The Truth of the Veteran and Troop Suicide Rates
That is the number that is given to us, an average for the amount of Veterans and Service Members who commit suicide within the course of a year.
"In 2015, Veterans accounted for 14.3 percent of all deaths by suicide among U.S. adults and
constituted 8.3 percent of the U.S. adult population (ages 18 and up)."
This is an alarming rate that very few social groups have reached. Unfortunately, there are so many factors that evolve into a veteran taking their own life.
Many service members develop issues when coming back into the civilian populous. Trying to fit in and not being around those like them can lead to depression, anxiety, and stress. It can be enough to make adults cry themselves to sleep.
I have never thought of or attempted suicide, but I can attest that there are a lot of issues you have to face when you come back home or back into the civilian life. When I first came back from 9 months of training and being away from home, I didn't really understand the social regularities that most people have.
Simple conversations were hard and it took me a while to get the hang of being around people and talking about what people my age talk about - social media trends, video games, memes - it all felt weird and different than what I had to quickly grow accustom to with the Marine Corps. Sometimes I get lost in my own thought and think differently than my peers about the issues around us. It angers me when a 18 year old trying to get their BA in Theater is suddenly a military tactician with answers to all of the worlds problems. So many people think they know everything, while I'm in and barely know anything.
I get used to weird looks when I talk about the hard days or even the fun days - craziness just follows around Marines. Training accidents that could have hurt someone or the moments where I was just shooting the breeze with my buddies in the desert in California cause raised eyebrows and faces of disbelief.
Another issue many veterans most likely face are injuries that still haunt them. I've injured my hip twice since I've been in, two stress fractures in my right femoral neck. It hurts every day. There isn't really much I can do for it. It is something I have to face every day.
Many others face worse pain though. Combat injuries are rare, but work injuries happen all the time. It's a constant struggle to keep troops from getting injured, yet everything is absolutely haywire at a moments notice.
So if you see a veteran, give them a talk. Be honest and be generous. They may need an ear to hear what they need to say.
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