It’s Day 8 of my #22kill #22pushups initiative, calling attention to the fact that every day in the United States, 22 military veterans commit suicide. Click here for my earlier post with the first week’s videos.
I am now doing 50 push-ups and hope to reach 66 push-ups (22 x 3) by the end of the challenge. Each day this week I’ll post a video of me doing push-ups *and* I’ll provide a link to a related news article.
It’s really a tragic issue.
Here’s Day 8:
Here’s a related story from the LA Times:
“New government research shows that female military veterans commit suicide at nearly six times the rate of other women, a startling finding that experts say poses disturbing questions about the backgrounds and experiences of women who serve in the armed forces.”
Day 9:
Related story from the New York Times:
“Since coming back from Afghanistan in 2008, the hard-hit Second Battalion, Seventh Marine Regiment has struggled to adjust. The battalion lost 20 men in war. In the years since, it has lost 13 more to suicide. The battalion now has a suicide rate 14 times that for all Americans.” – Click!
Day 10:
Related story from the New York Times:
“For years leaders at the top levels of the government have acknowledged the high suicide rate among veterans and spent heavily to try to reduce it. But the suicides have continued, and basic questions about who is most at risk and how best to help them are still largely unanswered.” – Click!
Day 11:
Related story from the New York Times:
“A 2014 survey by Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, which led the campaign for the bill with help from Mr. Hunt’s mother, Susan Selke, found that 31 percent of members who responded considered taking their own lives and 40 percent said they knew another veteran of their generation who had committed suicide.” – Click!
Day 12:
Related story from the New York Times:
“Each flag represented a veteran who had committed suicide since Jan. 1, a figure that amounts to 22 deaths each day.” – Click!
Day 13:
Related story from the New York Times:
“A Department of Veterans Affairs study in 2012 said an estimated 22 veterans committed suicide every day in 2010. While other studies calculated a lower tally, closer to one or two per day, the number 22 has taken on potent symbolism on social media, from roll calls to push-up challenges.” – Click!
Day 14:
Related story from the New York Times:
“Because his National Guard unit was still in ready reserve status, the Veterans Affairs Department medical center in Phoenix refused him treatment because he was not yet officially a veteran. The local Defense Department health care facility denied him services because he was not on active duty.” – Click!
