Every day nearly 17 U.S. military veterans take their own lives. According to the Veterans Administration, that number is 20 if you include active-duty soldiers. Since September is national suicide prevention month, we here at USA TODAY wanted to zoom in on the issue as it relates to the brave men and women of our armed forces. Despite the increased awareness of PTSD and other mental illnesses, despite a push by VA hospitals to do more outreach and offer better mental health care, and despite new technologies that aim to help our vets recover from mental illness, the number of suicides among veterans remains high. We're joined by Chef Andre Rush, a U.S. Army combat veteran and White House chef for four administrations, for this important discussion.

If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, call the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline which provides confidential 24/7 support by dialing 988, or visit 988lifeline.org. 

Crisis Text Line also provides free, 24/7, confidential support via text message to people in crisis when they dial 741741.

Episode Transcript available here

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