Veteran Suicides — A Hidden Epidemic

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When Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump address the American Legion’s upcoming national convention,  they will no doubt explain why they are the right choice to be the next commander-in-chief.

What they probably won’t talk about is the high number of veterans who will die by their own hand during the week-long conference.

According to a recent report by the Department of Veteran Affairs, 7,300 veterans killed themselves in 2014 — an average of 20 per day.  This is more than the entire number of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan to date.

If this trend keeps up, by the end of the American Legion conference, 140 veterans will have killed themselves.

The rate has increased by one-third since 2001, and the majority are men 50 years of age or older.

Candidate Clinton has proposed a comprehensive plan that includes a new framework for veterans’ health care delivery, efforts to combat the homelessness epidemic, and a greater awareness of women veterans’ issues. Meanwhile, Trump’s plan includes partial privatization of the VA, higher standards for veteran employees of the department, and easier access to VA services in rural areas. But many experts feel that these proposals are inadequate.

Joe Davis, Director of Public Affairs at the Washington office of Veterans of Foreign Wars, offered a grim assessment. “Suicide is a nationwide issue and no amount of money or rhetoric is going to solve — a problem that first requires an individual to voluntarily ask for help,” he said.

Read more http://whowhatwhy.org/2016/08/25/veteran-suicides-hidden-epidemic/