The Importance of Veterans Day and Veterans Mental Health
Monday, November 11, 2024 is Veterans Day. Veterans Day is a legal U.S. holiday that recognizes all American Veterans of war (History.com Editors, 2009). In 1918, during the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month of the year, the Allies and Germany came to an armistice or temporary truce. In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the first commemoration of Armistice Day, celebrating with a pause in school and business activities and parades. It was not until 1938 that Armistice Day became a federal holiday. After World War II and the Korean War, Armistice Day became known as Veterans Day.
Today, Veterans Day is used to thank living veterans for their service and their contributions to duty, honor, and sacrifice in military service. It honors veterans’ patriotism, love of country and willingness to serve (Veterans Day facts and information, 2024). Veterans have gone through traumatic events in order to preserve the safety of our nation. These traumatic events can have lifelong effects. Unfortunately, 1 in 4 veterans lives with a mental illness. 1 in 5 Veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan live with PTSD or major depression. 47% report experiencing angry outbursts (a symptom of PTSD) and 44% report difficulty adjusting back to civilian life (Understanding veterans and mental illness 2024). Veterans are also 1.5x more likely to die by suicide than civilians and are more at risk for substance abuse disorders (Miller, 2024). Mental illness can make it difficult to hold a job, quality of life and maintain relationships.
Below are mental health resources for Veterans:
Resources
-Post-Traumatic Stress Awareness, Action, and Anonymity
Help for Veterans with PTSD | PTSD Awareness | PTSA | NVHS
-Transitional Housing
Veteran Transitional Housing in Brevard County, FL | NVHS
-Find a VA
Find VA Locations | Veterans Affairs
-Wounded Warrior Project (Mental Health Services)
Veteran Mental Health Services | Wounded Warrior Project
-Veteran Crisis Line
-Dane County Veteran Services
-Wisconsin Veteran Services Organization
Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Service Organizations
-Madison Vet Center
Madison Vet Center | Veterans Affairs (va.gov)
-Dane County Veteran Transportation
Veteran Transportation | Department of Human Services (danecountyhumanservices.org)
-Benefits for Disabled Vets
References
History.com (Ed.). (2009, October 14). Veterans Day 2023: Founding, Fact & Meaning. History.com. https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/history-of-veterans-day
Miller, L. (2024, August 7). Statistics on veterans and substance abuse. veteranaddiction.org. https://veteranaddiction.org/resources/veteran-statistics/
OPR: Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs (OPIA). (2024, September 25). Veterans Day facts and information. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. https://department.va.gov/veterans-day/facts-and-information/
Understanding veterans and mental illness. NVHS. (2024, July 12). https://nvhs.org/veterans-and-mental-illness/?msclkid=a8046eb2540c16600ac509bb36805ccd&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=NVHS+-+Blog&utm_term=veterans+mental+illness&utm_content=Mental+Illness+In+Veterans