INDIANAPOLIS — Now, a new Indiana law aims to help at-risk veterans and military members.
As we prepare to celebrate our nation's independence, we also honor the brave men and women who served and fought for our freedom.
"Hoorah. Airborne all the way," said Dr. Lionel Rush, president of the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance of Greater Indianapolis.
Rush is a veteran.
"I am one of 19 children. Ten of us were boys. Seven of us served in the military, so we understand the dynamic. Two of us were airborne, me and my brother, Bobby, were airborne," said Rush.
Rush agrees that there are many veterans facing a slew of challenges, from physical injuries to mental health, homelessness to substance abuse.
State lawmakers passed a bill during the 2024 legislative session to help at-risk veterans and military members.
The Green Alert law took effect July 1. It's similar to the Amber Alert system that lets authorities know a veteran is missing and in need of help.
"The reality is that 80% of the veterans we serve at HVAF (Helping Veterans and Families) report a mental health diagnosis or substance use diagnosis. So, we can either have tools in place to help veterans when they're struggling or we can pretend it's not happening and then put them at greater risk for something terrible to happen," said HVAF CEO Emmy Hildebrand.
As a pastor, Rush has worked with veterans in need.
"Physically, their body came back but their mind didn't come back. I hear the same thing with Gulf War veterans. I hear the same thing with veterans from Afghanistan. I hear the same story because you cannot unsee stuff," said Rush. "You can become dependent on licit drugs and illicit drugs. You just want to stop the pain and it's progressive and its progressive mentally."
Rush and Hildebrand both applaud legislators for passing the Green Alert law.
"Suicide is one of the leading causes of death for veterans, especially younger veterans, so having tools in place to let law enforcement know there is a person who served our country in crisis in their community and they need help I think is a really important first step," said Hildebrand.
"Let's make sure that when there is an issue with our veterans we got all hands on deck to try to find them, so I applaud this and I applaud all the efforts that they're doing with the veterans," Rush said.