On a mission to stop veteran suicide

The passion was apparent in Kevin Hertell’s voice as he stood before the Glen Cove City Council on Feb. 25. The Air Force veteran, who came in uniform, founded the nonprofit Suicide Awareness & Remembrance Flag Corporation. He asked council members to consider flying the flag he created to memorialize the thousands of veterans who have died by suicide after returning home from war.

More than 100,000 veterans have taken their own lives since 2001, Hertell said, and it is time this epidemic is recognized.

“These fallen veterans have no monument, no memorials, no adequate media coverage,” he said, “and they and their families are being ignored and forgotten by our country, until now.”

Hertell said he spent a year designing the flag, which displays a veteran’s bowed head in the center of a gold star, and gold wreaths on a field of black. He was inspired by the Prisoners of War flag, and has spent the past year campaigning for the SAR flag’s recognition. It now flies in 13 states.

Mayor Tim Tenke agreed informally to fly the flag downtown alongside the American and POW flags, and it will likely be the first city in the country to do so.

Although Hertell has not approached the Town of Oyster Bay yet, Supervisor Joseph Saladino said he believes that flying the SAR flag is a good idea. “We support our veterans and the combined efforts to raise awareness for those struggling with depression, PTSD and other issues after serving our nation,” Saladino said. “Displaying this flag is an important way of letting others know that help and care is available for them.”

Hertell said he plans to take the cause to the county next, and then the state. The goal, he said, is to have the flag recognized by Congress. He received a standing ovation at the end of his presentation.

Tenke said that veteran suicide must be addressed, and that he was willing to help Hertell spread awareness of the issue. The flag proposal does need to be approved, however, by a majority of City Council members. Tenke said it would be on the agenda at the council’s March 10 meeting, and added that he was confident the flag would soon fly above the city.

“The end product that you put together is going to be a symbol throughout the entire nation for this issue,” Tenke told Hertell. “I think if we can get enough people interested in it, then maybe we can do something about it and stop this terrible wasting of our veterans and get them the help they so desperately need when they come home.”

Hertell, who served in the Air Force from 1999 to 2003, said that after his cousin, Air Force veteran Robert Dean, took his own life in 2016, he recognized that Dean’s death could have been prevented if he had gotten the right treatment. Hertell’s father, J. Kevin Hertell, is also a veteran — and a suicide survivor.

Veteran suicide is pervasive, Hertell said, because of a lack of mental health support for veterans returning from war.  Because of the military’s “warrior culture,” veterans are often told to ignore their mental health. That stigma must end, he said.

“Myself, along with other organizations, are looking to reverse that,” he said, “and normalize mental health and prevent veterans from taking their lives at a rate of over 20 a day.”

Veteran leader Fred Nielsen, of Glen Cove, joined Hertell’s effort after meeting him at a veterans’ advisory meeting hosted by U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi in November. Nielsen said he was taken by Hertell’s story, particularly that he has twice dealt with veteran suicide.

“While those things were the stimulus that caused Kevin to respond,” Nielsen said, “what’s more fascinating is that there was already something magnificent inside of Kevin.”

Nielsen, 73, said he has seen every life stage of those who return from war, and understands how difficult it can be. He said fear and doubt plague many veterans’ minds, and not having anyone they can reach out to about their problems can be disastrous. Groups like SAR help validate veterans’ feelings, Nielsen said.

“I think we’re searching for the language,” he said. “We’re still searching for the gesture, the thing that will get through to the veteran.”

Nielsen works with many youth organizations, like Boy Scouts. He explains to them the responsibilities of serving in the military, and paints a realistic picture of what service is like.

Reginald Butt, a former commander of the American Legion Quentin Roosevelt Post 4 in Oyster Bay, said that many organizations, including the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, are working to combat veteran suicide, and having a flag to symbolize that fight would help the cause. “We have a lot of veterans with PTSD, and they don’t know where to go get help,” Butt said, “and these groups can help them.”

Saladino said that residents can also provide assistance to veterans who need help. “If you know of a veteran suffering from a behavior health issue,” he said, “I implore you to help them seek help by calling the Long Island Crisis Center.”

Nielsen and Hertell said they were pleased by Glen Cove’s response. Nielsen said that Tenke respects veterans, and that he was leading from the front.

Hertell said that the support feels great,  and shows his cause is growing. “Simply talking about [veteran suicide] makes a difference in the lives of the veterans who are suffering,” he said. “They know that there are people who care.”