Veteran Suicide Eclipsing Vietnam Losses

Veteran suicide is a national catastrophe unfolding in front of us and few are noticing or taking it seriously. Yes, Facebook campaigns and nonprofit groups are sounding the alarm, but it hasn’t translated into meaningful legislation or major social movements. Currently, according to the Department of Veteran Affairs, the daily suicide rate amongst veterans has risen to 22 per day. Many believe this is under reported (see CNN’s Analysis of under reporting) and that the actual suicide rate is closer to 33 per day.

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Suicide rates also increase over time as soldiers age; 69% of soldiers are 50 years or older when they decide to take their lives. With this in mind, most experts agree that the suicide rate will climb significantly higher over the next few decades due to a number of factors:

1. War has been constant since 2001, an unprecedented length of time
2. Soldiers are sent on too many missions; significantly more than doctors have determined to be safe for mental health.
3. Soldiers are not being reintroduced into society in a healthy and productive manner; feeling isolated and lacking opportunities that meet their psychological needs.
4. Mental health is not viewed as a combat injury that needs to be carefully tended to overtime nor is suicide properly tracked as combat losses.

Assuming that the number of suicides will likely increase dramatically over the next few decades if war does not end, combat losses due to suicide will not only eclipse losses during the Vietnam War but also World War I. Over time, it could even potentially reach U.S. World War II losses (which truly would be a catastrophe).

What is different today that has set the stage for a massive human catastrophe?

War has been raging since 2001, making it the longest wartime period in U.S. history. The Vietnam war, by the most widely accepted metric, lasted 10 years; A long time, but not nearly as long as today.

Besides the length of time we have spent at war, the other significant change is the 100% volunteer military made up of less than ½% of the U.S. population. In all previous wars, the U.S. implemented the draft, which created an entirely different paradigm among the U.S. citizenry. A draft forces the entire country to accept, or at minimum, deal with the commitment of war. Now we have very small subset of the population exposed to the realities of war. Without a national consciousness, our leaders do not receive meaningful opposition from the public; clearing the way for more war and misery suffered by our soldiers.

This episode we invite Lynn Lowder, founder, president, and CEO of 1 Vet at a Time, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting veteran entrepreneurship and advocating for increased business opportunities for veterans. We discuss the crisis the country is facing and what his organization is doing to help veterans cope with life after war.

Lowder’s Background and Contact Info:

Lowder played varsity football at Northern Illinois University before leaving school and entering the United States Marine Corps in 1967. Assigned to combat service in Vietnam, he served as a team leader in 1st Force Reconnaissance Company, during which time he led 24 long range reconnaissance patrols with enemy-controlled territory. He received the Silver Star, the Bronze Star with combat “v” and the Purple Heart. He later served 3 years as a Marine JAG officer (the Marines version of the Navy Seals).

After discharge, Lowder spent 16 years as a trial lawyer and another 14 years in leadership positions in various businesses. He combines his military, legal and business background in his mentoring and presentations.

You can reach Mr. Lowder and learn more about his organization on their Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/1VAAT/

Sources:

https://www.dav.org/learn-more/news/2016/largest-study-veteran-suicide-reveals-precise-information/

https://www.va.gov/opa/publications/factsheets/Suicide_Prevention_FactSheet_New_VA_Stats_070616_1400.pdf

http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/21/us/22-veteran-suicides-a-day/

Listen to full interview on YouTube: