A former Australian Army soldier and Iraq War veteran has set up a register to record returned military veterans who have taken their own life.
Aaron Gray served in Iraq and still carries the physical and mental wounds.
Once you’ve joined the military you quickly realise after you leave that you’ve forgotten how to be a civilian.
Aaron Gray
After leaving the Army because of health problems, he said he saw too many former army mates commit suicide.
“It kind of guts you because they’re a part of your family,” he said.
He became frustrated with what he said was a lack of information on suicide rates of veterans.
“It was getting to me, and I decided I had to start this up,” he said.
Mr Gray started a public list to keep record of what he said was too often a hidden cost of combat.
“I realised no one was keeping any stats on the situation so I wanted to find out how serious the problem was,” he said.
“I started the register to try and get an idea of how serious the problem is.”
Mr Gray said while the Defence Department kept records of suicide rates among serving personnel, he did not believe there was any official record of those who took their lives after they leave the military.
The project started with a Facebook page last year, putting the call out for anyone whose family members or friends had been affected in this way.
It grew from there to a volunteer-run website where Mr Gray keeps a list of all suicides reported to the site.
‘You were basically treated like a leper’
Mr Gray served in the 2nd Cavalry Regiment in Darwin and in Iraq as part of Combat Team Eagle in 2006 and 2007.
He left the army of his own accord, after beginning to see the early signs of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and injuries to his legs.
He did not want the stigma of being classified as having an ongoing serious medical condition so discharged himself and then sought help through the Department of Veterans Affairs.
“Unfortunately back then there was a lot of stigma attached if you were a med class 4 (declared permanently medically unfit),” Mr Gray said.
“You were basically treated like a leper.”
Mr Gray said stigma often stopped people seeking help so he wanted to break the taboo of talking about mental health issues.
“Stop sweeping it under the rug,” he said.
“People need to be talking about it, to have it in the front of their mind so you can more easily see the signs as well as be more willing to approach someone if you believe they may be at risk.”
Mr Gray said suicide rates among returned veterans appeared to be on the rise, according to the data he had collected, which he said could be linked to the winding up of the Afghanistan War.
He did not just blame Defence and said it would take a whole-of-community effort to combat the an issue with so much associated stigma.
However he believed Defence should do more to help the transition to a civilian lifestyle after soldiers returned from war.
“I think with Defence and DVA (Department of Veterans Affairs) a lot of current and serving members can fall through the cracks,” he said.
“Once you’ve joined the military you quickly realise after you leave that you’ve forgotten how to be a civilian.
“So that’s part of the overall problem”
The Australian Defence Force has a rehabilitation program to assist members to recover from injuries, as well as a suicide prevention program.
The Defence Department has been contacted for comment.
If you or anyone you know is in need of crisis support contact Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14, Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 or visit BeyondBlue.