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THEIRS: Too many veterans are committing suicide

The Rapid City Journal - 10/10/2016

After a recent loss to Missoula Sentinel, Billings Skyview football players dropped and did 22 pushups.

The athletes, however, weren't doing calisthenics because of the loss. Rather, Coach Ron Lebsock led them in a 22 Push Up Challenge to raise awareness of suicide among U.S. military members and veterans. The challenge, which has gained traction nationwide, is tied to a study that estimated an average of 22 current and former U.S. military members die by suicide every day.

"We're doing this to honor our troops," Lebsock said. The Falcons decided to participate in the challenge after they heard from a local mother about her son's struggles since returning from military service overseas.

"She said he is fighting for his life," Lebsock said. "So we decided to do the pushups for 22 days. For every pushup, we think about the soldiers who have served to protect this country."

Last week at a CNN town hall meeting with military and family members in Virginia, President Barack Obama was asked what can be done to reduce the number of military suicides.

Obama noted that mental health funding for veterans has been increased, and said he also has told military commanders that they have a responsibility to de-stigmatize mental health issues for veterans.

"There's nothing weak about asking for help," the president said. "Ultimately that has to pervade the culture of our military. ... The fact that there are still 20 a day who feel hopeless means we've got to do more."

On Monday, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump told another Virginia military audience that veterans should get the mental health care they need. But Trump also said: "When you talk about the mental health problems, when people come back from war and combat and they see maybe what the people in this room have seen many times over, and you're strong and you can handle it, but a lot of people can't handle it."

That comment reflects the dangerously common misconception that mental health problems are a sign of weakness. That misconception prevents many American service members from seeking care that can save their lives.

In Montana, where the suicide rate is double the national rate, we have nearly the highest rate of U.S. veterans among the 50 states. Last summer, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs reported somber statistics from a review of more than 50 million veteran records from 1970 to 2014. The data show that veterans have a much higher rate of death by suicide than the non-veteran population.

There's much work to do to prevent this loss of American heroes. The VA needs more mental health professionals to care for veterans; excellent care must be immediately available to veterans and military members and all of us must help. That starts with understanding that mental illness is illness. There's no shame in seeking treatment for heart problems or diabetes. There's no shame in getting needed mental health care.