The Sconi

Wisconsin state Sen. Rob Cowles (R-Green Bay) points to the annual Veteran Suicide Awareness March as another time and place to offer veterans everywhere the praise and gratitude he feels they deserve.

“Too many veterans come home with unseen injuries, and too many suicides result from these injuries,” Cowles tweeted this week. “Events like the Veteran Suicide Awareness March are important to show these veterans that they’re not alone. Wisconsin.”

The number of suicides among American service members has long remained high, a June USO report said. Active-duty service members often face more stress than most, including mental health issues that could include post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

In 2020, 138 veterans died by suicide in Wisconsin, accounting for a ratio of 39 suicide deaths for every 100,000 veterans residing in the state; the Green Bay Press Gazette said. Overall, that number is greater than both the Midwest and national rates for veteran suicide deaths, and it is more than twice as high as the state’s overall suicide rate. Wisconsin currently has the fifth-highest rate of veteran suicides in the Midwest.

Hosted by the local chapter of national organization Helping Out Our American Heroes, this year’s march took place on Nov. 12 in Green Bay. The annual event had two different distances that participants could choose from: one at 17.6 miles and the other at 1.76 miles. The distances were based on Department of Veterans Affairs data that identifies the average number of veterans who commit suicide on a daily basis in the U.S. (17.6).

Proceeds from this year’s march will support veterans suffering from mental health conditions by giving them access to more than a dozen programs, among them the Warrior Wellness Program, an intensive 72-hour retreat operated by trained therapists to help overcome the challenges associated with PTSD.

The event typically raises more than $100,000 each year and officially recently estimated that this year’s outing was on track to net upwards of $150,000.