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'Silent Watch' to raise awareness about suicide amongst vets


'Silent Watch' to raise awareness about suicide amongst vets (WKRC)
'Silent Watch' to raise awareness about suicide amongst vets (WKRC)
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BUTLER COUNTY, Ohio (WKRC) - In honor National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, the Butler County Veterans Service Commission is holding a “silent watch.”

On Wednesday, the public is invited to stand outside its headquarters – in silence – in front of a casket to raise awareness about the prevalence of suicide amongst veterans.

“We hope that this changes some people’s minds, and if we save one person, then we’re successful,” retired Army veteran Bruce Jones said.

On average, 17 veterans die by suicide every day.

“It’s sad that it’s scary to talk about because it’s a permanent decision,” Loren Mckenzie, who served in the Marine Corps for four years, said. “You take your life and that’s it. There’s no coming back from that. We should be able to openly talk about it. You should be able to talk to your friends, family, or anybody about it. It’s sad that it’s scary to talk about because it’s a permanent decision. You take your life and that’s it. There’s no coming back from that.”

For many veterans, adjusting to normal life and returning home is difficult.

“It’s tough for a veteran to change the mindset of the military way of life and become a civilian,” Jones said.

“They don’t set you up for success when you get out,” Mckenzie said. “They just throw you out and there you go.”

Through the silent watch, Jones and Mckenzie hope to let veterans know that professional help is always available.

“That’s what this entire organization is for,” said Jones, a board member at the Butler County Veterans Service Commission. “Every county in Ohio has a veterans service commission. And that’s what we’re there to do.”

But it’s also up to family members and friends to be there for the veterans in their lives, too.

“You don’t have to be a veteran to talk to a veteran that’s having difficulties,” Jones said. “It can be anybody. They just want someone to talk to maybe.”

The silent watch will start at 7 a.m. on Wednesday outside the Butler County Veterans Service Commission offices and continue through midnight.

The 17-hour event is symbolic of the 17 veterans who take their lives each day.

“A lot of them do struggle,” Mckenzie said. “A lot of them talk about it and seek help for it, but imagine how many don’t.”

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