{"id":41418,"date":"2019-08-21T23:29:00","date_gmt":"2019-08-21T23:29:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/08\/21\/veteran-peer-support-helps-prevent-crises\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T07:28:54","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T07:28:54","slug":"veteran-peer-support-helps-prevent-crises","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/opinion\/commentary\/2019\/08\/21\/veteran-peer-support-helps-prevent-crises\/","title":{"rendered":"Veteran peer-support helps prevent crises"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The tide of suicide in the United States is unrelenting, and the approximately 20 veteran and military suicides each day cannot be ignored. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To prevent these tragedies, the veteran community, the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense, and leading mental health organizations aggressively target the critical moment of crisis when a person is contemplating the act of suicide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These critical organizations are lined up in a strong \u201cend zone defense,\u201d providing multiple areas of support for veterans in the midst of a suicidal crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what about veterans who haven\u2019t reached a crisis point? What if there was a way to provide relief for everyday problems, pain and isolation before these issues snowball into self-destruction? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a retired major general in the U.S. Army, who has lost a son to suicide, and a son to the war in Iraq, I can attest that the key is to connect with veterans before they reach the point of crisis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Veterans are often reluctant to speak with anyone who \u201cwon\u2019t understand\u201d when they\u2019re dealing with depression or anxiety about life issues. Many feel the pressure to figure it out themselves and \u201cstay tough\u201d and are embarrassed to discuss their problems with finances, relationship issues, housing issues, family dysfunction, or feelings of loneliness and isolation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reality is they need a direct connection to someone who has been in their shoes, long before they need a direct intervention. They need a peer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everyone needs a support system. Peer support provides veterans that sense of immediate trust, and gives them a confidant they can connect with at any point in their journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I joined Vets4Warriors in 2013 to lead a 24\/7 peer-support network that serves all veterans as well as the entire military community, from those who just put on a uniform to the caregiver and families of a veteran who has long since stopped wearing a uniform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our peers are veterans from every branch and every era, dating back to Vietnam, and 70 percent of our peers are combat veterans. We truly are who we serve. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since inception, we have had over 325,000 connections with members of the veteran and military community who are dealing with life challenges before they turn into crises. Regardless of the complexity of the issue or how long it takes, our veteran peers continue to follow up, seek out possible avenues, and pursue different options until an answer is found. We go the extra mile. And that is often what veterans need to help put them on a path that does not lead to tragedy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peer support is in many ways an upstream tactic in the fight against veteran suicide. Peers identify the issue at hand and can provide support and resources before the problem becomes unbearable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet even with resources like ours available, when it comes to certain demographics of veterans, the rate of suicide is growing.<\/p>\n\n\n\t