May is almost over, which means so is Mental Health Awareness Month. Every day, 135 Americans die by suicide. It’s the equivalent of a commercial plane crash every single day. Or one death every 11 minutes. And still, we look away. Among post-9/11 veterans, the crisis is even worse. Since 9/11, more than 120,000 veterans have died by suicide — more than 17x the number killed in combat in Iraq, Afghanistan or Iran. In January, a veteran named Luke High reached out to me. He’s given me permission to share his story. Luke was a junior in high school when he watched the Twin Towers fall. He enrolled in ROTC, competed as a Division I pole vaulter at Ohio University, and was part of the first class to graduate knowing they were heading straight into the war on terror. He rose to Lieutenant Colonel, taught marketing at West Point, and deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan with the 82nd Airborne — the same unit I served in. Today, he faces a battle no military training could prepare him for. In 2020, he came home from Afghanistan with a rare disease that is slowly turning his lungs to bone. Luke is one of only 30 documented cases in medical history and one of just four known veterans to have it. On New Year's Eve 2024, the night he finally got his diagnosis, he attempted suicide. Luke is navigating this ordeal without the full veteran benefits he earned because current law penalizes combat-wounded veterans who retire before 20 years. The bipartisan Major Richard Star Act would fix that. Congress needs to pass it. If you know a veteran who is struggling, check on them. And if you’re a veteran reading this who is struggling right now — know you have a community of support. There is no shame in asking for help. Veterans Crisis Line (24/7): Dial 988, press 1 | Text 838255 | VeteransCrisisLine.net I share more of Luke’s story in my latest substack. https://lnkd.in/gYhPpHa4 #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth
Robert Irvine
17h
Thanks for sharing Patrick , this number is staggering and yet we still hear this number 22 the Narrative has to change . Face the Fight as a community and coalition is doing a great job but there is still much more to do .. Thank you Face the fight partners and let’s keep going strong 💪 to help everyone who needs help 💯😎💪🙏
Angela Bacca
15h
There needs to be more help and awareness for veteran suicide. It truly breaks my heart… 💔. Thank you for this post Patrick J. Murphy. Together all of his can help make a difference. 🇺🇸
Agreed. Pass the bill. Thank you for your service and leadership.
It is the greatest crisis affecting the best of us. As a recently retired soldier, I can attest the adversity that veterans face. During service, you create a family and to be torn away from that family can be devastating. Bringing them back into the arms of that family can save lives and all of these amazing programs from across the VSO ecosystem are working to do just that. I hope to be able to provide that through The Military Esports League.
Undiagnosed mild traumatic brain injuries
Babs Chase
2d
Thank you for your leadership on this critical issue, Patrick J. Murphy. Face The Fight is grateful to have you in this fight alongside us.
JoAnne Bass
2d
Patrick - thanks for sharing Luke’s story. We indeed need the Star Act to pass.
Megan Rowley
2d
Thank you for drawing attention to this and for your endless compassion for this cause. It’s personal for many of us.
Thanks for this Patrick J. Murphy. Reaching out to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and asking for help made my life so much better and richer. I’m so thankful for my local Vet Center and the VA.
Luke's four-month wait for an appointment and the 'wounded veteran tax' are exactly the kind of structural failures that turn a survivable crisis into a fatal one — the gap isn't awareness, it's access and timely care when someone is at their most vulnerable. Thank you for naming that and for the work on Face the Fight; honoring service has to mean building a system that responds when veterans reach out, not one they have to fight to get into.