Local veterans take on PTSD, suicide

September is National Suicide Prevention Month, and the Illinois Dept. of Veterans Affairs is reaching out to raise awareness about the staggering suicide rates among Service Members, Veterans, and their Families (SMVF) and what we can do to reduce veteran suicide by removing the stigma of asking for help.
As part of this effort the national American Legion established the “Be the One” program as a way that veterans can help other veterans.
Paul “Dave” Melhorn, Roy Strong and Harry Butcher have a vested interest in preventing suicide. They’re taking the program a step further.
As members of the American Legion Post 191 in Wilmington, they’re determined to make a difference in the lives of veterans at risk. At this time, they’re reaching out to the community for help to save lives.
Scope of suicide
According to United Service Organizations, 30,177 active duty personnel and veterans serving in the military after Sept. 11, 2001, died by suicide in 2021. That was more than four times more than the 7,057 killed in combat during the same time period.
According to the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs, 29 percent of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom will suffer Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) at some point. Twenty-one percent of those who fought in Desert Storm, 10 percent who fought in the Vietnam War and three percent from World War II will suffer PTSD at some point in life.
That's where Melhorn (Army), Strong (Marines) and Butcher (Navy) enter the picture. Being veterans themselves, they understand why veterans might hesitate to seek help for PTSD and other mental health issues.
According to the National Center for PTSD, combat related PTSD may result from exposure to violence, death of comrades, witnessing death and destruction and exposure to explosives and gunfire.
But non-combat veterans may also suffer, especially if they experienced sexual trauma, training accidents, discrimination or harassment and witnessed violence.
Getting it off your chest
Melhorn, who was a combat veteran in Vietnam shared he suffered PTSD for decades after being discharged, and understands how difficult it can be to talk about war to someone who has never served.
A counselor recommended he write a book about his experiences. His publication of “My Year in Vietnam” did a lot to ease the chronic stress he felt from serving in Vietnam. It worked, and Melhorn was able to move past the lingering trauma.
“There's roughly 22 vets a day dying from suicide,” Melhorn said. “And the biggest majority of them are Vietnam vets to this day, because some of the problems you have with war never go away.”
Melhorn, Strong and Butcher understand better than most that a lot of talk goes into attempting to assist veterans with PTSD. They're tired of talk. They want action, and they're just the men to take action.
“The American Legion came up with ‘Be The One,’ and what that means is quit talking about it and do something,” Melhorn said. “This is a national program with the American Legion, but we want our own branch.”
Be the One is a national program aimed at destigmatizing asking for mental health support by providing peer-to-peer support, resources and education.
The program urges members to educate other veterans and civilians, and provide resources throughout the community.
Reaching out
The trio want to be there for veterans who experience a “dark night of the soul.” Thus far, they have sought guidance from the Veterans Assistance Commission in Joliet and Wilmington Coalition for a Healthy Community.
“I brought it up to the American Legion and they jumped on it right away, and wanted to set up a meeting,” Butcher said. “We figured somebody who's had PTSD can talk to somebody who's got it, who's in crisis.”
The veterans determined that the most difficult part of an intervention program is persuading veterans to talk. Strong pointed out that veterans don't speak to just anyone about their issues, and with good reason.
The U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs concurs. Veterans can be reluctant to discuss trauma that caused PTSD due a perceived stigma surrounding mental illness or because they live in rural areas and would have to travel too far to get help. Many feel that non-military practitioners cannot understand war-related trauma.
“Only Dave and I are two of the few in our unit that had actually combat experience,” Strong said. “So both Dave and I we have PTSD, which we admit, and we're the ones who can talk to guys with PTSD so that they know we understand.”
Finding those who
need help
It’s one thing to offer support services to veterans, it’s another to convince them to seek help. As Melhorn attested to, many vets with PTSD simply want to forget, and will go through great lengths and boatloads of denial to do so.
“Football games are probably the biggest gathering of people that we have,” Strong said. “I'm thinking we should set up a table at the games with information and phone numbers they can call.”
Melhorn, Strong and Butcher discussed everything from personally being on call to take phone calls from veterans to opening their services to the public. The idea is overwhelming.
“We’re new at this, and it’s hard to know exactly where to start,” Melhorn said. “I don’t think we have enough horses to pull this particular wagon.”
Seeking volunteers
Melhorn, Strong, and Butcher have big plans, and have been brainstorming about how to make it work. They’ve considered a 24-hour hotline for veterans, but they’re not sure exactly how it would work.
“One thing we need for sure is volunteers,” Strong said. “There is so much that can be done, but only if we have enough people, especially veterans, and first responders, to help us.”
Fortunately, the national American Legion (Legion.org/betheone) offers support, training, and materials.
The national office has joined forces with Columbia University for those who want to learn how to interact and respond with veterans in crisis. The virtual training is available to all American Legion members.
“We’re working with the program and we’re also in contact with the Veterans Assistance Commission in Joliet, and Hines VA” Melhorn said.
They’ve already learned a few important lessons to aid them in talking to veterans in crisis.
“In that training, they tell you to come straight out and ask the person if they're thinking of killing themselves,” Butcher said. “We want veterans to come to us because we really do understand.”
For information or if you are interested in volunteering, call Dave Melhorn at (815) 210-8322.
If you are a veteran and would like to speak to someone who understands service-related PTSD or other stressors, please call the local Be The One hotline: (779) 206-8391 and a veteran will answer your call.
Are you contemplating
suicide?
If you are in crisis, and contemplating suicide or self-harm, please do the following:
• Dial 988 and press 1
• Text 838255
• If you have hearing loss call TTY: Dial 711 then 988