A Lifeline For Veterans In Need

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Crystal and Donovan Hernandez of Columbus, Georgia on their wedding day in 2010. Donovan, an Army veteran, killed himself in 2014.

Federal data show the suicide rate among veterans has risen over the last decade. In 2007, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs approached this problem with a 24-hour call center in upstate New York. As GPB’s Sean Powers reports, the VA recently expanded that service with a second hotline in Atlanta.

We continued our conversation about veterans issues with Iraq War veteran Chris Dorsey, who has a farm in Lumpkin County. Dorsey has had his own problems with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and has struggled to get help from the VA, which he documented in a cell phone video two years ago. Since returning from combat, he has started two groups in Georgia to help other veterans. 

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Chloe Hernandez visiting her father's grave.