FINDLAY, OH (WLIO) - After losing a veteran friend to suicide two years ago, a group is urging others to pay attention to the growing problem.
From 7 am. until 5:22 pm. on Thursday, more than 120 participants stood beside a casket for 22-minute shifts in Findlay's 2nd annual Silent Watch. 22 is the average number of veterans lost to suicide each day, and 22 pairs of boots with photos and names of vets who passed were also set out for the event.
The Findlay company Allen-Kramp Wealth Management started the event after losing their coworker, marine veteran Gaven Smith, to suicide in 2021. Smith was only 39 years old. Volunteers want vets, or anyone else who is struggling, to know that help is out there, and to encourage others to call and talk to their loved ones.
"I think just that daily check helps them, just keeps them to get through the next day. I think that's really important because when we lost our friend, one of our coworkers had talked to him that morning. And I think the more we reach out to them, the better chance we have to save their lives," said Rodney Kramp, one of the organizers who works at Allen-Kramp Wealth Management.
It's important to make sure that all veterans you might know are okay because you can't always tell when something is wrong.
"A lot of people are asking why is it so much more common in the veteran community and you have to remember a lot of people go from their adolescent years in high school, where they're trying to find themselves, into the military where you spend your contracted amount of time or your career, you're trained on selfless service as part of one of the army's seven values. And it's thinking about somebody other than yourself, and it's tough when you leave that, to put yourself first and really concentrate on your own mental health," explained Andy Sterling, retired Sergeant 1st Class in the U.S. Army.
If you are in crisis and need help, you can call the National Suicide Prevention Line at 988.
