It’s estimated that more than 20 veterans kill themselves every day. A new survey of men and women who served in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan shows that mental health is the most important issue they face.
According to the poll conducted by the organization Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), 30 percent of these vets have considered suicide and nearly 40 percent know an Iraq or Afghanistan vet who has committed suicide.
“It’s epidemic, and I think it’s something we’re not talking enough about in this country,” IAVA chief of staff Derek Bennett told Here & Now. “The number of veterans and the number of active duty individuals who have committed suicide is actually higher than the number of folks we’ve lost lost to the enemy in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
Guest
- Derek Bennett, chief of staff for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. He tweets @dhb00.
Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.