This Memorial Day, We Should Think About Military Families

With Memorial Day so near, I’m thinking of active-duty military, their families, and our veterans.

It’s impossible to let this national day of commemoration pass without addressing the tragic statistics of military and veteran suicide. Twenty-two veterans commit suicide each day. That’s one veteran every 65 minutes.

A 2024 Pentagon study revealed another devastating statistic: American soldiers are now more likely to die from suicide than from any other cause. In an attempt to provide help and resources for our struggling veterans, the Suicide Crisis Hotline, and organizations such as the Military Suicide Awareness have been created. But is it enough?

Our soldiers may no longer be fighting in traditional ground wars. But those engaged in remote operations can nonetheless suffer invisible wounds just as crippling as an IED blast.

Almost 7% of veterans will suffer from PTSD in their lifetime. These struggles not only affect veterans, but can have a cascading impact on their families, too. It is vital to recognize the great impact active duty and veteran life has on our military families. In 2022, for example, 146 military family members died by suicide, including 83 spouses and 53 dependents, the majority of whom were under 18.

Often, military spouses are expected to be the glue that holds the family together. We are expected to be resilient and strong despite the deployments, raising children alone while repeatedly losing community because of frequent relocations.

But military spouses often suffer in silence. Depression, under the best of circumstances, is isolating. But when you experience frequent moves and loss of community and support, it only adds to that sense of loneliness and having to “deal with it” on your own.

I struggled with the shame and embarrassment for not being able to “tough it out” and handle everything while my spouse was away serving. I struggled with the guilt of not feeling strong enough. It is an isolating battle, and it’s almost easier to sink into yourself rather than risk judgment or become a poor reflection on your spouse when you finally do ask for help.

These struggles are often overlooked by both the military and civilian communities. But they shouldn’t be.

We as a society need to end the stigma surrounding mental health for our soldiers and our military families. Supporting our veterans and military families starts with compassion, education, and collective action.

It’s time to share stories of veterans and spouses who have sought help and found healing to inspire hope and reassurance. We need to launch mentorship programs that pair a healed service member or spouse with one facing struggles to foster encouragement and fellowship. We can establish essential services, including support groups, counseling, and mental health-informed medical care, to support their journey to healing.

This is a time for our leaders — both military and civilian — to step up and speak openly about the mental health situation affecting our veterans and military families. Their actions and policies set the tone for whether mental health is seen as a weakness or a priority. We need to make it a priority.

Together, let’s strive to serve our veterans and their families through initiatives like #988, volunteering, and raising awareness. Together, 22-a-day may become a thing of the past, and our soldiers and their families can find hope for the future.

Dani Pettrey is the bestselling author and military spouse. Her latest novel, “Two Seconds Too Late,” features a veteran battling PTSD and depression.

The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Spin Cycle: Kill Bill — The One Big Beautiful One, That Is

The U.S. House met its stated goal, passing the One Big Beautiful Bill Act ahead of the Memorial Day holiday weekend — and by Sunday morning, the talking heads were doing their best to direct as much rain as possible onto the House Republicans’ parade.

For those who don’t spend their Sunday mornings glued to the television — and their Sunday afternoons attempting to dig through a week’s worth of network and cable news media spin — The Daily Wire has compiled a short summary of what you may have missed.

On CBS News’ “Face the Nation,” host Margaret Brennan spoke with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) about the total projected cost of the bill as well as some of the provisions that were included before it was sent on to the U.S. Senate.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) says $4 to $5 trillion over the next decade is “about the right estimate” for the total cost of President Trump’s “one big, beautiful bill,” which passed the House last week, and he says “cuts to government” through the bill will give the American… pic.twitter.com/VBNuI7huRY

— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) May 25, 2025

Johnson said that $4 to $5 trillion over approximately ten years was “about the right estimate” for the measure’s total cost, but he also said that the cuts included in the bill would provide savings to taxpayers as well.

“At the same time, we have historic savings for the American people — cuts to government to make it more efficient and effective and work better for the people,” Johnson said. “That was a big campaign promise of President Trump and a big promise of ours, and we’re going to achieve that. So in the calculation here, there’s more than $1.5 trillion in savings, Margaret, for the people.”

Johnson referred to the bill as “arguably the most consequential legislation Congress will pass in many generations.”

Brennan pushed back, noting that the Kaiser Foundation had evaluated the bill and said that changes to Medicaid could result in 200,000 people in Johnson’s home state of Louisiana losing their health care coverage. Johnson said that the only thing the bill would cut with regard to Medicaid was waste and abuse.

“There’s a moral component to what we’re doing. When you make young men work, it’s good for them, it’s good for their dignity, it’s good for their self-worth and it’s good for the community that they live in,” he explained.

The Kaiser Family Foundation estimates nearly 200,000 people in Louisiana could lose Medicaid coverage under cuts from President Trump’s “one big, beautiful bill.”

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) denies that there will be cuts and says the focus is on “fraud, waste and abuse,”… pic.twitter.com/JeKUjhH2Gn

— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) May 25, 2025

Johnson also acknowledged that some Senate Republicans objected to the expanded SALT (state and local taxes) cap, but noted that the large number of House Republicans in blue states had made the expansion a “political reality.”

Several Senate Republicans may oppose changes to the expanded SALT (state and local taxes) cap in President Trump’s “one big, beautiful bill” that just passed in the House.

Speaker Mike Johnson says “there’s got to be a modification to SALT,” and that this is a “political… pic.twitter.com/iRPykObz48

— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) May 25, 2025

Brennan then spoke with Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT), who was in favor of the expanded SALT cap because Connecticut has a higher state and local tax burden, but opposed the bill otherwise.

The House-passed budget bill’s SALT cap increase “is going to be good” for Connecticut, which has one of the highest state and local tax burdens in the U.S., says Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT), but adds, the bill “fails spectacularly” otherwise.

“The American people want basically three… pic.twitter.com/XdAjfZ3pXu

— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) May 25, 2025

On NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) said that he believed there was enough opposition in the Senate to “hold up” the bill.

Sen. Ron Johnson says there’s enough opposition in the Senate to hold up Trump’s ‘big, beautiful’ bill https://t.co/yT8FaA6NBc

— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) May 25, 2025

Johnson also made an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union,” where he claimed that the bill was “immoral,” and added, “It’s wrong. It has to stop.”

.@RonJohnsonWI says the House tax and spending cut bill is mortgaging American children’s future: “It’s immoral. It’s wrong. It has to stop.” pic.twitter.com/rd0Gnanxlt

— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) May 25, 2025

Johnson also made a stop on “State of the Union,” telling anchor Jake Tapper that he hoped to see it move through the Senate without major changes. “It’s best not to meddle with it too much,” he said.

.@SpeakerJohnson warns senators about making changes to President Trump’s tax and spending cut bill: “It’s best not to meddle with it too much.” pic.twitter.com/SsBPUkYsev

— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) May 25, 2025

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