Allen Ellison to Host Virtual Town Hall Meeting to Discuss Veterans Suicide and PTSD

Tuesday, April 28 at 7 p.m., Allen Ellison, candidate for the 17th Congressional District, will hold a virtual town hall meeting to discuss the high incidence of suicide amongst our veterans.

“In a time when so many Americans feel the stress of Covid-19 and the uncertainty that the pandemic has brought, few segments of our society are as vulnerable as our veterans,” Ellison said. “We honor veterans on Veterans Day and remember those who sacrificed on Memorial Day, but that’s not enough. Times like now are when special efforts must be made to look out for the men and women who served.”

Ellison will be joined by Richard Hale, author of “Never Give Up!” a novel about a Navy Seal who, after a friend and veteran commits suicide, launches a crusade to incorporate PTSD evaluation and vocational counseling for veterans being discharged from service.

“PTSD is real,” said Hale, a retired corporate executive. “I experienced it personally. I was fortunate in that counseling and therapy helps, but veterans, these days especially, can feel hammered… think about how men and women who’ve lost their jobs through no fault of their own must feel today then multiply that by the stress of unresolved feelings of guilt, anger, or shame carried over from a veteran’s experience serving our country.”

Ellison, who met Hale at a Charlotte County Democratic Party lecture, has embraced Hale’s efforts to get a bill passed in Congress that would provide PTSD training and vocational counseling to vets leaving the service. “Many times, a vet who sacrificed years serving the country, comes back home only to find life has passed them by,“ Ellison explained. For example, his high school friends graduate, get jobs, and begin to make their way in the world, leaving him behind. Without proper job training or vocational counseling, a vet trying to get back into society could be overwhelmed.

“More than 20 veterans a day commit suicide,” said Hale, who has also contacted Congressman Greg Steube. “I hope what Mr. Ellison and I are doing may make a dent in that figure.

The virtual town hall will take place Tuesday, April 28th at 7pm on Zoom and Facebook live. People can register at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8683425536. Audience members will be able to ask questions directly to Ellison, Hale, or James Abraham, a book publisher and lecturer who helped produce Hale’s book. For more information contact campaign@ellisonforcongress.com.