VFW STANDS UP AGAINST MILITARY
SUICIDES
In an open letter, VFW Commander-in-Chief Glen
Gardner is urging his 1.6 million members to
help OEF/OIF veterans cope with the stresses of
war.
Dear Comrades:
There is an enemy in our midst that is having a
devastating effect on our servicemen and women
in the field and at home. That enemy is stress.
Since 9/11, more military personnel and veterans
have committed suicide than the total dead from
both wars in Iraq and Afghanistan combined, and
this tragedy is occurring despite the best of
intentions and programs offered by the
Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs.
That is because the need has overwhelmed the
capacity of government and civilian mental
health centers. It's also because some people
simply refuse to admit they need help.
After incurring 11 suicides since the beginning
of the year, the 101st Airborne Division
commander at Fort Campbell, Ky., ordered a
three-day standdown of activities this week so
that his soldiers could refocus on the mission
of healing themselves and each other.
This is a very positive initiative, but more
needs to be done to overcome the stigma that's
unfortunately attached to seeking help, which
Army Secretary Pete Geren called a significant
challenge to the culture of the Army that places
"a premium on strength: physically, mentally,
emotionally."
Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen
even asked his military leaders to set an
example for lower ranking personnel. "You can't
expect a private or a specialist to be willing
to seek counseling when his or her captain or
colonel or general won't do it," he said.
Since then, general officers as well as sergeant
majors have admitted publicly to mental health
counseling. And even though few of them would be
seen manning remote outposts, and still fewer
would be at risk of being separated from the
military due to "preexisting personality
disorders," their personal testimonials do help
to lessen the stigma attached to seeking help.
But still more must be done, and that's because
the very nature of ground warfare is upfront and
personal, which means experiences will last a
lifetime - and for a 22-year-old combat veteran,
that is a very long time to keep an emotional
trauma buried.
Our government cannot battle this enemy alone
and nor should that 22-year-old. Combat is
personal, and so must be our outreach efforts.
That's why I am issuing this call to action to
urge every VFW member to get immediately
involved by seeking out and extending a hand of
friendship and help to your local servicemembers
- active, Guard and Reserve - and to their
families, too.
Few of us are probably qualified as mental
health professionals or trained counselors, but
every VFW member has one thing in common that
makes us very relevant to this new generation of
warriors: We have walked in their shoes.
We have to look them in the eye and say,
"Everything is going to be alright." We need to
lend a sympathetic ear and tell them that we
were once 20-something, and that we understand
their fears and emotional rollercoaster. What's
most important is that we were able to overcome
our internal demons and successfully move on
with our lives.
Trust is king, so ideally this needs to be done
in one-on-one meetings or in small groups away
from military installations and VFW Posts
primarily for privacy, but also to help
eliminate real or perceived fears of retribution
from civilian employers or military commanders.
We also have to guide them to a department
service officer to help process the maze of
required paperwork that will entitle them to
professional help as well as compensation if
service-connected. The faster we do this the
better, because many suicides occur during the
long waiting period between claims filing and
adjudication. VFW will do everything it can at
the national level to get the process speeded
up, but fast isn't always fast enough when you
need help. That's why the friendships and
mentorships you establish at the local level are
so crucial. You have to be the calming effect in
their storm.
From 9/11 through last week, almost 1,900 men
and women have committed suicide while on
active-duty or in Guard or Reserve status. Still
worse is a Centers for Disease Control estimate
that 18 veterans from all wars commit suicide
every day - that's 6,500 a year!
Those are shocking statistics, so this call to
action is for you to get involved today. Our
mission is to "Honor the dead by helping the
living," and I can think of no more
immediate cause to rally behind than to help
those who can benefit from a firm handshake, a
sympathetic ear, and a sincere thank you for
doing ones duty.
Our nation is in a war and we have comrades in
arms who need our help. The VFW must stand up
against military suicides by getting involved
today in all of our communities.
Yours in comradeship,
Glen M. Gardner Jr.
Commander-in-Chief
HELP RESOURCES
VA Suicide Hotline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
National Suicide Hotline: 1-800-SUICIDE
(784-2433)
Navy Changes
Capt. Michael "Scott" Speicher Status to
"Missing-In-Action"
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for Details
Attention Vietnam Veterans:All in country
Vietnam Veterans were exposed to Agent Orange.
If you served in country you need to have a
Prostate Cancer test done every year at the V.A.
Shinseki Sworn In, Vows 21st
Century Service to Veterans
WASHINGTON –
Retired Army Gen. Eric K. Shinseki took the oath
of office today as the Nation’s seventh Secretary
of Veterans Affairs, assuming the leadership of
the Department of Veterans Affairs following
Tuesday's confirmation by the Senate.
"The
overriding challenge I am addressing from my first
day in office is to make the Department of
Veterans Affairs a 21st century organization
focused on the Nation's Veterans as its clients,"
Shinseki said.
Shinseki plans to develop a 2010 budget
within his first 90 days that realizes the vision
of President Obama to transform VA into an
organization that is people-centric,
results-driven and forward-looking.
Key
issues on his agenda include smooth activation of
an enhanced GI Bill education benefit that
eligible Veterans can begin using next fall,
streamlining the disability claims system,
leveraging information technology to accelerate
and modernize services, and opening VA’s health
care system to Veterans previously unable to
enroll in it, while facilitating access for
returning Iraq
and Afghanistan Veterans.
Shinseki, a former Army Chief of Staff,
takes the reins of a 284,000-employee organization
delivering health care and financial benefits to
millions of Veterans and survivors under a $98
billion budget authorized this year through
networks of regional benefits offices and health
care facilities from coast to coast.
Born
in 1942 on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, Shinseki graduated
from the U.S. Military Academy at West
Point, N.Y., in
1965.
He served two combat tours and was wounded
in action in Vietnam.
He
served with distinction in Europe, the Pacific and
stateside, eventually becoming the Army’s senior
leader from June 1999 to June 2003.
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