The number 22

The number 22 is the number of veteran suicides every single day in this country. Most of these are Vietnam-era veterans. The help and support just simply was not there when they came home. We treated them with contempt and disgust. These young men and women had just been through the most horrific of conditions, missing their loved ones, seeing their friends die beside them, and all they wanted to do was come home. When they did, they were spat upon and called names. The care they received was minimal. We must learn from this tragic history and not let it happen again. Right now, the rate of suicide among our Iraq and Afghanistan troops, those deployed at sea for 6 months, and those transitioning into civilian life is approximately one a day. That is still one too many. REACH stands for Remembering Everyone After Coming Home. We remember and support them all. This includes Vietnam veterans, Operation Enduring Freedom veterans, Operation Iraqi Freedom...everyone from any deployment or through any transition.