Alaska on my mind…

Today is the day that we as a Nation give lip service to those serving in our armed forces.

Is that too harsh? 🤷🏼‍♀️

Veteran Stats:

Increased suicide rates in Post 9/11 war personnel. More vets have died by suicide than we’ve lost in the War on Terror. Was it worth it?

An estimated 30,177 active duty service members and war veterans of the
post 9/11 wars have died by suicide, significantly more than the 7,057 killed in
“Global War on Terror” military operations. This marks a failure by the military and
U.S. society to manage the mental health cost of our current conflicts.

U.S. Department of Defense. (2021). Casualty Status as of 10 a.m. EDT May 10, 2021.
https://www.defense.gov/casualty.p

Homelessness Current numbers for homeless veterans hover around 37,000 individuals.

…because of veterans’ military service, this population is at higher risk of experiencing traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), both of which have been found to be among the most substantial risk factors for homelessness.

National Alliance to End Homelessness

Unemployment. Veterans have seen a slight improvement in unemployment rates recently but keep in mind this factor is often influenced by those whose benefits are expired and not necessarily employed.

Unemployment Rates by Gender
Annual Unemployment Rates
November 2021 – October 2022 Averaged
Women Veterans 3.1%, Women Nonveterans 3.7%, Male Veterans 2.9%, Male Nonveterans 3.7%
Source: bls.gov

Veteran’s Employment and Training Service

Difficulty in returning to Civilian Life Military life is rigid and ordered, and ordered for you. Returning to taking charge of your own purpose and existence can be daunting for some.

,,,while a series of studies conducted by USC’s Center for Innovation and Research on Veterans and Military Families (CIR) at the Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work show that the majority of veterans look favorably on their military experience, the majority also report having difficulty adjusting to civilian life, which can lead to larger problems such as joblessness, homelessness and untreated mental health conditions.

USC

Personnel go to a rigorous Basic Training to learn what’s expected of them in Military life. Perhaps we should do something similar when they are returning to civilian life. As a Nation, we can do better and we have a responsibility to do better.

As an individual, other than saying thank you to service members (which is a nice gesture) what do you do to facilitate a culture of honoring those who’ve made the sacrifice to serve? There are so many options. So many ways to make a difference.

Do you support veteran focused service groups or charities? Do you vote for pro-veteran public servants? Do you employ veterans? Maybe give them a discount at your business? Perhaps you live in a pro-veteran state, as I do, where the policies benefiting Vets are more visible. If you don’t, are you contacting your representatives to affect change?

We could even be more personable and talk about relationships with vets. Do you help out an aging neighbor who served? What about the significant number of unhoused or homeless vets? Do you take action when and where you can?

If you do, and I know many who do and are doing so regularly, my heartfelt thanks to you. If you’re not, let me challenge you to step up your game. You never know what your small gesture of kindness can do for an individual. We owe our Vets more than a day of celebration. Keep up the good work!