JACKSONVILLE, Fla — A local nonprofit gathered guests Sunday to raise awareness of the “postvention” needed for families of veterans that die by suicide.
According to the organization, called Once a Soldier, 22 veterans die by suicide every day. Once a Soldier gears itself to support those families financially and with counseling after that tragedy.
Sunday’s gathering brought speakers that wanted to battle this from different angles, such as medically and through legislation. To start the night, Kevin Johns told the story of his son Jared Johns, who died by suicide in 2018.
“He got deployed to Afghanistan,” Kevin Johns said. “Said he saw some pretty gruesome things.”
Jared Johns proudly served his country from 2012 to 2015.
After being injured in Afghanistan, Jared Johns returned home.
“When he came back, when he got out of the Army, you can tell her was a different boy,” his father said.
Jared Johns was diagnosed with PTSD
“Soldiers with PTSD, there’s usually some type of a trigger,” Kevin Johns said. “Family got together, went to watch fireworks for the Fourth of July, looking in the sky, everyone is 'ooing' and 'awing,' not him.”
On Sept. 11, 2018, Jared Johns slipped into a deep depression and took his own life.
“All I wanted to do was hold my son,” his father said.
The funeral home would not let him see his son until he paid for a casket. The tragedy left the family in emotional and financial stress.
That’s where Once A Soldier stepped in and helped cover costs and counseling.
Congressman John Rutherford wants to bring this before congress, he said at Sunday’s event.
“We need to address this at a national level,” Rutherford said. “Two-thousand dollars and a 'Thank you for your service' is not enough.”
Rutherford says he plans to work alongside Once A Soldier to make their message heard.
“We need to find a way in congress that we can help once a soldier,” Rutherford said.
To learn more about Once a Soldier, visit its website.