Veterans Face a Suicide Epidemic
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Veterans Face a Suicide Epidemic
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Thousands of veterans each year are taking their own lives. Today is Veteran’s Day. Please take time to pray for America’s veterans.
From Newsweek. The suicide rate among U.S. veterans may be much higher than estimated by state and national data, according to a study that sheds new light on what experts say is an urgent crisis.
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The study, conducted by the national nonprofit America’s Warrior Partnership (AWP) in cooperation with the Department of Defense and the University of Alabama, shows that states might be undercounting veterans’ deaths at an error rate of 25 percent.
AWP had data from eight states which committed to share information on residents’ deaths. According to the research, in the states examined — including Alabama, Florida, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, and Oregon — the daily rate of suicide among former service members was 1.37 times greater than previously reported by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
If the eight states collectively represented the national rate, the veteran suicide rate would be 2.4 times greater than previously reported by the VA, according to the study. That means that on average 44 former service members died by suicide every day between 2014 and 2018.
M. David Rudd, a veteran and professor of psychology at the University of Memphis, told Newsweek that suicide “is the single most significant health concern among veterans today.” …
According to official data, over 30,000 veterans have died by suicide between September 2001 and 2019 — four times more than the number of those who died in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.
According to the 2022 VA report on veterans’ suicide rate in the U.S., in 2020, there were a total of 6,146 veteran suicides, for an average 16.8 per day. Despite the staggering number, there were 343 fewer veteran suicides than the previous year.
Measuring ‘Hopelessness’
As well as analyzing veterans’ cause of death and their health, AWP studied veterans’ history of involvement with law enforcement — if any — and financial information like their credit score, or whether they were refused a loan for a home. These factors, the organization said, were correlated to how “hopeful” veterans felt about their lives.
Jim Lorraine, a veteran and president of America’s Warrior Partnership, told Newsweek that hopelessness correlated to a higher suicide rate “and we believe that financial instability is contributing holistically to a hopelessness among veterans — as well as American people.” …
While veterans can have other problems — from post-traumatic stress disorder to lingering injury — improving their quality of life might reduce their likelihood of taking their own life. …
A Difficult Transition
Rudd, who founded the Rudd Institute for Veteran/Military Suicide Prevention in Memphis, said that, though reasons are unique and different for each person, the transition from military to civilian life can be very challenging for some veterans.
“It’s a unique transition, different from any other kind of transition in life,” he said. “Oftentimes when individuals leave that very structured system with a very clearly identified purpose and mission, they lose that sense of purpose and that support structure.” …
Is Enough Support Available for Veterans?
“I’d argue there’s not enough support or interventions that are effective,” Rudd said. “Part of the problem is that there are a number of interventions which are helpful for people, but not enough clinicians are doing those — particularly in rural areas.”
In these areas access to health care is not as immediate as it can be in highly populated urban areas. According to America’s Warrior Partnership, 40 percent of veterans live in rural areas.
“I think support starts locally, and we can do a better job at improving these services,” Lorraine said. “There’s 17 and a half million veterans right now living in the U.S., and I don’t see a reason why they shouldn’t have access to services that help them improve their quality of life.” …
“I think part of the challenge is that very few people really understand what are the demands of serving in the military and then what are the stressors when you transition out of the military back into civilian life — and that’s part of the problem,” Rudd said.
“And then it’s compounded by stigma, which is a problem in the general U.S. population, with almost one half of all Americans thinking that seeking therapy is a sign of weakness. That number is almost two thirds in the general population.” …
Share your prayers and scriptures for our veterans below.
(Excerpt from Newsweek. Photo Credit: Lance Reis on Unsplash)
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Lord God, thank you for the warriors who have fought in all our wars and protected our Country and our Constitution (unique among nations). Help each to reject the lies of the enemy. Help each to find comrades, friends, churches and groups who will help affirm their worth, heal their emotional and physical wounds, and bring YOUR hope of restoration and reconciliation. In Jesus strong Name, Amen.
https://youtu.be/D9YYKi5cVt4?si=ZsS5v0pw7i-Z19-u
We hope this Veterans Video touches your heart.
We are praying and working on helping Veterans.
Psalm 107 (Thanksgiving for God’s Deliverance)
https://biblehub.com/hcsb/psalms/107.htm
deliverance= rescue, redemption, recovery, ransom…SALVATION
https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deliverance
Dear Heavenly Father, You are God Almighty and Your love endures forever, it will never yield to suffering or misfortune. I am praying You will rescue everyone who is considering suicide. They are in the enemy’s grip. They are being diminished by his cruel oppression. I am crying out to You for those who have yet to do so. In their suffering in every circumstance known, I am crying out for them to be saved in their distress. I pray You will rescue them, satisfy them, fill them, and guide them so they too will give You thanks for Your faithful love. I ask this in the Name of Jesus Christ, Your love who came down to rescue us all. Amen
We need to move away from war. It is not surprising that the guilt and horror veterans feel after being required to behave in ways not consistent with how humans are designed to behave leads them into suicide, especially as society mostly does not have the inclination to help them heal. We take the innocent, train them to kill their fellow beings, to eliminate the urgings of mercy, and then abandon them to homelessness and their own guilt over the actions they have done by obeying the training we gave them. War kills. It kills not only “the enemy”, whom we perceive as less human than others, but also our veterans and our environment. Time to end war.
Father God break the chains that imprison the minds of those ensnared by curses declared against them as they went about their duties as assigned by this nation. . Shine your righteous light upon their hearts that they might be changed, iIlluminated, Healed, set free of all debilitation sent against them In Jesus Holy Name Amen and Amen
I am a Vietnam war era veteran who can talk with other veterans and maybe drive them to VA clinics. They can email me for information.
We speak LIFE to our veterans. Lord God, may they be aware that You have for them a future and a hope. May each know how valuable they are to You, to families and to all of us.
To all Veterans. Prayers every night, daily thoughts of how much value you give to America, to your Family. It boggles my mind. My whole family of guys were in the service, Navy – x3 or 4, Army – 1, Air Force – 2, and 1 Marine. Please realize just how very much you are admired and loved. Talk. talk, talk and again TALK. It does help. My love to all you great guys.!!!
Father God,
We pray against the spirit of suicide in our veteran community! We ask that they would seek You & also seek professional help if needed.
We thank You for their service to our country & ask that You would protect them.
Thank You for hearing my prayer! In Jesus Mighty Name I pray,Amen.
Father, we are at war with Satan and the fallen angels that Jesus defeated at the cross. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, Because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the depressed; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to those who are bound” (Isaiah 61:1).
This article does not deal with honor (or rather the lack of it) regarding veterans. It used to be within my lifetime that veterans were significantly honored. Whatever the experience or injury, veterans could deal with it because of their being honored.
One could even think of how many disrespected husbands also might well take their own lives. God’s Word tells His people to “honor whom honor is DUE.”
Lord God Almighty, please give mental strength to all veterans on this day and everyday 🙏!! Suicide is never the answer because it’s Satan’s evil tricks! Instead, bring peace in their hearts and minds and know Christ is the one who fights their battles both in war and in their minds from the intense trauma they faced. (My cousin was a Marine and chose to end his life at age 23, with a young family.) It’s all about having a relationship with Jesus Christ!!
Heavenly Father, thank you for providing safety for this country by sending soldiers into the fray, against the military threats to this country. It was a tall, sacrificial task for many of them, as they have been made to pay a great price. They come back with bodily injuries and disabilities to a nation that does not appreciate them. Lord, lift up their spirits. Give them hope, and, yes, peace, over the role they had played. Give them strength to fight the afflictions in their minds that would have them to end it all. It is a lonely battle, but, Lord, You are there for the brokenhearted. Be for there for these veterans now. Grant them grace to make the way back into civilian life. Steer them away from suicidal thoughts and lead them into opportunities, to jobs that can use their skills. Many suffer from substance addiction, homelessness, and hunger. Help them from without, leading people to reach out to them with resources to address their physical and medical needs. Help them internally in the spirit–that they would look to You and be guided by you in an adjusted, new, and transformative life, where they can see Your value for them and their continuing contributions to people in the community. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
LORD, this is a complex issue if viewed through human eyes, involving PTSD, financial pressures, social stigma, marriage stressors, injuries (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual), a decline in military integrity and support, a vacuum of a sense of purpose when reentering society, deliverance, medicating instead of healing, in addition to any personal struggles of a moral, spiritual nature. To YOU, this is a simple issue – they need YOU. It is not that those who know YOU have no struggles, but knowing YOU does provide them access to everything they need – forgiveness, eternal life, restoration, healing, unconditional love, provision, an eternal sense of purpose, and so much more. I thank you for every ministry that is attempting to bring the Gospel and many kinds of practical help to our veterans. Please strengthen and make provision for them. And please help veterans to be aware of the help that is available, and the humility to seek it. We pray for a mighty move of Holy Spirit among our military and our veterans, including many from my own family.
May those who have served us in the military truly be honored, as they should be on this Veteran’s Day weekend.
Dear Lord in heaven, please minister to our veterans in ways that they really need. I pray for their emotional needs for healing, I pray that they know they are so appreciated for defending and serving our country. Please give them a sense of accomplishment and give each one another purpose in life. They are very important to us and our country. Let us support and take much better care of them, please bring about ways to do this in our cities all over our country. Help us to find ways to support them financially.
Amen
Please look up the word Pharmakia, which is the Greek root word of pharmaceutical. The first meaning is poison, the second is witchcraft and sorcery.
Need I say more?
These drugs that they give you for depression, if you actually read the side effects, actually cause depression and suicidal ideation. All doctors hand them out like they are candy because they have no other solution. If the doctor can’t cut it out, cut it off or medicate you there’s nothing they can do for you and unfortunately when you take medicine have you ever noticed it gives you three new symptoms which now you have to take medicine to counteract those??
I am 63 and I take no meds at all and my husband is 66 and he takes no medicine at all. Every spice and herb and plant is here for you if you search the matter out. I have cured myself of every disease, including cancer.
These people profit from your demise. Please wake up and search the matter out and stop trusting these doctors and pharmaceutical drug companies
I am also a court reporter, and that’s when I discovered this whole system because every single drug that comes out on the market is in a lawsuit and they’re still selling that drug.
I was doing a case just the other day on metformin which they’re still selling and killing people or making them very ill with it.
It’s a numbers game. If they can make 500 billion and pay 50 billion in death claims or injuries, they still made $450 billion. These people do not care about you, trust me .
Father strength our Veterans in the name of Jesus to choose life. We apply the blood of Jesus for protection we clothe them with the armour id God, The Helmet of Salvation, the mind of Christ, the sheild of faith, the belt of Truth, Shoes thst bring truth, the Sword of the Spirit. We declare supernatural mental healing you Lord are the great Physician go snd do what only you can do.
In Jesus Name
My sons are in the military and I see that their stress levels are negatively affecting them each day. Our government and civilian population need to be more supportive. Pay levels should increase and living conditions improved. These men & women give sacrificially and need our respect and encouragement. Please pray for them as the threat of expansion of war increases.
Father GOD I lift up our wounded warriors to your holy throne. Draw them to yourself. Send the healing, cleansing blood of JESUS CHRIST through their bodies, souls and spirits. By HIS AUTHORITY I bind all of the enemy’s tactics coming against USA VETERANS! IN JESUS NAME! AMEN!