To get a better picture of the battle we’re fighting, consider the following:
veteran suicides in 2021
consecutive years with 6,000+ veteran suicides
veterans have died by suicide since 2001
leading cause of death in veterans under age 45
The rate of suicide among women veterans is nearly double that for non-veteran women.
The 35-54 year old veteran age group experienced an increase of 10.7% in age-specific suicide rate.
American Indian and Alaska Native Veterans experienced an increase of 51.8% in the unadjusted suicide rate.
Among veterans who served during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the suicide rate for those who were undeployed is 48% higher than for veterans who experienced deployment.
Suicide is the second-leading cause of death for post-9/11 veterans
In 2021, more than 50% of veteran suicides occurred outside Veterans Health Administration care.
Depending on branch, up to 31% of service members develop PTSD after returning from combat.
The rate of suicide for veterans in the LGBTQ+ community is up to 7x higher than for non-LGBTQ+ veterans.
Women veterans report experiencing military sexual harassment or military sexual trauma.
More than 1-in-10 U.S. veterans have been diagnosed with a substance abuse disorder.
More than 40% of veterans say they experience high levels of difficulty when transitioning. Studies show that those individuals are 5x more likely to experience suicidal ideation.
When asked if their transition experience was more difficult than expected, 48% of veterans agree. When asked if their transition experience was stressful, 76% of veterans agree.
More than 80% of post-9/11 veterans say that the public does not understand the problems those who have served face in transitioning to civilian life.
More than 80% of civilian organizations have no veteran-specific recruiting programs, and more than 50% offer no onboarding or transition support to veteran hires.
More than 45% of veterans with combat experience describe transition as difficult, compared to 18% of veterans with no combat experience.
Roughly 35% of veterans say they have trouble paying their bills in their first few years after leaving the military.
Only about half of NCOs and enlisted personnel agree when asked if the military prepared them well for the transition to civilian status.
Our ROGER wellness service provides counseling, crisis intervention, and suicide prevention–100% free for U.S. veterans and service members.
Every donation we receive helps empower service members, veterans and their families with critical resources and support.
When you donate to Stop Soldier Suicide, you join a team of veteran lifesavers, standing side-by-side in the fight to solve the military suicide crisis. You join a team of citizens committed to supporting service members and veterans who have fought for us.
The impact you make by donating today, means hope for those facing the hardest crossroads of their life.
To you, like us, this is personal. And you won't stand idly by while our heroes are in crisis.
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