NC lawmakers calling for national day to help prevent veteran suicides

JACKSONVILLE, Onslow County — Politicians in our state are calling for Nov. 21st to be designated ‘National Warrior Call Day’ to raise awareness on suicide prevention among veterans and active-duty service members.

Senator Thom Tillis and Congressman Richard Hudson said there needs to be more of an individual focus on each veteran and service member in terms of treating them based on what they experienced, and checking in on their needs consistently.

Senator Thom Tillis (left) and Congressman Richard Hudson are pushing for a national day to help prevent veteran suicides. (Photo: Lucy Nelson, News Channel 12)

“The data is staggering, and each number represents an individual and a family,” said Hudson.

Hudson is talking about this data from The Pentagon that shows suicides amongst veterans are up 12 percent this year compared to last, saying we’ve lost almost 600 veterans to suicide which is why he and many others are working to find a solution.

“We already have the foundation in place,” said Hudson.

Deputy City Manager of Jacksonville Ron Massey agrees and said between the VA and nonprofits, there is help.

“The community has a lot of resources that are available to support veterans,” said Massey.

So, what needs to change in preventing suicide among veterans and active-duty service members?

“I don’t know if funding is the total answer. I know in the military there’s a lot of emphasis on knowing your buddies and making sure that your buddies are doing okay, and intervening if at all possible when you have concerns about a buddy," said Massey.

They said it’s not necessarily more money, rather it’s an individual focus on each unique experience they had while serving.

“We have people in a room, we have programs that are not designed to the individual and the unique circumstances that some of those individuals experience; if you had somebody who was deployed once or multiple times in Afghanistan or Iraq, you really need to understand their history,” said Tillis.

Tillis said we need to track that one individual and their progress over time with a more interconnected database between the VA and the Department of Defense.