SUFFOLK, Va. — The annual Memorial Day ceremony in Suffolk went on as scheduled Monday, despite the rain.
Veterans were passionate when talking about the meaning of the day.
“My dad’s actually buried here with my mom, so it means a lot," Navy veteran Audrey Sykes said as she tried to hold back tears.
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They were also passionate about addressing the issue of suicide.
“I feel that, as veterans, we need to support each other better and for people who didn’t serve (they) need to realize what we’ve gone through and what we’ve seen," said Sykes.
“We’ve got to do more to reach out to these folks that are having troubles readjusting back to normal life. I know the VA is concerned about it and they’re working on it. It’s a terrible thing," said Navy veteran Steven Braunshausen.
According to the VA’s 2023 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Report, as of 2021, an average of 17.5 veterans died by suicide each day.
That was up from 16.4 in 2001.
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“It could’ve been preventable," said the father of Xavier Sandor about his son's death. Sandor died by suicide in 2022 while assigned to the USS George Washington in Hampton Roads.
“The goal is zero and anything above zero is unacceptable," Patrick Caserta, the father of a sailor who died by suicide, said.
Suicide is also an issue among active duty service members.
News 3 has spoken to families of sailors who have died by suicide while stationed in Hampton Roads.
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According to the USO, research shows that, as of 2021, more than 30,000 active duty service members and veterans who served after 9/11 had died by suicide.
That’s about four times higher than the number of people killed in combat during that same time.
“Every day is critical in all of this," Caserta said.
The Caserta family helped get a law passed in honor of their son to make getting mental health help easier for service members.
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Their son took his own life in 2018 while assigned to the USS George Washington when it was in Hampton Roads.
A sobering reminder of the impact military service can have.
If you are or know someone who is in need of help, you can text 988. That's the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Someone will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
You can also find more suicide prevention resources here.
