CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. — Joe Boone spent five years in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2009 to 2014. He wanted to feel a sense of purpose and lead a more disciplined life.
"It's really that camaraderie, that group mentality," Boone said. "You just want to be part of something bigger than yourself. But now, my memory gets all foggy. I've been told that's because of trauma. My memory just kind of goes away to relieve myself of some of those issues, just like a self-protection."
Boone lost seven members in his unit during a training exercise. He said dealing with the grief and pain will last a lifetime.
"I have close friends that we lost and also to the epidemic we call suicide from the problems that come from combat, transitioning from one lifestyle to another," Boone said. "All those different things go into one melting pot.”
According to the latest data from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Georgia had 226 veterans die by suicide in 2021. One organization in Cherokee County is working to bring a sense of relief to loved ones who have lost a veteran in their life and for veterans willing to share their stories.
Kali Hoffman leads the Combat the Silence campaign. The former first responder is married to a Marine veteran and works with Blue Star Support Circles to tackle issues facing the military community.
"The Combat the Silence Campaign is all about combating the stigma and silence in suffering," Hoffman said. "It happens when a veteran or anyone in the military family – because spouses can endure this too – encounter depressive thoughts or suicidal ideation."
Hoffman said as many as 135 people are directly or indirectly impacted when a veteran dies by suicide. A federal Veterans Affairs grant funds the Combat the Silence campaign, which works with the 988 suicide prevention hotline. The initiative launched a new ad just in time for Memorial Day.
"I think we're actively combating the stigma when we speak up as military spouses, as military members to say, 'Hey, something's wrong, I want to fix it, and I'm willing to talk about it openly,"' Hoffman said. “It’s all about training that network of people around that veteran and around that military family member how to recognize signs of suicide and actively take steps to prevent it.”
Joe Boone is willing to talk openly to fellow veterans who have been used to combat in the hopes of finding new purpose and saving lives.
"They want to handle it on their own, but they need that community," Boone said. "Community is the critical piece I think. You put those people together, the ones who know they’ve been through some similar things, and that’s how you fix it.”