I recently watched a film titled “The Keeper”. It tells the true story of combat veteran George Eshleman and his journey along the Appalachian Trail. Veteran Eshleman travelled the Trail carrying the names of 363 veterans who had committed suicide, hoping to heighten awareness of that national tragedy as well as face some of his own demons.

Eshleman made that journey in 2016. Sadly, since then veteran suicides have only increased. The VA report of 2023 indicates 6392 veteran suicides that year.

You may have heard the figure of 22 veteran suicides a day. A day! Some challenge the accuracy of that figure yet the counterpoint is the likelihood that veteran suicides are underreported.

The VA system has tried to respond to this crisis with programs such as the Veteran Crisis Line. Veterans can call 988 then press 1 to be connected with a crisis counselor. The original Crisis Line number of 1-800-273-8255 can also be used. According to the VA, over the past two years over 2 million vets have used that number.

And yet the number of veteran suicides continues to increase. There are millions more depressed and troubled veterans who are unwilling or unable to reach out and so battle regular thoughts of suicide.

If we are to help our veterans, we need to try to understand why suicide becomes an option for them. A compelling reason for some is the reality that veterans who have gone to war may return finding it hard to “fit in”. Many feel changed. How could they not be? Some vets tell me that they can no longer socialize the way they used to since they now find crowds and gatherings a threat. Non-veterans may wonder why, thinking that they are clearly safe. Some veterans themselves will be puzzled by such a change.

Some veterans feel isolated, believing that no one but another combat vet can understand what they are going through. Yet their access to brother and sister veterans may be limited.

Some veterans struggle with living with the realities of modern warfare. In modern combat situations, some will put a child in the middle of a road, planning an attack when the military vehicle stops. One soldier told me he was ordered not to stop, the result being the death of the child. He voiced thoughts of suicide as a way of quieting the guilt and horrifying images that haunted him.

For some, the symptoms of PTSD become intolerable. Suicide presents the possibility that the nightmares and flashbacks will stop. A significant number of veterans turn to alcohol and drugs to quiet these symptoms. They may realize that such solutions are temporary.

Tragic too is the impact of veteran suicide on loved ones. Those family members I have met with are burdened by a sense of guilt and failure. “I should have known. I should have done something” is a common response of family.

Many non-veterans will say “Can’t the VA help them?” Those of us who are veterans know that the VA system is overwhelmed. Many suicidal veterans are in need of regular counseling. An overwhelmed VA system can’t always provide an acceptable level of care. When I recently asked a veteran suffering from severe PTSD how often he saw his VA counselor, he said “Once a month.” Beyond that, we veterans as a group take time to develop the level of trust required to make counseling effective. Too many veterans have told me “I just started to open up when the counselor told me he/she couldn’t see me anymore because they were being transferred. I can’t go through starting all over again with another counselor.”

The VA Mission Act of Donald Trump’s first administration tried to improve the VA response to veteran mental health issues by making it easier for veterans to receive help outside the VA. That program has had mixed results and in fact some veterans with whom I have spoken are not aware of that option. It appears likely that Trump’s new administration will continue to move VA services in that direction. This is referred to as “privatization.” Veterans and veteran groups will be keeping watch on the actions of the new administration and new VA Secretary in this regard.

Yet amidst likely back-and-forth on the VA and privatization, the number of veteran suicides continues to climb.

And then there are our female veterans. Some have been traumatized by combat but some have been traumatized by sexual harassment and assault. Despite the government’s claim to be responding to this issue, I continue to hear from female veterans that the system does not respond and in many ways continues to cover issues up by transferring perpetrators or giving them early retirement with full benefits. As one recent female veteran told me, when she went to her commanding officer to complain of sexual assault from a senior NCO, the commander asked her if she really wanted to “ruin his career.” Nothing was done.

Finally some veterans hesitate to seek help for fear of branded as “mentally ill”. Yes, the stigma of mental illness is still out there.

I have no dramatic solution. I wish I did. Mental health practitioners continue to develop and claim as effective newer psychotherapies including the use of virtual reality. Other innovative approaches have been developed by veterans themselves. Project Healing Waters helps veteran through fly fishing. There are programs encouraging veterans to heal through artistic expression. Other programs foster healing through the outdoors, something that George Eshleman accomplished. Horsemanship has been utilized with veterans. These and other creative approaches offer hope. The problem for the veteran is awareness of and access to such programs.

What we all have to offer to our veterans is the gift of listening. Many, many veterans simply want to tell their story to someone who is willing to listen. Not advice. Not prayer. Just listening. We may not all be counselors but simply sitting with a veteran as he/she shares their story matters. In a manner as unpatronizing as possible, we need to remind our veterans they are not alone.

Here then is a preview from “The Keeper” It tells a story not just of one man but of the 363 he honored as well the untold numbers of veterans in our midst who are suffering alone.