CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Approximately 650 veterans are currently registered at Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi (TAMU-CC), according to the TAMU-CC's communication specialist.
As part of the Island University's dedication to military veterans, the TAMU-CC Student Veterans Organization (SVO) hosts events to show veterans support.
On the first Friday of September, SVO hosted its first Veterans Try Scuba event at the Dugan Pool on the TAMU-CC campus for National Suicide Awareness Month. It is believed that scuba has the ability to provide psychological and physical relief.
The suicide rate for veterans is 1.5 times higher than the general population according to the American Addiction Centers.
An annual report for National Veteran Suicide Prevention shows 6,146 veterans took their life in 2020. The number averages to almost 17 veteran suicides every day.
"Veterans do get ostracized quite a bit by society and it just pushes to self-isolate. And self-isolation does have tendency to cause people in society in general to take their own life," SVO President Anthony Woodward said.
Woodward is an Army and Air Force veteran who served in the military for a total of nine years.
"Most veterans have transition issues and veterans are a little more susceptible to that due to the natural traumas associated with the uniform," he said.
Dr. Sarah Skelton, a clinical psychologist with the university was also present at the scuba diving event, sharing her knowledge of mental health issues associated with veterans.
"A veteran that is at-risk of homelessness, a veteran that is at-risk of being unemployed or underemployed, a veteran that is not being heard or is being isolated, or not being connected with their peers are all at-risk of suicide," she said.
Woodward said events like the scuba diving event are planned throughout the year to keep veterans engaged and involved in the community and also provide a sense of relief.
