Absolutely awful news from the Department of Veterans Affairs this afternoon, as they released their veterans suicide numbers from 2021. And it illustrated an increase in the numbers of our brothers and sisters who are taking their own lives.
This was the beginning of the post pandemic era. We should have seen those numbers keep going down.
But they didn’t. Here is why.
Our help is coming too late: We remain reactive instead of proactive. We’re investing in suicide lines when help should be coming far sooner than that. We’re investing in homeless shelters, when we shouldn’t be letting our veterans become homeless in the first place.
The report is focused on the wrong thing: Your opinions on gun control are your own and I respect them. But this report seems to pivot awfully hard on guns, instead of the mental challenges that are causing our brothers and sisters to take their life. Many of us don’t even own guns.
Our services are being farmed out to ineffective organizations: As you read these words, I’m struggling to find housing and work in my hometown of Orlando. This is because the groups we’re paying out tax dollars to aren’t working, and too many calls for help are going unanswered. Orlando is a miserable place to find help as a veteran.
Our politicians aren’t there when it matters most: I’m sure plenty of our elected officials were there for the veterans day parades, but they’re gone now. And no one is looking out for us and making sure that we’re getting the help that we need.
Read this post a couple of times. This is what is happening. And if we’re not being honest with ourselves its never going to get better.
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