The Veteran Suicide Epidemic

Mike & Friends Blog

Dan Rackley

Dan Rackley is a US Naval veteran living in Philadelphia and a contributor to "Will They Ever Trust Us Again?"

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May 25th, 2012 9:02 AM

One Thing We Can Change

By Dan Rackley

In the past I have expressed my feelings, beliefs and sentiments towards a great deal of issues here. Some have agreed with me, some have disagreed and wanted to burn down my house. I’m going at this thing called journalism from the ground up, and I likely do not have the connections that many of my fellow columnists have. I tend to explain things in what I like to refer to as a ground level common sense. I see things from the middle of the field and do my very best given the company I am in.

That being said, Memorial Day is coming up. Last time I sat down to write a column for you all, the very last words I typed were the lyrics of a Bruce Springsteen song. Hopefully, it served as a wakeup call to somebody somewhere that can change the way veterans are treated and handled in this country. There is another problem I would like to address since it is closer to my heart than most of you probably realize.

Imagine your favorite professional baseball team, and how many men they send onto the field during a game. Double that number. Every day, that is the number of veterans committing suicide. That come home and can’t find a job. Can’t get the proper care they need physically or mentally. Every day eighteen of those people are gone.

It’s an extremely sad figure, and one that hits close to home. To be perfectly blunt, it’s a road I’ve traveled close to and almost went down. No matter what your political beliefs, and I know that there’s a varied number here; we as a country need to do a lot better for them. As a people, we have to take care of each other a hell of a lot better.

If we’re going to agree on one thing, can it not be how we handle returning veterans? They are the men and women that deserve it most.

Which is why I want to propose something to you all. Never mind your feelings on war, the people running for president or the way the United States handles her military. Whenever you see a political candidate, make the first question you ask them what they plan on doing for returning veterans.

So on this Memorial Day weekend, when you’re out at a parade or grilling something, stop for five seconds. Remember those men and women that unfortunately, couldn’t take the stress anymore. And try and figure out the best way of honoring their memory as well. Because for many of us, the fight doesn’t end once we get back home.