"Veteran Suicide Crisis: Michael Carmichael Exposes the Truth & the Mission to Save Lives!

Summary

Michael Carmichael, a 53-year-old Army Green Beret with 26 years of service including 22 in Special Operations, founded CheckAVet.org in 2021 with former Secretary of Defense Chris Miller to address veteran suicide. The organization promotes community-based programs including Team Room (weekly veteran gatherings), Safe House (a Facebook peer-support group for caregivers), and HR training for veteran suicide identification. Carmichael disputes commonly cited veteran suicide statistics, arguing that VA undercounting and broader research suggest the toll since 9/11 exceeds 360,000 rather than 30,000.

Topic

System & Policy · also covers: Personal Stories, COMMUNITY

States referenced

• Tennessee: Team Room holds a coffee social in Dover, Tennessee.
• Montana: Team Room in Helena, Montana organizes Saturday morning hikes.
• Kentucky: Carmichael gave his first NPR interview in Murray, Kentucky, and mentions Western Kentucky for homeless veteran housing coordination.
• Ohio: Dr. FA Grund was dean of Ashland University in Ohio before joining CheckAVet.

Tactics from this video

• Start or join a weekly Team Room gathering for veterans using existing community spaces such as American Legion halls, VFW posts, or school auditoriums in the evening.

  Meaningful and routine fellowship breaks isolation and creates sustainable support rather than one-time event highs.

  community

• If you know a homeless veteran, get their name and number and connect them directly to a local housing point of contact such as the American Legion, VFW, or the Salvation Army.

  The first hurdle for homeless veterans is often proving veteran status; personal introduction helps them enter the system.

  community

• Use the six-page suicide prevention handout from checkavet.org as a mobile reference when a veteran in your circle shows warning signs.

  It provides practical steps to safely assess and respond to concerns without requiring professional training.

  emotional

• Caregivers and spouses of veterans can join the Safe House Facebook group for peer-to-peer support and documented coping strategies.

  New caregivers lack experience; the group archives real strategies that have helped others with PTSD, TBI, and military sexual trauma.

  community

• Set up a small monthly contribution to CheckAVet.org, even one dollar, because the organization is all-volunteer with no paid staff.

  Grassroots nonprofits can direct a higher proportion of donations directly to mission activities.

  financial

Figures cited

• almost 30 million — US veteran population in 2001
• 16 million — US veteran population now (as of the interview)
• 6,400 — veteran suicides in the most recent year according to the VA 2024 suicide prevention report
• 30,177 — post-9/11 era veteran suicides cited in a Brown University study
• 140,435 — cumulative veteran suicides since 9/11 according to CheckAVet's aggregation of VA data
• over 360,000 — veteran suicides since 9/11 according to Operation Deep Dive's broader methodology
• 15,000 — veteran suicides per year according to Operation Deep Dive
• 44 — veterans per day lost to suicide since 9/11 under the higher estimate
• 70% — of veterans with addiction are self-medicating PTSD according to data cited by Carmichael

Pain points addressed

• I don't know how to spot real warning signs of veteran suicide in my loved one.

• I feel helpless watching a veteran in my life withdraw, use substances, or refuse care.

• I thought the '22 a day' statistic was the full story and now I don't know what to believe.

• My veteran refuses to prove service or jump through hoops to get housing or benefits.

• One-time hunting or fishing trips don't seem to create lasting change for the veterans I know.

• I am a new spouse or caregiver and I have no experience coping with my veteran's PTSD or TBI.

• I want to help but I don't know where to start or who to contact in my community.