Veteran Suicide

We talk about sacrifice. But not enough about what comes after.

Since 1997, 1,677 Australian veterans have died by suicide. That’s not a number from a battlefield. That’s post-service. That’s home.

In the U.S., over 120,000 veterans and service members have taken their own lives since 2001 - more than four times the number lost in combat.

The pattern is global. And deeply confronting.

But what’s most sobering is who is at the highest risk. It’s not just those on the fringes. It’s often those we expect to be unbreakable.

Special Forces operators - trained for the most dangerous missions - are dying by suicide at rates up to 30% higher than the rest of the military.

After the suicide of the SEAL Team 4 Commander in Afghanistan, retired SEAL Captain Tom Chaby said it plainly: “We like to fancy ourselves as ‘we’re the most resilient guys in the world.” And that’s part of the problem.

Elite culture, silent suffering, and a fear that asking for help means stepping off the mission.

In 2018, U.S. special ops recorded 22 suicides in a single year.

In late 2020, at least 9 Australian veterans - many linked to special operations - died by suicide in just 6 weeks, right after the Brereton Report went public.

We don’t talk about it enough. We don’t track it properly. And we don’t respond with the urgency it demands.

There is no public data in Australia on SOF suicide. No structured, post-service response tailored to those who carried the highest operational load.

This isn’t just a mental health issue. It’s a systems issue. A cultural issue. A leadership issue. The mission has changed. And so must we.

Break the silence. Honour the truth.

Back the ones who never stopped serving - even when the uniform came off.

#VeteranSupport #SOF #MentalHealthAwareness #RoyalCommission #Brereton #NotStandardIssue #P4P #PostServicePurpose #LeadWithAction #LifeAfterService #GlobalVeteranCrisis