THE
THE MILITARY TIMES REPORTED IN JULY THAT MORE VETERANS DIED BY
SUICIDE FROM 2005 TO
2017 THAN THE TOTAL
NUMBER OF U.S. TROOPS
WHO DIED IN 30 YEARS OF
WAR IN VIETNAM, IRAQ
AND AFGHANISTAN.
OTHER REPORTS HAVE
SAID MORE THAN 20
VETERANS DIE BY SUICIDE
EVERY DAY.
THOSE STATISTICS HIT
CLOSE TO HOME FOR ONE
IDAHO VETERAN.
DAVID CONLEY, AN
AMERICAN LEGION RIDER
AND MEMBER, IS
DEDICATING HIS LIFE SO
THAT VETERANS WHO ARE
STRUGGLING CAN HAVE
"ONE MORE DAY."
KIM ASKS, "YOU CHOSE
"ONE MORE DAY" BECAUSE
THOSE
THOSE WERE THREE WORDS THAT UNFORTUNATELY YOU
HEARD OFTEN WHEN
CONSOLING FAMILIES
WHO'D LOST A VETERAN
TO
TO SUICIDE." "PRETTY MUCH EVERY TIME. EVERY FAMILY WE TALKED TO
WOULD SAY, 'IF WE ONLY
HAD ONE MORE DAY, WE
COULD FIX EVERYTHING,
WE'D KNOW THAT THERE
WAS SOMETHING WRONG,
WE
WE COULD
WE COULD HAVE SEEN THE SIGNS,'" DAVID CONLEY, FOUNDER OF
ONEMOREDAY VETERANS
SUICIDE PREVENTION
PROGRAM SAID.
DAVID CONLEY SAID
THOSE WORDS BECAME
OVERWHELMING TO HEAR.
IDAHO HAS THE FIFTH
HIGHEST VETERAN SUICIDE
RATE IN THE COUNTRY.
KIM ASKS, "YOU'VE MADE
IT YOUR MISSION?" "I DID.
I GOT SO TIRED OF GOING
TO THE FUNERALS AND
THE MEMORIALS. AND
ABOUT THREE YEARS AGO
IS WHERE I GOT TO THE
POINT WHERE I HAD JUST
HAD ENOUGH. AND I
STARTED DOING ALL THIS
RESEARCH JUST TRYING TO
FIGURE OUT, YOU KNOW
THERE'S A THOUSAND
VETERAN SUICIDE
PROGRAMS OUT THERE
AND THEY'RE ALL
WORKING THEIR BUTTS
OFF, BUT THE NUMBER
KEEPS INCREASING OF
PEOPLE TAKING THEIR
LIVES. SO I WANTED TO
FIGURE OUT, NOT THAT
I'M ANY SMARTER THAN
ANYBODY, BUT I JUST
WANTED TO FIGURE OUT
IF I COULD GET A
DIFFERENT TAKE OF WHAT
IS GOING ON," SAID
CONLEY.
HIS PROGRAM,
"ONEMOREDAY VETERANS
SUICIDE PREVENTION
PROGRAM" TAKES A
DIFFERENT APPROACH..
REACHING OUT TO
VETERANS BEFORE THEY
LEAVE THE MILITARY.
DAVID SAYS THE TIME OF
TRANSITIONING FROM
ACTIVE DUTY TO VETERAN
IS WHEN SUICIDES OCCUR
MOST.
"WE'RE CUTTING THEIR
CHANCE OF SUICIDE
ALMOST IN HALF JUST
BECAUSE WHEN THEY GET
INTO THAT TRANSITION,
THEY'RE ALREADY
ACCUSTOMED TO
WORKING WITH US SO
THEY DON'T LOSE THAT
BROTHERHOOD OR
SISTERHOOD, WHICHEVER
IT MAY BE," CONLEY SAID.
THE
THE PROGRAM, STILL IN ITS INFANCY, WILL HAVE VOLUNTEER VETERANS
TRAINED IN SUICIDE
INTERVENTION SKILLS.
THEY'LL HELP RESPOND TO
911 CALLS OF VETERANS
IN DISTRESS. THEY'RE
EVEN WORKING WITH THE
ADA COUNTY SHERIFF'S
OFFICE.
"WE'RE CREATING AN
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM
WHERE SOME OF OUR
VOLUNTEERS WILL BE
GOING INTO THE JAIL
ONCE A WEEK AND WE'LL
BE HELPING ANY VETERAN
THAT'S IN THERE, IDENTIFY
ANY BENEFITS THAT THEY
MAY BE ENTITLED TO, WE
WANT TO FIND HOUSING
IF THEY'RE HOMELESS, WE
WANT TO FIND ANY
REHABS FOR THEM IF
THEY'RE ADDICTED TO
SOMETHING. WE WANT
TO ELIMINATE THE
PROBLEMS SO THEY DON'T
COME BACK," CONLEY
SAID.
KIM ASKS, "DAVID, IS
THERE ONE COMMON
DENOMINATOR, ONE
UNDERLYING THEME AS TO
WHY THESE VETERANS
MAY BE DYING BY
SUICIDE?" "THE BIGGEST
THING THAT ALL THE
REALLY KNOWLEDGE
REALLY KNOWLEDGE
PSYCHIATRISTS ARE SAYING ARE TWO THINGS - LOSS OF BELONGING, THEY
LOSE THAT
BROTHERHOOD, AND
THEN THEY LOSE THEIR
SELF-WORTH," CONLEY
SAID.
SIGNS TO LOOK OUT FOR:
WITHDRAWING FROM
THEIR SPOUSE AND KKIDS
DRINKING MORE
CHANGING THE WAY THEY
SPEAK TO A MORE
PERMANENT SENSE
AND MISSING WORK.
KIM SAYS, "I KEEP
THINKING THESE
VETERANS GAVE THEIR ALL
FOR OUR COUNTRY, THE
LEAST WE CAN DO IS GIVE
THEM ONE MORE DAY, AS
YOU WOULD SAY."
"EXACTLY, EXACTLY."
"EXACTLY, EXACTLY."
WE
WE MENTIONED THE ONEMOREDAY VETERANS SUICIDE PREVENTION
PROGRAM IS STILL IN ITS
INFANCY.
BUT AMERICAN LEGION
IDAHO HAS ALREADY
ADOPTED THE PROGRAM.
DAVID IS ALSO WORKING
WITH NATIONAL GUARD
UNITS IN EIGHT DIFFERENT
STATES -- AND HE'S
HOPING TO SOON WORK
WITH BASES ACROSS THE
COUNTRY.
TO LEARN MORE OR TO
VOLUNTEER TO HELP,
CHECK OUT THEIR
FACEBOOK PAGE -
VETERANS ONE MORE
DAY.
WE'LL HAVE A LINK TO IT
IN THIS STORY ON
KTVB.COM.
AND A REMINDER THAT IF
YOU NEED HELP... THE
IDAHO SUICIDE HOTLINE IS
AVAILABLE 24 HOURS A
DAY... YOU CAN TEXT OR
CALL
398-4357.
CALL 398-4357. ALL