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.

See more, must know facts about the damage these “social programs” do here:
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.

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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.**