Former military veterans need valid purposes for which to put on their boots each morning. Without clear purposes, they face many overwhelming mental challenges transitioning out of intense combat environments into society's typical communities.
Every day, more than 20 of those American veterans are lost to suicide. Supporters of one nonprofit, Mission 22, seek to drop that number to zero.
One, local military veteran, Jonathan Clarke, says he found the strength within Mission 22 programs to fight his post-war demons. "When you take away a soldier's purpose, camaraderie and support system, and replace all that with only anxiety pills, it's dangerous. Those important elements are all soldiers know work-wise," he explains.
This Chapin resident has firsthand knowledge dealing with the piercing struggles of flashbacks and a deeply depressed mindset.
Jonathan served in the military from 1994-2016, with three combat tours in Iraq. When he received a medical discharge due to his combat injuries, he sought assistance at a Veterans Administration hospital. But he says he needed more than to be given medicine and sent home.
"For starters, I needed a reason to get out of bed each day," he recalls.
He says inconsistencies with operators in VA Suicide Hotlines can lead to lack of true understanding or assistance, right when veterans need it most.
Where Mission 22 Puts its Focus
It was a friend at Jonathan's church who recognized his depression, and told him about Mission 22. By researching information and "digging deeper," Jonathan says he realized he wasn't alone in battling these mental challenges, and that it was imperative to find other alternatives to suicide prevention rather than just VA hotlines.
He believes in Mission 22's objectives so much, he included contact information about the organization on the back of his personal rental company's business cards, so it prompts conversations. "If more civilians realize what veterans are going through and what they need, they will better know what to look out for regarding veterans that need assistance with suicidal thoughts," he says.
Because soldiers are taught to compartmentalize and to often suppress emotions so they can stay on mission, Jonathan says it's difficult for others to pick up on what veterans may be really thinking or feeling.
Serving warriors and their families since 2013, Mission 22 ambassadors are dedicated to healing America’s veterans by providing treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress and Traumatic Brain Injury, substance abuse and all of the issues veterans are facing today.
Mission 22's Primary Services
Mission 22 assists veterans through three main programs: veteran treatment programs, memorials and national awareness. The group serves combat veterans, those injured in training who therefore could not deploy and victims of military sexual trauma. The group's ambassador volunteers educate the public on veteran issues, help get veterans into Mission 22 treatment programs and create resources in their communities.
In the war against veteran suicides, Jonathan assures that caring organizations filled with patient people are the key. He's in the process of becoming an official Mission 22 ambassador for the Midlands region. "War affects people differently, and I want to help others who, like me, are struggling with changing their perspectives," he says.
