SPECIAL | Suicides by US Veterans are still tragically high

Every day nearly 17 U.S. military veterans take their own lives. According to the Veterans Administration, that number is 20 if you include active-duty soldiers. Since September is national suicide prevention month, we here at USA TODAY wanted to zoom in on the issue as it relates to the brave men and women of our armed forces. Despite the increased awareness of PTSD and other mental illnesses, despite a push by VA hospitals to do more outreach and offer better mental health care, and despite new technologies that aim to help our vets recover from mental illness, the number of suicides among veterans remains high. We're joined by Chef Andre Rush, a U.S. Army combat veteran and White House chef for four administrations, for this important discussion.

If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, call the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline which provides confidential 24/7 support by dialing 988, or visit 988lifeline.org. 

Crisis Text Line also provides free, 24/7, confidential support via text message to people in crisis when they dial 741741.

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Hit play on the player above to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript below.This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text.

Dana Taylor:

Hello and welcome to Five Things. I'm Dana Taylor. Today is Wednesday, September 27th, 2023, and this is a special episode of Five Things. Every Day, nearly 17 U.S. Military veterans take their own lives. That number is 20 if you include active duty soldiers. That's according to the VA or Veterans Administration. Since September is National Suicide Prevention Month, we here at USA Today wanted to zoom in on an issue as it relates to brave men and women in our Armed Forces. Despite the increase awareness of PTSD and other mental illnesses, despite a push by VA hospitals to do more outreach and offer better mental health care, and despite new technologies that aim to help our vets recover from mental illness, the number of suicides among veterans has stayed tragically high. How can we address this crisis in mental health? Chef Andre Rush is a combat veteran, having served 23 years in the U.S. Army as a master sergeant. He also served as a White House chef for four administrations. Chef, thanks so much for joining us.

Chef Andre Rush:

Thank you for having me. Pleasure to be here.

Dana Taylor:

Well, chef, you've been quite outspoken on the issue of suicides in the veteran community. Why has this issue been so compelling for you, and can you please share your personal connection to it?

Chef Andre Rush:

My 11 year old girl, her five and six year old brother was with her stepdad, and he eventually did that to them and then took his own life. We don't look at it and we don't think about it until it actually happens to us. My best friend last Thanksgiving took his own life as well, and he knew what I did. But sometimes we get into that part where we just think that we can handle things alone. I was the same exact way. I'm no exception to the rules. With USAA, we're doing this with them, I'm absolutely honored. I deal with things each and every day and that's the hard truth about it. I have to cope. I'm here in my kitchen. It's part of my coping too. I use cooking as therapy, cooking to cope. I use this as therapy because I know that my message is going to reach out to so many others. I use USAA for therapy, for my therapy to get to other people.

Dana Taylor:

Well, PTSD, it's obviously a huge factor in that suicides. We've been hearing about it for decades. Is the stigma still there for veterans? If so, how do you think that we can normalize the behavior of us just people reaching out for help?

Chef Andre Rush:

It's lessened. Since when I was in, I talked around 9/11 and I was in the Pentagon when that happened. I was in the radius and it was such a traumatic time. I remember this because I was young. I trained, I worked out with the DOD guys and I knew about PTSD, I knew about mental health, but like I said, it didn't resonate to me. You could talk about things all day, but until it's personal, then it becomes personal and you're like, "Okay." When the guys start telling me, these older guys said, "Hey, chef, I'm ready to go get some help. I think you might want to do some of that yourself." When I went to my chain and I said that to them and they're like, "Do you like your job?" I was like, "I understand." Be quiet and keep working and you have to deal with it. You deal with it yourself.

I did, and 20 years later, I was still dealing with it. But then now it was just that ticking time, but it was building up. It was just all of that that was inside. I was trying to cope as much as I possibly could and trying to ignore it. It was hard. I'm not going to lie. Me being back then doing this by myself was extremely hard. I mean, I cried all the time. I'm going to cry for this because it's not meaning that I'm sad or depressed or anything. It means that, man, finally, something's being heard. Someone hears your voice. Something is finally being done about something, not only for me, but for other veterans or the kids.

Dana Taylor:

According to America's Warrior Partnership, 40% of veterans live in rural areas where it's hard to get to a VA hospital to get any health services, let alone mental health services. But now we all have access to online visits. Did the VA also expand their online mental health offerings?

Chef Andre Rush:

The VA has expanded their online health, and I'll be very honest and very transparent, the VA is [inaudible 00:04:33] that they answer tens of thousands of calls all the time. Some people say, "I called the VA and I didn't get an answer. They didn't call back." It's true. It's just like someone calls you and I miss a call. You have to make that first step. I'm also talking to the family members. The family members, you see them making that step, you have to assist them also. Don't leave them by themselves to handle a situation that's dire like this until it's too late.

Dana Taylor:

Well, chef, I know this is something that you know, but it's going to be shocking to a lot of people. In the 20 years from 2001 to 2021, the number of men and women who died by suicide was four times the number killed in combat, four times. Last year, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the creation of the Suicide Prevention and Response Independent Review Committee to recommend some changes that might help the Pentagon reduce suicides. The report was released this past March. Can you tell us what some of the recommendations were and if they've been implemented and what the impact has been?

Chef Andre Rush:

Accessibility is everything. If you have a spouse, even for yourself, make sure you care guard locking up those firearms, putting them away in a safeguard, where not accessible, asking those serious questions about things, looking and looking for little signs. If someone changes, someone does this, someone does that, and you can also go and look at the websites and understand if you're, even for yourself, if you have those situational awareness, PTSD, a military veteran, do it yourself. But family members, friends, do the exact same thing. I know the secretary, when he went in and he said that they implemented it, it's just those little key things where it doesn't have to be astronomical, but those little things like lock it up, putting the key away or hide into another safe key box or putting it this way so you can know and care guard for yourself and make sure that your family's okay.

Dana Taylor:

So what's been the most surprising facet of this to you as you've worked to become such an advocate for suicide prevention among the military?

Chef Andre Rush:

That I'm here talking to you. I think about it. I was a small kid from Mississippi in the projects, would had absolutely nothing, was told I'll be nothing to being a face of Face the Fight for USAA, which I'll be honest with you, one of the most highlighted parts of my career, even with all the TV shows and my books and this and that. This right here, being able to be as a person and of color, to be this person here in front of you talking about something so astronomical. Unfortunately, the way I got here with losing my daughter, losing my best friend, losing my soldiers, [inaudible 00:07:16] brothers, it's a lesson to say don't become complacent. Don't take things for granted.

Everybody has a purpose and a reason. It's up to you what you do with it and how you do it. That's the most important part I try to tell people is you look at someone on the exterior, but you never know what's going on in the interior. You should think of everybody as your friend or your family or us to being together and doing that part. But also another thing is just being kind. You'll be amazed how far kindness can go. People look at me, I'm big guy, and when I laugh at them or I smile at them or I make a joke, they literally change instantly. They can look at me like, and then all of a sudden I'll make a joke and it's like bam, it's all gone and I just made their whole entire day of being kind. I'm like, "Oh my God, here we go." That says a lot, but it helps me even more so.

Dana Taylor:

Well, you shared a lot of your personal story, but I do want to ask you for one more story because I think that our listeners could really benefit from hearing a story about a real life veteran who once saw suicide as the only way out, who then was able to get past that moment and has learned to live with suicidal impulses without acting on them. I don't need a name here. I'm just wondering if you can share an additional story.

Chef Andre Rush:

Well, that person saw it as an out and maybe even acted on it, the C. Life is short. I say to people when they say, "No one will miss me. No one will miss me." Sometimes people say, "Don't be selfish." I'll say, "Don't be selfish also." You know why? Because not selfish as you taking your life or doing something or denying the world what you have or what you could have. I say, "Think about the impact, the domino effect. Think about your future kids that could go and rule the world and be presidents or these doctors and lawyers or inspire millions of people or cure uncurable diseases. Think about what you're denying them and yourself, the greatness, not only just them, but you and what you could contribute to the world." So I say that about that person, I'm happy that he's still around and I'm happy that he's able to spread this awareness and be a good person.

Dana Taylor:

Okay, so you've been working as an advocate for vets via nonprofit called Face the Fight. Tell me their approach, what it's been and why you think investing your time in it is so worthwhile?

Chef Andre Rush:

When you have these entities, these huge corporations, and so USAA along with corporations, nonprofit, other veteran focused organizations that's focused together, it's okay. Even me as one person, I'm dealing it constantly. Now you put me with an unstoppable force and we all come together and we're just more and more unstoppable, and we spread the awareness a thousand times more than one person. It's true what they say, we can do so much more together. They're going to cut that suicide rate in half by 2030. That's one thing that I'm going to stand by, whether I'm right here in front of you or right here by my desk or out anywhere, I'm going to still spread that word from now until 2030 until my last breath.

Dana Taylor:

Finally, and I know that you've touched on this, but I want this to be the takeaway. If anyone listening is an active duty soldier or a vet who's struggling with suicidal ideation, what are some resources for them to reach out?

Chef Andre Rush:

So first off, like I said, USAA, www.wefacethefight.org, many resources, they  have all the resources, they have extensions to that. Everything that you need to know, go there, look through it, see who they're supporting, how they're supporting and what they're doing and ask the questions. Ask the serious questions. Ask the questions. Go through the numbers. Call. By all means, just don't pick up the phone once or twice. I've called many times and I still will, the same way I answer people over and over when they say, "Hey, chef, I need some help." Let me get you those resources.

Dana Taylor:

You fought for us, fight for yourself. Fight for yourself.

Chef Andre Rush:

True. You're worth it.

Dana Taylor:

Thank you so much for your passion on this important issue, chef, for your time today. Really appreciate that. Appreciate you speaking with me.

Chef Andre Rush:

Thank you so much.

Dana Taylor:

Thanks to our senior producer, Shannon Rae Green, for production assistance. Our executive producer is Laura Beatty. Let us know what you think of this episode by sending a note to [email protected]. Thanks for listening. I'm Dana Taylor. Taylor Wilson will be back tomorrow morning with another episode of Five Things.