Every single day, 22 veterans make the choice to take their own lives. In Minnesota alone, over 100 veterans are lost to suicide every year.

The sixth annual Minnesota Veteran Suicide Awareness Day Event took place at The Depot in Duluth, shining a light on a somber topic.  

“I always like to say if your arm hurt for six months, you’d go see a doctor. If you’re struggling with mental health, with something that is related to your service and you’re not talking to someone, that’s a problem,” said Duluth Mayor Roger Reinert.

The event’s keynote speaker was Hibbing native Shelly Hanson. Shelly’s son, Travis, knew from a young age that he wanted to serve in the United States Marine Corps. After returning from a deployment to Okinawa, Japan, in 2016, Travis took his life.

“My timeline now is with Travis and after Travis. Logically I know that it’s impossible, but I will tell you with conviction that I have not taken a breath since that day. Logically I know that it’s not possible physically, but I will tell you that I have a hole in the middle of my body that I can reach my hand through. I feel that space vast and empty,” said Hanson.

In Travis’s honor, Hanson created The Armadillo Project. The project offers a network of resources for veterans returning home and ensures mental health care is available whenever needed.

“At Travis’s funeral his friends from high school told me how they made up gaming names for each other. Travis was the Armadillo, so it seems appropriate to name the organization the armadillo project. I did not want to be another resource just as much as I did not want my son to be another statistic,” said Hanson.

Multiple local and state veteran suicide prevention resources were also at the event – offering their support for those in need. These resources include the Armadillo Project, Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans, Mission 22 and more.

“If you get that gut feeling that something’s wrong, check in with that person one more time. Send him another text, get his buddy, like call, call his buddy and say, ‘hey man, I’m a little bit worried,’ check in with him,” said Chief Master Sergent Jeffery Pinger of the Air National Guard 148th Fighter Wing.

If you or someone you know is a veteran and is in need of help, take the first step by calling 988 and pressing 1.

Veteran’s Crisis Hotline: 1-800-273-8255, press 1
For text messaging: 838255
For more information on Minnesota’s Veterans Suicide Prevention resources, go to Veteran Suicide Prevention / Minnesota Department of Veteran Affairs – State of Minnesota (mn.gov)