This Sunday Is First Annual 'National Warrior Call Day' To Curtail Military Suicides

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Nov 19, 2021, 12:00 ET

RIVERDALE, Md., Nov. 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Sunday, Nov. 21 is the first annual national warrior call day, a coast-to-coast push that engages all Americans to help curtail suicide deaths among active-duty service members and veterans, according to the Troops First Foundation.

It is an effort supported by all seven living former chiefs of the Department of Veterans Affairs, numerous congressional lawmakers and three Congressional Medal of Honor recipients. Just this week, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H) introduced a bipartisan resolution in support of the grassroots campaign, joined by six other U.S. senators. Warrior Call asks that Americans make a call to a warrior, that they connect with someone who has worn or is currently wearing the uniform and steer them with supports such as Vets4Warriors or the VA, if necessary.

Underpinning the push is the tragic fact that as many as two-thirds of the veterans who take their own lives are terribly disconnected and have had no contact with the Department Veterans Affairs network of services and supports.

The need for a National Warrior Call Day has never been greater.

Suicides in the armed forces jumped by 15 percent in 2020 – from 504 suicides in 2019 to 580 the following year, with USA Today recently reporting that suicides are particularly pronounced at Camp Lejeune, Fort Bragg and Fort Carson.
More U.S. veterans have died by suicide in the last 10 years than service members who died from combat in Vietnam. The suicide rate for post-9/11 vets is especially high. And compared with civilians, the rate for veteran suicides is far greater.
The statistics are especially troubling among post-Sept. 11 veterans and active-duty service members who fought in Afghanistan and Iraq and are between 18-years-old and 34-years-old. Their suicide rate is 2.5 times that of all civilians. A recent Brown University report estimates that 30,177 active-duty personnel and veterans of these wars have died by suicide, far more than the 7,057 service members killed in those wars.

Numerous administrations have tried to arrest the deadly trends through stepped-up programs. And some hopeful signs are beginning to emerge. For example, the suicide rate among veterans fell modestly in 2020. Warrior Call can build on that success and make all the difference – by turning average Americans into catalysts for connection and for surmounting the isolation into which vets and service members may be sinking.

"With its simple mission to implore Americans — but especially active-duty service members and veterans — to connect with someone who has worn or is currently wearing the uniform and let them know they care — Warrior Call can foster greater connectivity, compassion and better outcomes," the former VA secretaries recently wrote.

Learn more about National Warrior Call Day at WarriorCall.org.

Founded in 2008, the Troops First Foundation implements initiatives that foster connectivity, build trust and address reintegration in post-9/11 warrior care. One of the foundation's programs is Warrior Call.

SOURCE Warrior Call