Florida Sentinel Bulletin

Cong. Corrine Brown: 22 Veteran Suicides A Day Is Unacceptable

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Military veterans are dying by their own hands.

In this week’s CBC Message to America, Congresswoman Corrine Brown (D-FL) the ranking member of Veterans Affairs discusses how the Veterans Crisis Line can help prevent suicides amongst our soldiers.

American war veterans experience “22 suicides a day.” “One [suicide] is unacceptable,” she said.

She encouraged the American public to “soldier up and reach out to veterans and make sure that they’re calling the VA.”

According to Brown, only three out of the twenty-two suicide victims are involved with Veterans Affairs. She added many of the soldiers who commit suicide are African-Americans who served in the Vietnam War and “they are not a part of the system.”  

“We as a community need to soldier up and get them involved” in Veterans Affairs Rep. Brown said.

If you are a vet struggling or if you know of a military veteran who is in crisis please call 1-800- 237-8255 and select option one.

From VeteransCrisisLine.net:

The Veterans Crisis Line connects Veterans in crisis and their families and friends with qualified, caring Department of Veterans Affairs responders through a confidential toll-free hotline, online chat, or text. Veterans and their loved ones can call 1-800-273-8255 and Press 1, chat online, or send a text message to 838255 to receive confidential support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Support for deaf and hard of hearingindividuals is available.