (Be advised some of the videos may be disturbing and graphic!):
Author Notes:
As a survivor of the statistics of the 22 a day it is a daily reminder that the overwhelming suicide epidemic is something that can't be ignored, and needs to be radically and with relentlessness efforts to stop our Warriors from ending their lives. I have been for years been doing whatever it takes to inform the public and the veteran community to be more proactive in being very aggressive in bringing awareness to the epidemic of the 22 a day so regardless if we can't stop all military/ veteran suicides at least we can prevent most of them or to even put pressure on the government to make radical changes on how they do or don't do to prevent 22 a day.
Because having a hotline only works if someone calls it, and if the government keeps turning our Warriors away, all that proves that their is a systematic agenda that is disturbing to even think that approach would even be considered to even be allowed to happen knowing that time after time when you do reject the Warrior the likelihood of the the Warrior actually following through of ending their life is so much greater of a risk for that Warrior and impacts their family/ friends/ veteran community more greatly than if the government would just not do what has been going on with rejecting the Warrior knowing what will most likely be the end result. I know that Warriors have committed suicide on VA grounds after being rejected from the VA more than what is needed or should even of happened and that should be very disturbing and alarming of knowing that is a reality back in the day and even now.
Furthermore, I plead to all to be part of the solution not part of the problem of 22 a day! Warriors, please just seek help and if the VA rejects you go find someone to help you until you can get the help you need, it is not worth dying over of taking the pain and suffering from within side you to from without you to act on what is causing you from within to stop it because that approach will not end the pain and suffering because it will compound after you are gone by affecting those who care and love you regardless if you think that isn't the case!
Lastly, while putting together this blog entry 22 was causing me anxiety, and was very challenging to write and I had to take a break and start up again the next day, because I to know in a very personal way that even though I have moved forward the sting of the pain and suffering can comeback and remind of the old days, but doesn't mean we allow the old days to take control of your life and manifest to the point of reverting back to the old ways, old thinking, and the old behaviors. The last video really got me to just about tear up and reminded me when I was in that same place of where the Warrior is, but the video is a reminder that we are not alone, and there may be people will reject us when we seek help but not everyone is going to reject you because not everyone are just going to let you give up.
(Note: You see that smile...doesn't mean inside I am in pain and at times suffering...it means that regardless of the circumstances I thank God He took me out of that place from the past that almost killed me...and that even though I still have my good and days...this to shall pass...and there is hope in times of bleakness...we just got to not give up...and not give into the demons that are lying to us and trying to trick us to throw in the towel.)
Special Thanks for Google.com for helping me to provide the data through my research I needed for this blog entry, and the 22 a Day organizations that have been working tirelessly with eagerness to truly be a positive an effective tool and resource to end 22 a day, and of course God for giving me the inspiration and the ability to make it possible through Him to establish and publish this blog entry!
Scripture:
Romans 8:18. "The pain that you've been feeling, can't compare to the joy that's coming (Paraphrased)."
Comments