It’s the kind of slogan that should arguably be pasted on the front door of every military recruiting office in America. 

“Veterans remain at relevant risk for suicide.”

That’s the stark conclusion from the 2023 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report published last month, noting the ongoing, quiet suicide crisis – especially among young veterans – as the second leading cause of death among veterans under age 45. 

The crisis puts a real focus on the lack of support services around veterans.

“The majority of Veterans who die by suicide are not engaged in VHA care. We must continue to ensure methods of outreach and engagement for all Veterans, reminding them of resources and support, both in VA, but also in their local communities. Connection saves lives,” concludes the report. 

In 2021, suicide rates were highest among between 18 to 34-year-old veterans.   

Suicide rates among male Veterans aged 75-years-old and older decreased by 8.1% from 2020 to 2021, while rates for all other groups increased, according to VA statistics. 

Talking about this tough issue is the main theme of a three-day summit this week in Orange County with sessions Thursday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Irvine Hyatt  and from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Hangar 244 at Irvine’s Great Park. Another daylong session goes from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Newport Beach Public Library on Friday. 

Click here for a complete rundown of the symposium.

Event organizers say the “Stop SuiSilence” movement aims to tackle the lack of discussion about suicide in communities across America. 

Suicide has claimed the lives of over 30,000 service members since 9/11 (compared to over 7,000 in combat), organizers note, emphasizing suicide currently claims the lives of 22 to 45 veterans a day.

Another deadly statistic: Each suicide impacts the lives of 135 people.

That’s the main takeaway Anne Hyde Dunsmore – a lead organizer and longtime Republican political strategist who most recently headed up the recall of Gov. Gavin Newsom – wants people to understand.

It’s why it takes a wide, diverse coalition of people to combat the trend. 

“Politics are one thing, but love of country is something entirely different,” said Hyde Dunsmore, who founded the group, Angel Force USA, to raise public awareness and spark discussion about the crisis. 

“When it comes to veterans’ mental health, we move the ball down the field, we don’t kick it around,” Dunsmore said.

Yet looking at the grim statistics, it’s easy to see why people avoid the conversation.

“It is hard,” said Nick Berardino, a Vietnam combat veteran, former Marine and retired OC labor leader who partnered with Dunsmore and other local leaders to put on the workshop despite their political differences. 

“But it’s a topic we must tackle with the same vigor that we tackle the enemy on the battlefield,” Berardino said about the stark rise in veteran suicides. 

Berardino was specifically struck by the statistics about the increasing suicides among younger veterans. 

A “Death Valley” Transition 

Echoing the VA reports on the issue, Berardino noted the difficulty many young people face transitioning back to civilian life after years in military service. 

“The hardest thing for these vets, these young people, is that the world passes them by,” he said. “Today’s world changes so fast and most of them don’t have careers in the military that have transferable skills.”

It’s a tough transition many veterans call “Death Valley.” 

Berardino – an m60 machine gunner in Vietnam – said it can be really hard for combat veterans to transition into civilian jobs. 

“How many corporations need a machine gunner?” Berardino said, adding that there’s often no support for veterans. “They feel left out – isolated. They feel like failures – nowhere to go. And then, they become depressed. And then, they kill themselves.” 

“This whole thing is just really sad.”

Local Coalitions Can Help Bridge Gaps

The tough nature of the discussion, event organizers say, underscores the need for diverse coalitions to tackle such hard public policy homework.

Like the coalition of veterans groups and a bipartisan mix of elected officials that’s working to build a veterans cemetery in Orange County, just off the 91 Freeway at Gypsum Canyon near Anaheim. 

“I am very proud of this coalition of people – some of whom have worked against each other for decades,” said Orange County Supervisors Chairman Don Wagner, who also serves on the Angel Force board of directors. 

“By joining together, they are a force-multiplier on this most important issue,” Wagner said. “It does set the bar for problem solving.”

Tonight, Angel Force is recognizing the Orange County Board of Supervisors, the Veterans Alliance of Orange County and State Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva at the Irvine Hilton for their leadership in the bipartisan effort to create a veterans cemetery in Orange County. 

“We worked in a bipartisan and collaborative way because the project is so important to all of Orange County,” Wagner said. 

These leaders still have yet to break ground on the veterans cemetery – waiting on Gov. Gavin Newsom to take action.

Yet nonetheless, federal VA leaders find that local coalitions like these are exactly the kinds of community networks that can tackle the challenges of getting more critical support services to veterans transitioning back into civilian life.