Take action against suicide prevention

American Legion University of Akron Post 808 in Ohio recently participated in an Out of the Darkness Campus Walk. There were 20 sets of combat boots lined up near the walk start to represent the 20 veterans a day who die by suicide, according to the most recent statistics from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Post 808, the Student Veterans of America chapter and the university’s Veterans and Military Service Center co-chaired the walk, one of some 150 suicide awarenesss walks taking place this spring across the country.

“I think one of the things we can do as individual posts is get into our CBOCs and our hospitals and get a presence known, show them, ‘Hey, we’re here for you. You need something, we’re here for you. You want my phone number, you want my email?’ Whatever we can do to help in our local communities, our local areas, that’s what we need to do,” said Post 808 Commander Daryll Mauder, who can speak firsthand on the dark emotions that can lead one to contemplate suicide.

“I struggle daily, and that’s my whole goal, because I’m in these boots, I’ve walked these boots and I can maybe help a fellow brother or sister out or even a civilian at this point, if they’re struggling, I just want to be there to help because I’ve been right there with them.”

May is National Mental Health Awareness Month. And with suicide being a nationwide health issue, especially among our veterans, The American Legion and the VA have teamed up to adopt a public health approach to suicide prevention.

Preventing veteran suicide is a top priority for VA, but they need help from dedicated partners like the American Legion Family to reach veterans outside the VA health-care system.

Last year the VA released a long-term strategy for preventing suicide among all veterans. Read the National Strategy for Preventing Veteran Suicide at  www.mentalhealth.va.gov/suicide_prevention/strategy.asp. To take action, review the suicide prevention strategy, adopt and promote the principles, and contact your local VA Suicide Prevention Coordinator to collaborate and explore potential partnership, education and training opportunities. Even look into participating in a suicide awareness walk in your community.

By working together, we can save veterans’ lives.