WEBVTT

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Hello , I'm Lloyd Austin , the

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Secretary of Defense september is

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suicide prevention month . And I'd like

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to talk to you about this serious an

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urgent issue . When it comes to the

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overall health and readiness of our

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force , we often focus on physical well

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being . But while suicide prevention

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isn't just a mental health issue , we

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need to tackle mental health challenges

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and the everyday pressures and burdens

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that face our people , Mental

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health is health period .

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We've got to treat all wounds , the

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ones that we can see and the ones that

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we can't tragically , we continue to

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lose brave men and women to suicide .

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one is too many . I take these losses

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seriously and personally it's suicide

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creates waves of pain and grief and

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confusion . We mourn those that we've

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lost and we hope that we can honor

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their memory by redoubling our efforts

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to provide accessible , effective care

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and to get resources to those in need

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and to prevent future tragedies .

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So here are a few things that everyone

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can do to help keep themselves healthy

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and to help their fellow service

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members First use our

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24/7 confidential support resources .

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Please reach out through military . One

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source for non crisis help such as

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relationship and financial challenges .

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If you or someone you know is

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experiencing suicidal thoughts . Please

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call the veterans and military crisis

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line . There's help out there

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for service members for veterans and

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their families and we want you to get

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all the help that you need and deserve .

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And if you're in a leadership role . I

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want to ask that you please promote

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these vital resources whenever you can

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second safely store your

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firearms and medications in life's

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difficult moments . Everyone needs time

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and space between strong emotions and

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access to lethal items . You know ,

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research suggests that easy access to

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firearms increases the risk of dying by

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suicide By as much as 4 - six times .

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So use a cable , lot a trigger lock

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or a secured firearm safe and take

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unused or expired prescription

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medications back to a military

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treatment facility for safe disposal .

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These safe storage practices will save

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lives and will protect you and your

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loved ones at home .

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Third , and this is one of the most

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important things that you can do stay

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connected with each other . I know that

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these are difficult days for many

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people in the force and for many of my

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fellow veterans and for the larger

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military community and I know that some

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of us are finding recent events

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especially difficult . We all need

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community and connectedness and we're

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human after all , and meeting these

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basic human needs can can reduce the

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likelihood of contemplating or

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attempting suicide .

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So please seek support from

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family , from friends , from a chaplain

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or a counselor . You know , reaching

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out for help is a sign of strength and

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resilience and courage . But

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unfortunately there is still a

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lingering stigma around asking for help .

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So all of us have to step up . We

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can all be thoughtful listeners . We

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can all remind our friends and family

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and colleagues that they are not alone .

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And we can all do our part to prevent

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suicide this month and

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every month . And so I ask our entire

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military community to connect , to

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protect support is within reach .

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So thank you very much . Stay safe and

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be well .