Before I start, please understand that I write this as a desperate plea for action, not a critique of an organization of men and women whom I've grown to love. The politics and the passions that surround the Army are completely understandable and sadly shallow. Everyone has been exposed to the stereotypical politician standing and declaring their stance for the rights, benefits, and needs of soldiers, and that is greatly appreciated, but we have a dilemma that is consuming the soul of the citizen warrior: suicide.
War evolves sort of like what anyone would expect it to, it gets uglier. From sticking a neighbor from a warring tribe with a spear to conducting a drone strike in eastern Waziristan, war has changed both physically and emotionally. The wars of our grandparents where one line of soldiers charges the others' trenches are a thing of the past. Modern military science isn't as cut and dry as it was back then: the enemy is not defined, the target and objectives are obscure and unpredictable, and the battles occur in apartments, not open fields. There is virtually no uniformity. Soldiers are split between their home and the mission, constantly being pulled from one to the other. In battle, the soldier thinks of his family back in his hometown and how much they miss him and worry about his safety, and at home, that soldiers turns in his sleep fearing for the life of his friends on patrol or huddled out in a firebase without him. According to Colonel (retired) Dr. Elspeth Ritchie, an expert in forensic psychology and military and veteran's issues, units with multiple deployments make up the lion's share of the suicides in the military. Dr. Ritchie accredits most of the blame to a growing separation between the units and their leadership. That disconnect between the soldiers and their officers is preventing soldiers from getting the vital care that they need to ensure spiritual and mental health. It is also important to mention that about a third of those suicides have never deployed. Just the proximity of this stress bears a weight unimaginable.
So far, the Army has been trying everything it can think of to fight this travesty. Suicide in the active branches are beginning to level out for the first time in years, but within the National Guard and Reserves, suicide is sky-rocketing. Whereas active duty soldiers have access to the various mental health facilities and spiritual advisers present on a military base, the part-time soldier does not. Many Reservists and Guardsmen deploy just like those on active duty, but unlike them, when they return home, they are literally returning home to their original communities: spouse, kids, work, and all. That support net has a gaping hole when it comes to these specific soldiers. This is where the community has to step up, and they are dismally unprepared. With state budget cuts to these Guardsmen and Reservists, these safety nets are disappearing more and more — placing a greater deal of responsibility and service on these soldiers' communities. The result is 22.
Twenty-two is the number of veterans that take their lives each day. Twenty-two blood-spattered walls need cleaning. Twenty-two empty pill bottles roll across the floor. Twenty-two ropes twist with a veteran whom we just applauded for their valor and bravery go entirely unnoticed? How come we have more soldiers dying to their own bullets than to that of the enemy? Why is it that no one seems to be paying any attention? This is an epidemic that is costing the lives of our sons and daughters, my friends and colleagues.
As an aspiring Army Chaplain, these are my people, my family. I don't just inherit all their past accomplishments when I don the uniform, I also inherit their troubles — and they are troubled. My first day shadowing a Chaplain, I came in direct contact with the bleak reality that we live in. I encountered a man deeply depressed and a definite danger to himself. The only thing separating him from a gun was the Chaplain. The soldier whom I spoke to could have become one in that 22. That haunts me. Each month that I go to my drill station, I pray two conflicting prayers: one, I pray no one needs to speak with the Chaplain, and two, that everyone who needs to speak to the Chaplain comes.
Wounds are more than just skin-deep. I am asking you, the reader, please step outside of your comfort zone, help our veterans with your voice, your action, with your wallet, with whatever you can. Our vets are dying as you read this. Please don't just look away. To the veteran whose service is the only reason why I am even able to write this article: if you or someone you know needs that help that keeps you by my side as an American and hopefully as a friend, reach out. You're not weak. You're protecting us once again from our nightmares.
