FRESNO (KMJ) — A local US Army veteran says an Assembly Bill designed to count the number of veteran suicides in California, will open the nation’s eyes of the real impact it has.
The proposed legislation – AB242 – has been jointly put forward by State Assemblymen Jim Patterson and Joaquin Arambula.
The intention is to track the number of times those who used to serve take their own lives, to then better direct services to prevent others from doing the same thing.
“Had I had the support that I needed, I probably wouldn’t have been that state of mind,” says Norbie Lara. The Central Valley resident describes himself as a suicide survivor, who after serving went on to become a co-founder and director of “A Combat Veteran’s Hope” (click here for more information).
The group aims to empower veterans through engagement with others who have been through the same thing.
“I have a family that’s humongous,” describes Lara. “But even around all those family members I still felt like I was by myself, and that they couldn’t relate to me and I couldn’t relate to them and they didn’t understand my experience.
“When you feel that way where you can’t connect with anyone. I don’t know, somehow I just got to the point where I just…I thought it was easier for me just not to be here.”
AB242 is currently going through the legislative process, and is due to be heard in the assembly committee on public safety this week.
“It’s going to prove to the United States that this is an epidemic…I think the numbers [of veteran suicides nationally] are going to be astronomical.”
Hear the report from KMJ’s Dominic McAndrew as it aired:
