POSITION PAPER ON AIR FORCE SUICIDE PREVENTION 1. This paper will discuss the issue of whether or not the Air Force (AF) does enough to combat suicide. The paper will begin with the Air Force Suicide Prevention Program (AFSPP) and the problems it is facing. Next, the paper will offer solutions to further enhance the program. Lastly, the paper will advocate for the best solution to effectively impact the AF community.…
The Reason We Honor Veteran’s Day What is a veteran? A veteran is a person who has served or is serving in the armed forces. Every year on November 11, we celebrate and honor our American Veterans. Veteran’s Day is often taken for granted by many Americans. For a soldier this day is special because they feel honored.…
In Ashley Gilbertson’s “The Life and Lonely Death of Noah Pierce,” Ira R. Kats states that around “550 and 650 veterans are committing suicide each month” (qtd. in Gilbertson). This is surely due to the tasks carried out by these veterans, which is eliminating enemy threats regardless of collateral damage which can include non-combatants such…
The Department of Veterans Affairs has been helping veterans pursue their educational goals since 1944, when the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act commonly known as the GI Bill was signed into law. This act has been noted as being “one of the most significant pieces of legislation ever produced by the federal government” (www.benefits.va.gov) and one that has significantly impacted the millions of men and women that have served our country. Since then there have been many additions and variations to the original GI Bill, all of which now reside in law under Title 38 of the United States Code, however the goal has always been to assist veterans readjust into civilian life and provide these veterans educational opportunities that they may have missed…
Justin Dilks Professor Duinink LAS 110 1 October 2014 Wounded Warrior Project 9/11 was one of the most pivotal moments in U.S. history. History shows that when somebody threatens the liberty and freedom of the United States, the people come together. Historical events such as the Pearl Harbor and the Boston Massacre are examples of Americans coming together to defend what is rightfully theirs. 9/11 was one of these uniting moments in U.S. history. U.S. military enlistment increased drastically after the events of 9/11.…
Suicide has been an ongoing problem in the Air Force for years.1 This problem has caused issues in units since a member’s death has an enormous effect on the unit as a whole. The current Air Force Suicide Prevention Program only includes computer-based training, communication, and teaching members how to identify warning signs of suicide, but there are more effective ways to help combat the issue. As of fiscal year 2015 the Air Force ranked second out of the four active duty military components with a total of 60 suicides.2 This issue has pushed the Air Force to invest millions of dollars and an enormous amount of man-hours to find solutions that will work for the Air Force’s Suicide Prevention Program.…
Boom, Boom, Boom. Gunshots, blood and screams. Your head is pounding. Your hands are trembling. Your heart is beating.…
While the VA does service approximately 8.7 million veterans each year, the need for professional counseling for veterans is substantially outweighing the availability of such care. Even with other services such as The Veterans Health Council, The American Legion and The Veterans of Foreign Wars, American veterans are still finding it difficult to find mental health care. Improving these standards will improve many aspects of the veteran life. Counseling opportunities will also provide better chances for employment and further facilitate stability and self-worth. United States veterans not only need this care;…
When looking at the veteran suicide rate, it is estimated that 22 veterans commit suicide each day. Due to the Department of Defense losing track of some of its veterans as they retire, suicide statistics in veterans are most likely higher, as they are not kept track of equally throughout all branches (Veterans, 3). Drugs or alcohol are involved in one-third of Army suicides, the branch with the highest suicide rate at 23.8 percent (Braunschweiger, 3). One veteran describes their struggle with drug abuse and PTSD by saying, “They tell us not to do drugs, but how do I sleep? How do I forget what I saw?”…
James peterson Col. J. Bilik JROTC 3 13 november 2016 Veterans Day What is veterans day and why do we celebrate it. Veterans day is celebrated on the 11 month on the 11 day. And on the 11 hour the country has a moment of silence This day is to honors military veterans; that is, persons who served in the United States Armed Force.…
22 vets a day commit suicide. It happened to my family 5 years ago, I lost Emmy cousin due to PTSD and he went to the VA seeking for help. The VA is a despicable healthcare agency for vets and they deserve…
Gassed is a painting by John Singer Sargent, an American artist. Sargent was among several artists who were commissioned by the British War Memorial Committee of the British Ministry of Information. These painters were commissioned to create a large painting for the Hall of Remembrance, Sargent himself was asked to create a piece depicting Anglo-America co-operation. Sargent therefore traveled to the Western Front to gain inspiration for an epic piece which depicted many people; however, he found it difficult to find a scene with both American and British figures together. One of the only scenes Sargent saw where American and British soldiers were working alongside each other was the aftermath of a German barrage that he witnessed in August…
Introduction Veterans living every day with post-traumatic stress disorder often feel on edge, have feelings of panic, or feel emotionally numb and disconnected from family, friends, and loved ones. Post-traumatic stress disorder occurs after experiencing severe trauma or a life-threatening event, and the mind and body in still in a state of shock (Smith, 2015; Robinson, 2015; Segal, 2015). Some other major symptoms of PTSD for veterans include night terrors, extreme emotional and physical reactions to reminders of trauma, panic attacks, shaking, heaving breathing, avoiding certain places and people, and withdrawing from family and friends. Wartime experiences, most particularly in the First World War, prompted physicians to speculate on the…
Suicide in Native Americans Suicide is a tragedy that runs rampant through our society. When a tragic event like this occurs, we are often left with what can we do to prevent such ideas. Native Americans are no stranger to this concept. Many kids in their community are seen to have higher rates of suicide compared to other Americans. While researching this topic I found it interesting how different sources approached and addressed this issue.…
More and more war veterans decide to take their own life after returning from the war or after retirement. Studies have been conducted to find out the reasons of such high rates of veterans’ suicide and trying to find a way to prevent it. Although only 4.5 percent of men ages 18-34 are veterans, veterans account for 10.8 percent of suicides in that age group, according to statistics from the Department of Veterans Affairs. The numbers are based on death data collected by the VA from 21 states. A similar pattern exists for the men ages 35-54, 21.7 percent of that group’s suicides are by veterans, who make up only 13.9 percent of the group.…