Contact: Dr. Pat Boone, 877-377-2826, drpatboone@yahoo.com, www.redwhiteandbluechristmas.com
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado, Dec. 18 /Christian Newswire/ -- Little did Dr. Pat Boone know when she wrote A Christmas Letter From Your Family and gave it to our military as a free Christmas gift online at www.redwhiteandbluechristmas.com that she might be saving lives. Although she just wanted to "give something back" to the troops who were sacrificing to provide freedom for others, she had no idea that her song would make such an impact on retired and active duty, both at home and abroad.
"My first clue was when I received an email signed 'A Grateful Soldier' who said, "...As a soldier and medic that spent a year and some change over in Iraq, I can tell you first hand that it really means a lot to hear the support from people back home for a change...we hear a lot of the negative stuff from the news and papers. But when we do hear things like this it reminds us of why we are here, and gives us renewed strength and resolve."
Then she began hearing from parents and military retirees...even those with family in Afghanistan. It was the hope that was needed...the hope that had gone out of the lives of our soldiers. And the suicide issue began to surface, both for active duty and for those who had returned home. As a former hospital chaplain and counselor, she had dealt with those who had lost, or were losing, hope. "And I noticed that the only difference between the words "hope" and "home" was one letter of the alphabet."
According to the Marine Corps Times, "Many soldiers enlist for financial/economic reasons." Then, "These soldiers may find themselves personally (morally) incapable of carrying out the duties expected of them during war." And because the stigma of mental health issues could become a part of a soldier's record, many may be hesitant to seek help.
USA Today reports that Gen. George Casey, Army chief of staff, told Congress, "Soldiers, families and equipment are stretched and stressed." Research released by the Army showed that "almost 70% of suicides in 2006 were spurred by failed relationships." This is where A Christmas Letter from Your Family comes in...to honor and encourage soldiers that those they care about back home miss them and are thinking of them.
A CBS News Investigation report last month uncovered that the suicide rate for veterans was twice that of other Americans. Under the Freedom of Information Act, CBS requested from the Department of Defense the numbers of suicides among all service members for the past 12 years. The number they received, however, was just for "active duty" soldiers...2,200, "188 last year alone." So, CBS News did their own investigation. The result reported was, "In 2005, for example, in just those 45 states (that replied), there were at least 6,256 suicides among those who served in the armed forces. That's 120 each and every week, in just one year." And the age group that stood out was veterans between 20 and 24, who "had the highest suicide rate among all verterans, estimated between two and four times higher than civilians the same age." Even CNN reported that, according to an Army report, "The number of soldiers who committed suicide increased 15 percent from 2005 to 2006."
"Clearly, the connection between home and the soldier in the field is an important connection. The more we can to do as individuals to establish and maintain that connection obviously plays a significant role in giving the soldiers the hope they need on a daily basis," said Dr. Pat Boone.
Dr. Pat Boone is a Mediator, Minister and former Hospital Chaplain with a doctorate in Counseling. An Expert on Marriage, Divorce and Holistic Health, she is the author of The Life Series, available on Amazon.com.
