Veteran's Day 

As an Army Veteran, I normally feel a great sense of pride and comradery during Veteran’s Day. This year I felt different.

This year, I felt angry.

The last several months I have found myself immersed in non-profit work that focuses on Veterans stability and the epidemic of Veteran suicide. I have traveled around the U.S. with the incredible opportunity to listen to vulnerable stories from Veterans and the aftermath many of them face after service. They have seen and experienced things that the human person was not created to experience. For some of them, it is a daily and sometimes moment by moment effort to keep fighting through the pain.
I have been tasked to bring awareness to the 8,000 men and women of service who take their life EVERY YEAR. I have spoken to thousands of people about this epidemic and although I truly believe that they sympathize with our Veterans, I often come away from these conversations feeling like they truly don’t understand the magnitude of this issue.

This is such a silent issue, one that does not make the nightly news, one that really doesn’t impact the average civilian unless it is someone they know. Saying “thank you for your service” is not enough. We have to be doing more for our Veterans and it requires all citizens of this country to participate.

During the typing of this blog, one more Veteran took their life by suicide.

This is what makes me angry.