Think about this: the VA admits that at least 6,000 veterans a year, every year, since 2001 have killed themselves. This means over 120,000 veterans have died by their own hand in 20 years. That is more dead than all the U.S. dead from all causes in Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Iraq, and Afghanistan COMBINED. It is more dead than U.S. dead from all causes in World War I. Here's the scary part: the U.S. veteran population has shrunk by 24.6% since 2001, and the rate of suicide has more than doubled in the 18-34 demo. This means our veterans are fighting an unseen war.There are 168 hours in a week. These hours are where life happens. For veterans, the VA may work with them one or two, at a maximum perhaps four hours a week on average. This means that VA contact is at most 2% of a veteran’s life, and the average VA contact is likely much less. From a strategic perspective, if we are to address the problem of veteran suicide, we shouldn’t expect much success by focusing on the 2% share. That’s not to say those hours are unimportant, or that we can’t create positive effects within this space. But if we are to succeed in reducing veteran suicide, we must take the battle to the 98% space. What is that 98% space? This is community, where veterans live; their friends, family, battle buddies, coworkers, and neighbors are all here in the 98% space. This is our battlefield, and make no mistake, it is a battle. It is a fight for the lives of our veterans. We must use the skills we learned in the military combined with the latest scientific and technological knowledge to defend our veterans. In ten years, more veterans died by their own hands than all U.S. deaths in the entire Vietnam War. Anyone who thinks this isn’t a war for our veterans should think again, and as such, we must pick the right battlefield upon which to make our stand for these precious lives who stood for us. The battlefield is the veteran’s community, and while the 2% space is a base of operations, we win or lose the fight by the effects we create in the community through people, process, and technology. In that order.Dr. Tim Kirk is a community and technology pioneer reinventing how support services for veterans are provided through community support. He established the Warrior Healing Project in 2018, which is a community Psychological First Aid (PFA) station for veterans backed by a standing Task Force of veterans and veteran families. Together they serve as a single point of support for community and veteran families in crisis or in need. Find out more: 22toend22.com