The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has taken a lot of important and crucial steps to contact/interact with/influence Veterans most at risk of committing suicide. The VA has massively expanded spending on suicide prevention outreach. In fiscal year 2018 the VA spent $12.2 million. Paid media advertising accounted for $1.5. The big news is that for 2019 the VA budget allocated to prevent suicide is approximately $47.5 million with around $20 million specifically for outreach programming!

I think that is GREAT news!!! But there’s more:

Prompting these significant budgetary increases is the fact that more and more Americans are taking timely advantage of the existing VA suicide prevention resources. For example, the vitally important VA CRISIS LINE (1-800-273-8255, then hit line 1 – for immediate help, dial 911) provides help for over 2,000 callers every day. That means that in the last decade, this line for potential suicide victims has reached 3.5 million callers and participated in 413,000 in depth conversations with people in greatest need.

The VA’s national suicide prevention team, in just this past year, has conducted more than 22,000 suicide prevention programs and events and were able to reach over 2.2 million Veterans and their families. These are significant numbers and reflect greatly on the VA and staff members and volunteers. CONGRATS!!!

These outstanding efforts at Suicide prevention by the VA won’t be as good as they could be without the help of all Veterans and all family members when they began to fear potential suicides. Unless all of us (even those of us to whom suicide once appeared an alternative to vet-pain) step up, our friends, family members and fellow-Veterans may still be at risk for this greatest enemy that Veterans have ever had to face. Contact the VA at 1-800-933-8101 to get more information and helping hints.

Veteran Info Tables at the Gardendale and Fultondale Public Libraries (staffed by B’ham VET2VET members and Viet Nam Veterans of America, Chapter 416 members and John Pinion VA Outreach Coordinator)

TOMORROW – Our table will be at the Martha Moore Public Library in Gardendale – 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.)

I am pleased to share with you that these information tables (Thursdays – 9am-1pm) have been profoundly successful. In our first two weeks (first at Gardendale and then at Fultondale) we have reached over 40 people, many of whom were veterans, including one homeless vet. A number of family members and just ordinary citizens approached us for information, materials and contact resources. Bill, Ron, Zach and B.J. and I did our best and hope others will join us. Much thanks also goes to the library staff in both Gardendale and Fultondale for their wonderful and welcoming help for us and the Veterans!

We alternate Thursdays (from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.) between Gardendale and Fultondale. Come by and see us and add your experiences to ours to help Veterans and their families. We also want to support our First Responders (Law Enforcement, Firefighters and EMTS). The outstanding B’ham Police Sergeant Carter who was killed this past week was also a distinguished military Veteran!

May God Bless Our Veterans, Their Families, those on active duty, our First Responders, our Leaders, and the VA! But most of all – May God Bless YOU! – Best wishes

-GI JOE

Gerald “Joe” Stahlkuppe is a combat Army veteran of the Vietnam War. An ordained clergyman, public speaker and author of several books, he lives with his wife in Gardendale.

Questions or veterans issues you would like to see addressed in the column can be directed to Stahlkuppe at P.O. Box 849, Gardendale, AL 35071 or emailed to editor@njeffersonnews.com.