By John Bale
Last year, more defence veterans took their own lives than the total number of Australians killed in the Afghanistan war.
Reports in 2017 suggest veterans are killing themselves at an average of one a week. A recent National Mental Health Commission report found: "There is an undoubted association between [military] service and suicide after you leave that service."
In plain English, our soldiers, sailors and airmen and women are at increased risk of taking their own life once they leave the Australian Defence Force.
Now that we are aware of this shameful figure and the reasons for it, the question this Anzac Day is how we support our veterans better?
Soldiers, sailors and airmen and women are at increased risk of taking their own life once they leave the Australian Defence Force.Credit: Glenn Campbell
The first instinct is to seek a solution to veteran suicide from government. But while that sector has a role to play, it is the community that is critical to reducing veteran suicides.
After all, veterans do not leave the Australian Defence Force and join the Department of Veterans Affairs. They join us, the Australian community. The same community that they represented while they served in uniform.
Regardless of your politics, these men and women represented our country, not a political party. That makes it both a responsibility, but more a privilege, to support them back into our community.
The same community that agonised over the deployment of our servicemen and women to Iraq and heavily question our continued contribution in Afghanistan, often fails to ask similar questions once the troops return.
Collective amnesia over our most recent wars will only result in Australia becoming a part of our next conflict quicker than our last, while our recently returned veterans are forgotten faster.
Now our most recent veterans have returned home from wars, peacekeeping missions and humanitarian aid efforts around the world, we as a community have choices to make: to employ our veterans or underemploy them; to support them with strong social networks or leave them socially isolated; and, most importantly, to recognise their skills, training and experiences and help them find their purpose post-service to Australia or leave them unfulfilled.
Government cannot alone fix these problems. But community recognition, awareness and support will.
This community support has not always existed. History shows we failed our Vietnam veterans. The consequences of which still shame us, and haunt a generation of veterans and their families.
We now know that something happens to defence force personnel between the time when they are members of the Defence Force – when their suicide risks are half that of the general population – and when they advance into a life after their service, when the risks become significantly greater.
Veterans frequently tell us their service has been misunderstood. If a recently returned veteran with 10 years' experience applies for a job at your company, what do you see?
I see a leader. Someone who knows how to keep team morale high and increase productivity. Someone who knows how to train others. Someone with incredible skills and experiences that have been learnt under the most extreme situations, skills that would greatly benefit any organisation.
Unfortunately, what most people see is a veteran who doesn't match the job description. When we misunderstand our veterans in our society, we are potentially increasing the risk of them experiencing social isolation, anxiety, moral injury, depression and PTSD.
We can help veterans address these issues. The solution is supporting them through the transition process from the Defence Force to civilian life and helping them reintegrate into our society. If we get this right, we will be able to reduce the risk of veterans dying by suicide in the years after service.
The good news is that our community has generated new veterans' organisations that are collaborating to address these issues. Programs, designed to support veterans into gainful employment, or to continue their service through volunteering are improving the often-difficult transition period. Combined with solid mental health support and initiatives to reduce social isolation a new, wellness-focused model is emerging for veterans.
There are still big gaps to fill. We as a community have a long way to go to ensure this generation is properly reintegrated, unlike our last.
So, if we truly want to save the lives of veterans and ensure this generation is properly reintegrated into our society, then let's direct our patriotic sentiment into even more community action for our younger veterans this Anzac Day.
John Bale is chief executive and co-founder of the charity Soldier On.
Lifeline 131 114
MensLine 1300 789 978
Beyondblue 1300 224 636