HARTFORD, Wis. — At Berndt Park in Hartford, veterans put up dog tags on a singular tree to represent their sisters and brothers in arms who have taken their own lives, using the memorial to raise awareness about suicide prevention.
Hartford American Legion and VFW members held a ceremony on Veterans Day, Tuesday, November 11th, and said everyone needs to do better when it comes to talking about mental health for people who fought to protect the United States.
"This means everything to me and to all of my friends who are veterans," Bill Vanark said. "Oh it's huge! I wish there was more publicity about that so they could see that, understand, and maybe that will help them."
Vanark is a U.S. Air Force veteran who said when soldiers come home, it's hard to heal.
Watch: Hartford community honors veterans who have died by suicide:
"Thank god I didn't have that, but a lot of veterans have," he said. "And unfortunately some of them can't deal with it, and it's a shame."
Ron Schnorenberg fought in the Vietnam War and said joining his local legion chapter helped his mental health through humor and camaraderie.
"Like they say, if you see something, say something. Be the one. Be the one there for them," he said. "We don't sit there and talk war stories; we mostly do a lot of humor and harass each other. It's really important to join a group. You need to be community involved. It's really important."
Rather than lose another brother or sister in arms after their service to our country, Schnorenberg and Vanark said they want those struggling to know they can call the crisis hotline at 9-8-8.
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