Veterans Affairs’ Wilkie: ‘On Any Given Day, 20 American Warriors Take Their Own Lives’

EXCERPT:

WILKIE: "On any given day, 20 American warriors take their own lives. Those are active duty, guardsmen, reservist. The largest part of that number is from my father’s generation in Vietnam, but another reason why this task force is so important is that it will point the way for the rest of the country. Growing up as a youngster at Fort Bragg, the leading cause of death amongst my classmates in junior high and high school was automobile accidents. Today, it is suicide. It is a scourge that is impacting every, every segment of this country. So I want to thank the President for having the vision to identify the real solution to this national problem, and that is us. Each one of us. Each one of us can help end the stigma that has prevented America from taking on the important issue of mental health.”

(via Twitter)