As a Disabled Combat Veteran, Why Foster Children Suicide Rates Concern Me More Than Veteran Suicide Rates
Introduction
I served my country.
I have a pair of boots that have set foot in eleven countries all over the world.
I have actively participated as both a 19 Delta (19D) Heavy/Light Mechanized Scout and 11 Bravo (11B) Infantryman in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
I have engaged with the enemies of the United States with M4’s, M16’s, M203, M249 SAW, M240B, Javelin, TOW, AT4, 25mm Bushwacker, .M2 .50 CAL, MK19, and other instruments of death...and I was damn good at it.
Naturally after my eight years in service, re-acclimating to the civilian sector was rather rough. No matter how strong you are as a man, combat changes you. If you disagree, you are a liar. Certain things stay with you, you develop habits to survive such as hyper awareness, anxiety and paranoia. It’s the nature of the beast.
That being said, Uncle Sam has a solution. Not only as veterans are we entitled to free schooling, preference in government jobs, free VA medical care for life if we reach a certain disability rating, financial compensation if we got out any different than we went in (which pretty much applies for all of us), special housing programs and loans, exclusive business loans and programs, discounts on products and services, and a plethora of other benefits voluntarily serving our country.
In fact, in 2014, the cost of veteran benefits including mental health, disability pay and unemployment topped over $150 billion dollars. For the record, I believe they deserve every penny.
This doesn’t include the cost of many of the resources listed above.
Lately, we have been seeing a huge influx on awareness on veteran suicide. Programs like Mission 22 and the veteran crisis hotline, among others, have given significant resources and reach.
Truth be told, according to The Department of Veterans Affairs, deployed veterans have a suicide risk of roughly 41% higher than that the US general population. Non-deployed veterans roughly 61% of the US population.
Any suicide, regardless of being a service-member or not, is one too many. I have buried five of my men due to suicide since returning from Iraq in 2009, so this is an issue I take very seriously.
The amount of exposure, community support and awareness to combat veteran suicide has been great to see, and I hope we continue to see until everyone of our boys and girls come home, and this leads me into the real purpose of this article.
“Boys and Girls”
Every Soldier, Sailor, Marine, Airmen or Seamen was once a child. Many of them did not grow up with a silver spoon and more often than not had troubled childhoods. The military offers a chance for these “kids” to break the mold, become someone, leave their broken world behind, start anew with purpose and worth.
With the corruption of child service agencies around the country, with children being pulled out of their homes and put into foster care has turned a civil service into a “for profit” business. This sham benefits the government by expanding their influence, continuing their way into American’s homes, indoctrinating behaviors that are easily controlled, manipulating and breeding state dependence.
A little known fact to the general US population is that foster youth are 3-5 times more likely to commit suicide than same age peers, are two and a half times more likely to think about possibly committing suicide, and four times more likely to make a suicide attempt.
This statistic is alarming, being 300-500% more risk verses similar demographic compared to both classes of veterans detailed above.
https://www.fosterfocusmag.com/articles/mental-health-and-foster-care-series-preventing-suicide-foster-youth
and here
https://chronicleofsocialchange.org/featured/suicide-and-the-foster-child.
Resources are available in means of expanding the programs and providing foster parents with free “things”, which in we are going to be honest here, many foster parents do it for profit, benefits and status (I now mine did). Even with these resources, they pale in comparison to any other demographic needing similar support.
There is very little awareness for this issue, and children are limited to resources just based on the fact that they cannot readily obtain it. As a minor it is hard to drive to the ER or other resource if you are wanting to kill yourself, or attempted to and now you need help. A minor cannot admit themselves to a mental facility, or often times reach communication to get this help. They are dependent on the guardian, in which many of us know do not have the best intentions.
Additionally, many foster youth are terrified to talk about these issues for risk of being put back into a group home and to another foster home.
So where is this public outcry? Why isn't the government losing sleep and throwing money at these programs to have these children grow up to be strong, independently thinking men and women?
How This All Ties In
The “less than perfect” teen pool is the best market for military recruitment. It has the greatest reward to risk ratio and high chance of recruiting (I would know, I recruited). This brings these already damaged minds into an environment that will bend, stretch and potentially snap their mentalities. With being in constant “conflict”, these young, damaged mind, fresh with new trauma go into combat quickly after training and could become a time-bomb in country or after separation of duty.
The military can make incredible men and women from the worst possible upbringing, and to some it is the best possible choice. However, the entire child services system is flawed and fails these children from the start.
Conclusion
The best way we can combat this is a unified movement for change and accountability for all of those involved with “for profit” child kidnapping. We need increased awareness of the present issues and the consequences of these actions long into the future, but the problem is that many involved in this industry simply do not care once the case is closed.
Once human life, well being and the family unit is valued over money, political agenda and career advancement, we may just have a chance.
Jacob Billett, M.B.A
CEO Billett Enterprises, Inc.
As always, I would like to than @familyprotection, @canadian-coconut,@thethreehugs, @markwhittam, @steeminganarchy, @canadianrenegade, and everyone else that has been upvoting and giving great feedback on my work for this community so far. I will continue to work heard to bring more quality content to this movement. Any input, ideas or suggestions are welcome.**
The thing is really painful ..
I think the solution is to demand justice and social solidarity before economic interests.
thanks for participating
I agree. Priorities seem to be devolving
This post has been Resteemed and Upvoted by @familyprotection
are using "Child Protection Agencies"
to take children away from loving families
and place them in foster care or group homes
or put up for adoption.
THESE FAMILIES NEED PROTECTING.
Thank-you @entrepreneur916 for supporting @familyprotection
Yes and we should also train positive motivators
Also to make this a reality
Thank you for the continued sharing of my work. It is a privilege to be associated with you.
indeed
Great post... I'm a Nam vet (M-14 & twin .50's not all the cool stuff you had to play with) You make a good point of the prospective recruit pool... most of us went in broken and came out even more so. My advice- if you don't like living with ghosts, don't enlist! I'm 72 now and even now, the ghosts get loud sometimes, but like you, I'm more concerned about the kids. Like you said, we have options, most of the foster kids don't. I drank the ghosts away for 20 years... beyond suicide as an option for kids- I don't want that for any of them either... it's a miserable existence. In addition to an elevated suicide rate among teens in foster care- alcohol and drug abuse is astronomical... not to mention that a lot of the kids in the system are forced to take a panoply of psychotropics! Great article- God Bless you and thank you for your service!
You Sir are a Hero. A Hero in which this country owes a HUGE apology to. I take you very much for your service and I hope your ghosts give you more and more rest.
You make valid points, and one can only hope that movements such as this brings light onto this broken system producing broken souls.
Thank you very much for the response, looking forward to speaking with you again soon.
I've been posting on this issue since I've been on steemit- before even. I've been fighting corruption in government since I got out of college in 95.
I thank you for your kind words- to me a hero is just some poor scared kid trying to get home alive. Fear propels people into doing heroic things I guess. If you meet somebody that wasn't scared out of his/her wits the whole time in combat- they weren't there!
Once again, Thank you for your service Brother!
Thanks richq11, I am a Viet Vet too (USMC War Dogs, Scout Dogs, 2nd, 5th & 7th Marines), I lived the same or similar life you have, happy to report the worst appears to be in my past but its ugly head manifests without notice from time-to-time. I do not know all that much about foster care or the motivation for giving it but I know a lot about corruption and how it effects all of us. There is no doubt in my mind that many of today's youth live in confusion and oftentimes, despair. I have a hard time trying to imagine the life of someone shuffled around for profit, our system fails the vast majority IMO. I feel for young people when I see the pain and obvious discomfort that is in plain sight. I lived with a suicidal mind for many years, when I see anyone living that hell I do all I can just to be present and available, it is a terrible experience often hidden by shame and guilt for the ideation think nothing of an attempt. I remind myself, and others, "this too shall pass", unfortunately for many that concept cannot be factored in for one reason or another. I have learned that one way to take care of yourself is to offer your hand to your brother and sister. Best.
Thanks for speaking out! Very honorable!! In my experience, I really like what how Teal handles the topic of suicide.. She does not address the extreme medical neglect (basically poisoning people with chemicals), but from a spiritual and mental health perspective I really like her strength.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=teal+swan+suicide
I first want to say thank you from the very bottom of my heart. My fiance @bunnymoney was looking at my account when we were driving earlier today and looked at me and started crying because of your upvote and comment. This platform has been life changing for us, and is allowing you to contribute and inspire the world more than any other social media platform in existence.
I am speechless that my work has been deemed worthy of your upvote @jamesc, and I can only pray that I can continue providing work in which you deem quality content on this platform.
Thank you so, so much
You're a living hero sir., Eleven countries in 8 years is really a great accomplishments regardless the deadly machines from the enemies fought against you.. My salute to you.
Thank you for your kinds words. It was my job, now I'm home fighting other battles.
This is an excellent article and perspective you have. Well done!
Thank you, thank you. For your service and calling attention to the after affects of war, on our service men and women and especially our children.
I really appreciate the response. I may be doing an article on strictly veterans in the near future.
Speechless I am...everytime I read about "suicide" my heart in pain...PURE LOVE is the answers for all of this, if there is love no killings anymore and if my son loves me, he didn't took his own life.
Love heals what violence cannot.
indeed...
This is really interesting. There are a lot of similar issues in the UK too. Thank you for writing this and sharing.
Thank you so much for the reply. We are doing what we can to spread awareness.
Ohhh that is why you look so manly the first time I saw you because you were one of those nation heroes! The government should act these issues. I hope that no one is above the law.
Thank you very much for your support and comment. Steem On!