This story originally aired on Keystone Edition Radio on May 29.
The intersection between veterans support and mental health is significant, according to non-profit groups on the front lines. The suicide rate for United States Veterans is nearly double the suicide rate of non-veteran US adults.
Pennsylvania has the fourth largest veteran population in the nation. According to the PA Department of Human Services, that’s close to 800,000 people across the commonwealth.
But what is being done to stop veterans from ending their own lives?
"Not enough," said Darrell Owens, Director for Government Relations at America’s Warrior Partnership. Owens is a veteran and was raised in Erie.
A 2021 report from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) found that more than 17 veterans each day die by suicide.
“And that number is probably much higher,” Owens said. “But even if that number is correct, that’s still over 6,000 veterans committing suicide every year.”
Owens said that while the budget for the VA has increased five-fold in the last 20 years to over $300 billion, the government agency could dedicate more money to veterans who are struggling with mental health. Owens has met with the VA a few times over the last two years.
“Veterans suicide needs to be their number one issue,” he said. “As Pennsylvanians, we can do a better job holding the VA accountable to say, ‘Hey, look, these guys are in our towns, and we’re doing our best to take care of them’.”
On May 16, David Ragan, founder of Veterans Promise in Dickson City, spoke with WVIA News about the challenges veterans face when they return home. Joined by Eric Darling, a certified counselor from Scranton’s Valhalla Veterans Services, Ragan and other advocates elaborated on the path that drove them to their work.
The Wall of Heroes greets visitors as they enter Veterans Promise. It honors veterans who died by suicide.
“These families don’t get that support, normally, that other veterans would have,” said Ragan. “Now these families are left with the stigma. They feel ‘less than’ in some cases.”
Ragan and his team of volunteers, most of whom are veterans, run the organization as if it’s a program. Several days a week, they hold Alcoholics Anonymous meetings in the furnished basement meeting room.
“This is not the Legion. This is not the VFW. This is not a club,” Ragan said. “This is a place of solace, a place where you can come in, mourn your loved one and be treated with dignity and respect.”
Of his organization’s work and its reach, Ragan said Veterans Promise sometimes even supports veterans in mental health crisis situations outside of Pennsylvania. Using social media, volunteers have reached out to first responders hundreds of miles away where a veteran is located.
“This wall, no matter how good we are at our jobs, will unfortunately grow,” Ragan said. “Our hope is that we’re doing everything we can to prevent that.”
On May 24th, Veterans Promise received a $50,000 check from Pennsylvania Skill.
College Football Hall of Fame Nominee and former Penn State linebacker LaVar Arrington spoke on behalf of the skill game company at the veteran organization’s headquarters. Arrington was born and raised in PA, and his father is a Vietnam Veteran.
“I hate for it to be a memorial service before […] we show them how much they mean to us and how important they are,” Arrington said, adding, “Let’s continue to have the conversations. Let’s not let the conversation die today.”
Veterans Promise founder Ragan recently rolled out an initiative to place posters in VFWs and other public locations where veterans might see them. Ragan’s calling it “Operation ;IGY6.”
The semicolon represents solidarity between those who have struggled with mental health but have fought to live another day, and “IGY6” is a common abbreviation among service members for “I've got your back.”
Additionally, Veterans Promise created Law Enforcement Officer and First Responder resource cards to hand out to those responding to mental health crisis situations.
The following day, on May 25th, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced that they are offering $20 million in innovation grants for those who can develop new suicide prevention strategies for vets.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month and National Military Appreciation Month. Mental Health Awareness Month has been observed since 1949, and National Military Appreciation Month has been celebrated since 1999.
