Mission Roll Call is a tireless veteran advocacy non-partisan movement, giving our veterans a powerful, unified voice that resonates deeply with our nation's leaders and communities.
Mission Roll Call has recently published a heart-wrenching article in collaboration with Duke University titled "The State of Veteran Suicide 2024." Every year, the VA conducts the most extensive national analysis of veteran suicide rates. According to the 2023 National Veterans Suicide Prevention Annual Report, based on data from 2021, veteran suicide rates have surged by an alarming 11.6% from 2020. On average, more than 17 veterans tragically take their own lives every single day. However, a shocking 2022 interim report published by the American Warrior Partnership and Duke University suggests that veteran suicides are grossly underreported. The true number, as this report painfully reveals, maybe as high as 24 veterans per day, with an additional 20 succumbing to self-injury mortality, otherwise known as overdose.
The numbers are increasing among women especially. During that period, the suicide rate among women veterans jumped an alarming 24.1%.
Direct Quote:
Do veterans of the Global War on Terror have a higher suicide rate?
The goal of the Global War on Terror (GWOT) was to secure our nation and combat extremism throughout the world after the devastating 9/11 terrorist attacks. An estimated 3 million Americans served in the GWOT, with operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, Libya, and elsewhere.
Due to unprecedented war environments, a staggering number of GWOT veterans have suffered traumatic brain injuries, PTS, and mental and physical wounds, with studies showing they are taking their lives at a higher rate than veterans of previous wars. Since the 2001 launch of the war on terror, suicide rates have roughly doubled in the military. And the number of active duty personnel and veterans who have died by suicide is more than four times the number killed in combat over the past twenty years.
These figures paint a somber and distressing picture of the silent epidemic plaguing our nation's heroes. Every number represents a life lost, a family shattered, and a community enveloped in grief. The urgency to address this crisis cannot be overstated, as it continues to claim the lives of those who have bravely served our country, leaving behind a trail of sorrow and despair.
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