Observed each September, Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month is an opportunity to reach out to people who may be struggling. The issue of suicide is especially prevalent among veterans, who the American Psychological Association (APA) says are 1.5 more times likely to commit suicide than their nonveteran counterparts.
Recognizing this, Wounded Warrior Project spent the month of September encouraging its network to support its efforts in preventing suicide among veterans. Through services like outpatient programs and peer support, the nonprofit has provided vital aid to wounded warriors like Pele Hunkin, who credits WWP with saving her life.
According to the APA, factors like stress, trauma, isolation, and access to guns contribute to veterans’ high rates of suicide. Per WWP, another contributing factor is financial stress, noting that 1 in 3 of its members who experience financial struggles have suicidal thoughts. Disturbingly, the rates are even higher when these struggles result in food insecurity.
Former Marine Phil Krabbe knows all of this all too well. During his military service, the platoon sergeant lost two Marines and an interpreter under his command to a roadside bomb. Survivor’s guilt and post-traumatic stress disorder made his life difficult enough after leaving the Corps, but struggling to feed his family left him questioning whether he wanted to live.
Krabbe nearly ended his life in 2020, but a promise made to Ray Pizarro, a fellow warrior he had met at a WWP event, convinced him to seek help. From there, WWP assisted Krabbe in successfully applying for VA benefits. These gave him the financial stability he needed and allowed him to stop working to focus on his recovery.
Krabbe’s path to recovery included the Warrior Care Network, a WWP program that allowed him to receive life-changing medical treatment. Today, he gives back by serving as a WWP Peer Support Group Leader, a position that his friend Ray Pizarro once held.
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