Tuesday, September 20, 2022

Veteran suicides

 

Veterans suicides drop to lowest rate since 2006

By Leo Shane III, reprinted from the Military Times, 9/20/2022

The number of veterans suicides in America fell to less than 17 a day in 2020, a positive sign that efforts to provide additional mental health care and support service to veterans may be saving lives, Veterans Affairs officials said Monday.

The department’s annual suicide prevention report — released each September — showed that 6,146 veterans died by suicide in 2020, the latest year for which data is available.

 

That’s a decrease of 9.7% (650 fewer cases) since 2018, nearly double the drop seen in the suicide rate among the general population over that time span (5.5%).

In a statement, VA Secretary Denis McDonough expressed tempered optimism over the findings.

“This year’s report shows real progress, but there is still so much work to be done,” he said. “One veteran suicide is one too many, and VA will continue to work with our federal, state, local and private partners to tackle this problem and save veterans’ lives.”

About 16.8 veterans a day died by suicide in 2020, the first time that calculation has fallen below 17 a day since 2006. The figure has risen to as high as 18 a day in recent years.

When active-duty and reserve suicides are included in the totals, the estimate is about 20 suicides a day, a figure widely quoted in the military and veterans communities.

Despite the positive news, however, veterans remain more likely to die by suicide than Americans who never served in the military. The suicide rate among veterans is roughly 31.7 deaths per 100,000 veterans, almost double that of non-veterans (16.1 per 100,000).

Suicide was the second leading cause of death among veterans 45 years of age and younger in 2020, behind only accidents.

The improvements in the suicide rate coincide with the final two years of President Donald Trump’s term in office. But VA officials cautioned against attributing the changes to any single program or initiative, saying the causes — and solutions — to suicide are complex. (Emphasis is mine, BRH)

“Improvement involves addressing suicide prevention, incorporating consideration of multiple risk factors and predictive factors, and building evidence-based clinical interventions as well as community-based interventions,” said Dr. Matt Miller, VA’s director of suicide prevention.

 

“I see [in this report] that the VA, in collaboration with the community and other federal agencies, is making a difference.”

 

The report also found no real change in suicide rates because of the Covid-19 pandemic, which began in spring 2020. That had been a concern among mental health specialists, who feared increased isolation and stress as a result of the pandemic response effort could trigger suicidal thoughts among vulnerable veterans.

The VA findings come just two days after officials from America’s Warrior Partnership, in a joint study with University of Alabama and Duke University, released their own study suggesting that the official suicide numbers from state census data may be dramatically under counting veterans deaths.

If the numbers were to include additional deaths from accidental drug overdoses and deceased individuals whose veteran status was reported inaccurately, the figure could be as high as 44 veteran deaths by suicide a day, AWP officials said.

As part of the VA report release Monday, department officials also announced $52 million in community-based suicide prevention grants to 80 organizations in 43 states, and another $8.5 million in awards as part of their Mission Daybreak suicide prevention challenge.

Veterans in need of emergency counseling can reach the Veterans Crisis line by dialing 988 or 1-800-273-8255 and selecting option 1 after connecting to reach a VA staffer. In addition, veterans, troops, or their family members can also text 838255 or visit VeteransCrisisLine.net for assistance.

About Leo Shane III

Leo covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He has covered Washington, D.C. since 2004, focusing on military personnel and veterans policies. His work has earned numerous honors, including a 2009 Polk award, a 2010 National Headliner Award, the IAVA Leadership in Journalism award and the VFW News Media award.

 

 

 

Thursday, September 8, 2022

GOD REST THE QUEEN

 QUEEN ELIZABETH II HAS PASSED OVER THE THAMES ON HER WAY TO REJOIN PRINCE PHILLIP.

GOD REST THE QUEEN!

TO KING CHARLES IN WAITING - GOD BLESS THE KING

Saturday, September 3, 2022

A New Edgar R[ce Burroughs Universe Novel

 

August 30, 2022 (Tarzana, California) The Swords of Eternity super-arc of the groundbreaking Edgar Rice Burroughs Universe series concludes with Victory Harben: Fires of Halos by Christopher Paul Carey—featuring the world of Halos from Edgar Rice Burroughs’ legendary unpublished novel fragment, The Ghostly Script

Preorders of Victory Harben: Fires of Halos are now available directly from ERB, Inc. Softcover and hardcover editions, as well as a limited Collector’s Edition with a signed bookplate, will be available in a simultaneous release. The novel is expected to ship to customers Fall 2022.

Born in Pellucidar...Mentored by Jason Gridley...Trained to Fight by Tarzan of the Apes...

Readers have come to know Victory Harben from her side storyline in the novel Tarzan: Battle for Pellucidar; her adventures in the bonus novelettes “Pellucidar: Dark of the Sun,” “Victory Harben: Clash on Caspak,” and “Victory Harben: Stormwinds of Va-nah” in the first three Swords of Eternity books; and her starring role in the comic book miniseries Beyond the Farthest Star: Warriors of Zandar. Now, at last, get Victory’s complete origin story in Victory Harben: Fires of Halos, which can be read as either a standalone novel by new readers or the epic conclusion to the four-book Swords of Eternity super-arc!

The daughter of Gretchen von Harben from Tarzan and the Tarzan Twins by Edgar Rice Burroughs and the warrior Nadok of Pellucidar, Victory spent the first twelve years of her life at the Earth’s core under the tutelage of two of the greatest minds of the twentieth century: Jason Gridley and Abner Perry. On the outer crust, she further honed her intellect at Oxford’s prestigious Darkheath College, earning an advanced degree in Theoretical Physics while she took breaks to exercise her muscles and fighting skills at Lord and Lady Greystoke's Chamston-Hedding estate. Now all of Victory’s abilities and talents will be put to the test as she is hurled upon one of the strangest and most daunting odysseys imaginable!

VICTORY HARBEN: FIRES OF HALOS

When Gridley Wave contact between worlds is inexplicably broken, young physicist Victory Harben returns to her home at the Earth’s core to help solve the mystery. Soon Victory finds the riddles of her past are hopelessly entangled with the machinations of an ancient and inscrutable queen of the Mahars, the inner world’s dethroned reptilian overlords. Unwillingly hurled into the cosmic void by the queen, Victory is hunted down across space and time by a vengeful being whose flaming sword absorbs the souls of the slain, delivering them to the ravenous lords of Halos. As Victory races to track down the key to her destiny, a storm of malevolent forces gathers against her, unleashing the secret rulers of the afterlife in an unholy tempest that threatens to shatter reality itself.

Bonus Novelette: “Beyond the Farthest Star™: Rescue on Zandar” by Mike Wolfer

When a hunting party from the village of the Ki-vaas goes missing, the tribe’s age-old customs decree the fate of its lost members to have been dictated by the gods. But the young woman Tii-laa cannot abide such hopeless dogma. Striking out on her own, she must risk both her place in the tribe and her very life, facing the planet Zandar’s deadly wilds and savage creatures in a desperate attempt to save her missing tribespeople!

Preorder your copy of Victory Harben: Fires of Halos today!