The 22 A DAY Movement

Twenty-two military veterans die each day due to suicide. That’s twenty-two too many. The men and women that have fought for our freedom should not be disavowed. I heard about a program after a dear friend of mine took his life after serving in Iraq. It is called 22 a day. The Military Suicide Awareness #22ADAY Movement is the advocacy action network and the natural next step to the mission of the Military Veteran Project.  Military Suicide Awareness gives a voice to the vast network of volunteers, donors, and participants involved in the work of the Military Veteran Project. Our soldiers should not be taken for granted. They also should not be ignored. 

How do we, as civilians, even talk to a soldier with a thousand yard stare; who has seen things we can’t even imagine? Twenty-two is too many. They fought for us, let’s fight for them.

“If you see veterans in the news, nine times out of ten it is something about PTSD or suicide and we are more than that,” said disabled veteran Derek Weida. Some soldiers do not have PTSD. They have depression, adjustment disorder, anxiety and a long list of other mental health issues that plagues them. One Iowa Vietnam Veteran described the feeling of war like a mouse running through the kitchen, knowing that the cat is close, and you can’t see it. You dash about to get things done as quickly as you can with the constant thought of the cat in the back of your mind. That hyper alertness is hard to disengage. 

Twenty-two veterans commit suicide a day. With a prolonged war that started on 9/11/01 and no end in sight, the children of the soldiers who went to war in 2003, 2006, are now engaged in that same war. And when they return home they face the new challenges of everyday life. Forever changed. Twenty-two is too many.

Women who have seen combat are not immune. However; women are not always recognized as veterans. A friend of mine was wearing a USMC shirt. She was stopped by an older man and asked, “Oh, is your boyfriend in the Marines?”

“No,” she answers.

“Your husband?”

“No,” she says again.

The man had a puzzled look. “Your dad or brother?”

“No,” she said, frustrated. “I’m a Marine.”

Women (like Senator Joni Ernst) have seen combat and are just as likely to commit suicide as men. Depression, anxiety, PTSD are just as powerful in women as it is in men. We must take a stand.

There are programs out there that can help a soldier struggling with everyday life. 

Wounded Warriors is an outlet for American Veterans as well. Visit www.woundedwarriorproject.org. You can also call your local VA and volunteer. Most importantly, be there when a friend calls.  

Some soldiers can return to normal lives and do not need assistance. Sometimes they are the best people to talk to other veterans. See how you can help out.

To every soldier out there reading this: WELCOME HOME!