by Jamil Ragland CTNewsJunkie
HARTFORD, CT — In a career that spanned more than two decades, Command Sgt. Major Gary Sirois earned numerous commendations including a Bronze Star during Operation Iraqi Freedom. But in 2023 he was one of the thousands of veterans to die by suicide each year.
On Tuesday, Gov. Ned Lamont proclaimed Military Suicide and Remembrance Day in Connecticut. It is a day to remember veterans who have died by suicide, and to recommit to helping those who are suffering in silence.
Sirois’ daughter Samantha and his friend Ed Randsall attended a ceremony at the Legislative Office Building to receive a citation from state Rep. Rebecca Martinez, D-Plainville, who represents Sirois’ hometown.
“As a behavioral health nurse, I’ve spent years walking alongside patients who carry invisible wounds, veterans battling PTSD, depression and the lingering effects of trauma,” Martinez said.
“I’ve seen how stigma can isolate, delay treatment and deepen suffering. Recognizing this day is more than symbolic. It’s a clinical imperative. It will help my patients feel seen. It will open doors to conversations that were once shut and it will remind every veteran that healing is not weakness, it’s courage.”
According to the 2024 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report, there were more than 6,400 suicides by veterans in 2022, the latest year data was available, making it the second leading cause of death for veterans under the age of 45. Those numbers are down from a high of 6,722 in 2018, but still higher than the low of just over 6,000 in 2005. Additionally, suicide was the leading cause of death for active duty soldiers between 2014 to 2019.
Martinez said she would introduce legislation to officially designate September 30 as Military Suicide and Remembrance Day in perpetuity.
State Rep. Jaime Foster, D-Ellington, serves as the House co-chair for the Veterans and Military Affairs Committee. She said the committee would introduce legislation to work on a pathway from service to military mental health professions, as a way to increase the number of mental health professionals with lived experiences who work with veterans.
“Today and every day we’re clearly telling folks that your life matters, your service matters and we won’t rest until we find meaningful solutions that reach out and give the hand to our heroes that they gave to us,” she said.
Deputy Commissioner for the Department of Veterans Affairs Joseph Danao II, himself a 33-year veteran of the Connecticut National Guard, said it was everyone’s responsibility to reach out to veterans who may be in need, and that doing so doesn’t require any special training.
“Hope is stronger than despair when it is shared,” he said. “Healing begins when we replace silence with understanding, replace stigma with compassion.”
Danao said every conversation had the power to save a life.
“Let us be vigilant, be kind, and be the lifeline a veteran may need,” he said.
After Sirois’ death, Randsall helped to start the Drive On Foundation, of which he is treasurer. The foundation is dedicated to breaking the stigma around military mental health, and connecting veterans with needed resources. He said the crisis of military suicides demands attention.
“We have to have each other’s backs,” he said. “We honor the brave men and women who gave their all in service to our nation, but those battles with mental health prove too heavy to bear.”
He said Sirois death “reminds us of what is at stake and why his work cannot stop here.”
If you or anyone you know needs help, call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988. Veterans seeking assistance should press 1.