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. What can we do to address and solve this tragedy?
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 we pray for all of the military service men and women. In the mighty name of Jesus we speak peace to their mind, soul, and body. Calm the storm inside them. We say no weapon formed against them will prosper. In the name of Jesus we break off any evil words from the enemy or any curses said over them while in these other countries. These soldiers will have peace of mind in the name of Jesus. Lord set them free from all torment and attack. Heal them all and fill them with Your presence. We pray LIFE, Peace, and Salvation to each one. Amen.
Dear Heavenly Father, please protect the minds of these wonderful men and women who serve our country. The weight of all of these problems is very hard on them and they need your help and ours to get them in the right frame of mind. I plead the blood of Jesus over their minds to protect them from such desperate moves. God bless them.
Father, please send angels to minister to our veterans. Holy Spirit comfort each and every one of them. Rescue these men and women from the powers of darkness. Lord God, raise up Your children to minister to these veterans. Give Your body the ways and means to do so to bring You the glory. I ask that You would open doors that no man can close for these men and women who have so bravely served our country , and close doors that no man can open.
Father, In Jesus holy name I bring my prayer before you for my brothers and sisters in arms who sacrificed a portion of the precious life to serve our great nation. I speak restoration to my brethren from any curse, prayer, or malefactor’s enchantments against them. Jesus, you became a curse for all mankind upon the cross at Calvary. You the precious Lamb of God paid price in full for any sin, iniquity, or wrong doing they my have done. I now renounce every curse, enchantment, and spell cast against them be null and void. Without power, without effect, it’s time is up, over, and its permission in the spiritual realm is revoked. No weapon formed against our men and women who serve shall prosper, no net of wickedness shall function against them, but all spells, curses, enchantments shall return upon those you cast them and bring their destruction double beginning this very hour in Jesus Holy Name. Amen, and Amen.
My husband and I are both veterans. Military lifestyle is indeed different, there are many young people who come out of the military with no direction/their jobs don’t translate to civilian life. Plus the military runs by chain of command. Many don’t know how to make their own decisions, especially if they have not advanced in rank. Do as you told. Of course this is not the only predictor. Just like in civilian life there is a variety of people with different temperaments. Depending on where you serve attitudes vary significantly. I believe Jesus is the answer to the core of these issues. He is the only One who can fulfill each and everyone of us! Our world is losing it’s Judeo-Christian values and leaving shipwrecked lives in its wake.
Lord I lift the depressed to You. You know their experiences, their belief systems, etc. Please open the eyes and hearts of these people, show them the way to You!
I was depressed while in the military, God brought me out, He gave me a vision of the choices I had and where they would lead. I cried for 3 days because I thought I had to give up “fun” to get the stable life I wanted. My idea of fun was passed on by my parents and was worldly. I am forever grateful for the Lord intervening in my life!!
ALMIGHTY GOD, I did not realize these high figures. Please help me to show compassion in my praying. I do not personally know a single veteran but I can still pray for the problem to greatly decrease. These men and women went through a great ordeal to be a veteran, and I ask that YOUR mercy and grace will touch each one personally weather they are CHRISTIANS or not. In the HOLY name of JESUS CHRIST. I ask this petition and I thank YOU in advance…
Dear LORD, You see the hearts and minds of each of our veterans. They served willing to give it all for this nation and for others. Send Your ministering angels to each veteran and remind them of their value to You. We speak “life” over them and ask that You would anoint them with Your oil of “gladness”. Show us how to meet their needs and come alongside. Let their true identities to be found in You alone. Remove any shame that hinders them, instead Lord Jesus clothe them in Your righteousness. Let confession and forgiveness come with healing, break off every stronghold of darkness and lies. Holy Spirit indwell and counsel them covering them with the peace of Christ. In Jesus mighty name. Amen.
Dear Lord, Please help us, equip us to concern for every person we have any contact to , help us to care , to have Your love in our heart, help us to be the salt and light. Please help those people that feel hopeless and without light, save them before they do the unthinkable, intervene and may Your hope reach them. In Your name I pray Jesus, amen.
Heavenly Father, I pray that You will minister to all of the veterans who have served our country and many others. I can’t imagine how hard it must be to be fighting in battles where there are many deaths not only of soldiers but children and families. The war in Ukraine and other nations has devastated the lives of so many people it doesn’t seem fair to the families to have homes, schools, jobs, and lives destroyed. When these men and women leave the service, they take all these memories with them. I wonder how many suffer from feeling guilty for destroying the lives of other families.
Father, we know that often times it is power hungry leaders who start these wars not the people. I pray, Father , that You would give us righteous leaders who serve You and not their own egos. Jesus told us to pray …”deliver us from evil.” That is our prayer for our nations and for our veterans. Give us peace physically and spiritually. In Jesus name I pray. Amen
Psalm 71:19-21
19 Your righteousness, God, reaches to the heavens,
you who have done great things.
Who is like you, God?
20 Though you have made me see troubles,
many and bitter,
you will restore my life again;
from the depths of the earth
you will again bring me up.
21 You will increase my honor
and comfort me once more.
restore: to bring back to or put back into a former or original state : RENEW
Dear Heavenly Father, I am praying You will restore the men and women considering suicide. Although they have seen troubles leading to bitterness, comfort them Lord. I pray You will raise them up and renew their lives, fully. I ask this in the Name Above All Names, Jesus Christ. I ask this in Mighty Holy Spirit Power. May they praise Your Name and give You Glory for the good things You have done. Amen
FATHER, we need Your Mighty Arm and Hand of Protection Provision Peace Presence over America. Deliver the hurting and confused of our world to Your SON, THE MYSTERY of CHRIST IN HIS HOLY NAME AMEN AMEN
One problem regarding our veterans is that the government might think that they get money, what more should they need? This shows how out of touch the government can be. We have to ask, how many veterans have die before something more is done?
¿ Ask a Catholic if they are Christian? What do you hear?
I know “born again” Catholic who continue because of family like Muslim & Mormon
(angel preach another gospel).
IF you are “Saved from Above” with good works that follow GREAT, BUT IF:
▪Only by GOOD Works
▪Worship “CoRedeemer Mary”
▪Destroying America with illegal-aliens, &
▪NOT BORN AGAIN ???
“I stand in the gap for each and every veteran and speak to the spirit of suicide in each one and command you to leave in the mighty Name of Jesus’ and to never return! Father God, send your angels to minister mightily to these men and women who have fought so bravely. May they come to know Jesus and experience His love, forgiveness, peace and grace. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.”
I have followed Ron DeSantis since he introduced the PAWS Act in 2016 when he was first in the US Congress. I found out about the PAWS Act through K9sForWarriors – https://k9sforwarriors.org/
who I donate to.
This bill was shuffled from one Committee to another, then to a subcommittee. It only survived because of patriotic congressmen like Ron who kept pushing it. (It had to be reintroduced several times over the years due to the “kick the can down the road” procedures in Congress). PAWS finally passed in 2021…
One of the reasons suicide is prevalent among Veterans is inconsistency in the VA. I think we need to appoint a permanent Head of the VA (like J Edgar Hoover was appointed head of the FBI – someone like General Jim Matson) to give it stability.
I have prayed, continue to pray,and I “weep with those who weep”.