Leaders Of Suicide Prevention Effort Call On Congress To Adopt 'National Warrior Call Day' Resolution

Bipartisan congressional push is spearheaded by Reps. Liz Cheney and Elaine Luria

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Jul 01, 2021, 11:00 ET

RIVERDALE, Md., July 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Troops First Foundation today called on Congress to approve a congressional resolution designating Nov. 21, 2021, as "National Warrior Call Day," a coast-to-coast effort to reach veterans and service members who may be dangerously disconnected from others.

Led by Reps. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and Elaine Luria (D-Va.), both of whom serve on the House Armed Services Committee, the resolution (H. Res. 512) helps raise awareness about the need for much greater connection to service members and veterans in order to slow the troubling number of suicides in their ranks. The resolution still must be passed by Congress.

Among active-duty service members, a total of 377 died by suicide in 2020. That number is up from 348 in the previous year. Active-duty suicides have been steadily increasing since 2016 when there were 280 deaths.

Among veterans – after adjusting for sex and age – veteran suicide was 27.5 per 100,000 individuals in 2018, up from 25.8 per 100,000 in 2016. By comparison, among all U.S. adults, the suicide rate per 100,000 was 18.3 deaths. The problem is particularly pronounced among the newer generation of veterans, with new research from the Watson Institute at Brown University conservatively estimating that four times as many post-9/11 veterans have died by suicide than through military deployments.

A mix of factors, including isolation and disconnection from battle buddies, friends, family and support systems, as well as undiagnosed brain injuries or psychological injuries, drives much of this tragic trend.

National Warrior Call Day seeks to make a dent through a simple premise and call to action:

Americans – but especially active duty servicepeople and veterans – should use Nov. 21 to connect with those who are wearing or have worn the uniform and let them know they care.
Participants should make a call to a warrior and have an honest conversation and steer them to resources, if necessary.

While no magic bullet to this complex issue, these "warrior calls" will serve as a starting point for reaching vets and service members who don't raise their hands, who are suffering in silence and might be spiraling into an abyss.

"We are grateful for the leadership of Reps. Cheney and Luria and encourage all members of Congress to join together as Americans and cosponsor and adopt this resolution as soon as possible," said Frank Larkin, a decorated veteran and co-chair of Warrior Call, who has experienced firsthand the indescribable loss and anguish of losing a service member son to suicide.

"This is an issue that transcends party and politics. It is something that all members of Congress and all Americans can get behind to help our military and our vets," he said.

Organizers of National Warrior Call Day hope to have at least 50,000 calls made on the inaugural day. Participants can share the Warrior Call pledge on social media channels to mark an action. In the interim, there is a petition calling on Congress and the Biden administration to enact the resolution.

"I have traveled to numerous military facilities, speaking with service members and veterans, and I can attest to the impact Warrior Call Day can have for saving lives," said Leroy Petry, co-chair of Warrior Call and a 2011 recipient of the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military honor. "Time is of the essence to get this day on the calendar so we can work together to lift each other up just in time for the holidays."

In addition to Reps. Cheney and Luria, Rep. John Carter (R-Texas) and Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) are signing on to this legislation as an original co-sponsors.

Interested parties are encouraged to go to WarriorCall.org for more information on how they can participate and for resources on suicide prevention. Founded in 2008, the Troops First Foundation implements initiatives that foster connectivity, build trust and address reintegration for post-9/11 warriors.

SOURCE Warrior Call