11/11/2025
Sharing some rough stats and helpful hints. As a civilian, please understand and accept you do not and will not get it. That’s one of many reasons why veterans say they are fine when you check in with them. The best thing you can do is simply be available to listen and not try to fix it. You can’t. Honestly, the best encouragement they have is each other, but there are resources available including and outside of the VA. If you know a vet who is struggling, share my info - not for counseling per se, but I can find and send local resources their way.
“An Operation Deep Dive report by America’s Warrior Partnership (AWP) suggests that veteran su***des are significantly underreported. AWP suggests that as many as 24 veterans die by su***de per day, with an additional 20 dying by “self-injury mortality,” often overdoses. This totals to a staggering 44 veterans who die by su***de per day, about 2.4 times more than the VA’s estimate.”