Fighting Stereotypes
The left, aided by Hollywood and the media, perpetuates a stereotype of America's veterans that is vastly exaggerated. Hollywood portrays vets as damaged, whether the character is a hapless dad in a situation comedy, a detective, or embroiled in family drama. The Hollywood version of a veteran is a suicidal, deeply depressed male who cannot hold a job or marriage together, parent their children, or control their anger. Inundated with these images, the most vulnerable veterans often succumb, believing "that's who I am supposed to be."
In my experience - 26 years in uniform, most combat veterans defy the stereotypes. They go to school or work, marry, raise families, and get on with the business of being productive citizens.
Veterans must avoid conduct that perpetuates these stereotypes. We should set an example for society. We should be well-groomed, clean, employed, and as well-dressed as we can afford. We should bring fundamental values learned in the military to civilian life.
In 2014 I received an email sent to over 100 veterans asking us to go to court and support a veteran who had severely beaten his wife. I hit the ill-advised "reply to all button." I said, "I'm tired of my fellow veterans using PTSD as an excuse for everything from slamming a door to first-degree murder. Here's an idea, if you don't want to go to jail for beating your wife, don't beat your wife." Exploiting combat service and PTSD to escape a criminal act perpetuates the stereotype that veterans are dysfunctional.
The stereotypes have long-reaching effects. In 2018, I approached my State Senator, a fellow conservative who served as a public school teacher, to discuss the possibility of passing legislation requiring school districts to interview qualified veterans for teaching vacancies. They would not be required to hire them. We would help veterans get their foot in the door, and they had to sell themselves. Albuquerque, NM, adopted this policy for city jobs with great success. He responded that he could not get it through the legislature because so much legislation had been passed regarding mental health services for veterans that his fellow legislators feared having veterans around children.
Fighting Statistics
The Veterans Administration claims that 20 veterans per day commit suicide. 20 suicides per day = 7,300 per year. That would be 153,300 over the 21 years since 9/11. According to Military Times, "Numerous public figures and public awareness campaigns in recent years have quoted the figure of "20 a day" about veterans suicide, but VA officials last year clarified that estimate also includes active-duty troops, guardsmen and reservists."
One suicide is tragic, whether per day or century. I have lost five friends to suicide. All were veterans. One was a Vietnam Veteran, one a Cold War Veteran and Police Officer, and the others were veterans of Afghanistan or Iraq. Politicians who sent us to war owe us, at a minimum, effective Suicide Prevention programs and judgment-free mental health care.
Neither the Defense Department nor the VA has revealed the methodology behind their numbers. The VA has failed to provide a breakdown by war, peace, age, race, marital status, gender, MOS, rank, or branch of service. How many male and female victims of sexual assault committed suicide in the aftermath? How many veterans who committed suicide served in combat? Of that number, how many sustained Traumatic Brain Injuries, the signature wound of the post- 9/11 wars? How many were prescribed opioids by the VA? A retired Senior Executive from the VA informed me that veterans with PTSD who are prescribed opioids receive blood tests regularly to ensure they are taking these highly addictive, mind-altering drugs. They are threatened with losing their VA benefits if they try to wean themselves off these drugs and pursue alternative courses of treatment. High protein, low-fat diets, regular exercise, counseling, and a job might be better courses of action for many veterans under the big government thumb of the VA.
The VA and DoD must come clean with the data and methodology behind the numbers. Then we can find the common denominators that cause our veterans to take their lives and bring a halt to this national tragedy.
If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Thanks for reading. More to come.
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