It should not remain the case that responsibility for suicide prevention is mainly that of the Department of Veterans Affairs and mental health professionals, since a veteran in crisis may never make it to a therapist’s office. Communities such as Colorado State University therefore need to be included in the prevention system.
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In 2023, 6,398 U.S. veterans died by suicide, which amounts to 17.5 deaths per day. More significantly for prevention, 61% had not used VA health care in the last year of their lives (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs [VA], 2026). Since so many veterans who died by suicide had not received VA care, prevention cannot be confined to clinic doors. It also needs to exist where veterans live, study, work, and form relationships.
Psychological research offers good reasons to take community bonds seriously. In a study involving 264,626 veterans, Bourassa et al. (2024) found that veterans who were partnered, lived with other people, or reported more social support were less likely to have suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Another nine-year study showed that larger social networks were associated with lower chronicity and severity of suicidal thoughts, even after accounting for PTSD and depression symptoms (Arenson et al., 2021). Research with combat veterans has also shown that social connectedness and engagement might offset the link between posttraumatic stress symptoms and suicidal ideation (Kumar et al., 2022).
These findings do not imply that friendship can take the place of therapy, medication, or professional crisis intervention. They indicate something different and important: interpersonal connection can form part of suicide prevention. For me, supporting veterans involves more than thanking them for their service. It means building communities that notice when someone is struggling and act when concern becomes serious.
That matters at CSU. Student veterans can sit with us in class even though classmates and professors may have little experience with what they have been through. Moving from military service to college can mean entering a culture in which few people understand military life. Veterans do not require every professor or classmate to comprehend combat, trauma, or military culture. They do need a community that notices withdrawal, listens without blaming, and knows where to go when someone requires help.
Colorado State University already possesses the means to turn concern into action. Adult Learner and Veteran Services (ALVS) assists veterans through community building, peer advice, referrals, and other services designed to promote academic and personal success (Colorado State University, n.d.). CSU can make these resources part of its everyday prevention culture rather than waiting for a crisis before people become aware of them.
For students and professors, the initial steps can be summed up in three words: Notice, Ask, and Connect. Notice significant changes such as sudden withdrawal, frequent absences, or comments indicating hopelessness. When worried, ask directly rather than expecting someone else to. Instead of trying to handle a suicidal crisis alone, connect the student with professional support. We do not need to become therapists to take these steps; we need to become a community that pays attention.
CSU students and faculty can begin with Adult Learner and Veteran Services at https://alvs.colostate.edu. It gives student veterans an opportunity to build community and access campus resources. Anyone concerned about a veteran in crisis can also contact the Veterans Crisis Line by calling 988 and pressing 1, texting 838255, or using its online chat. The service is free, confidential, available around the clock, and does not require enrollment in VA health care (Veterans Crisis Line, n.d.). Knowing this before a crisis makes it easier to act when time matters.
No single student, professor, therapist, or government agency can solve veteran suicide alone. Prevention need not wait until a veteran enters a clinic; it can start when someone notices, asks, listens, and connects. At CSU, we can create a community in which veterans do not have to reach a breaking point before someone responds.