Happy Veterans/Pepero Day

To all the Pepero that fight and die every day to secure freedom throughout the world, we thank you. To all the veterans who bring chocolatey goodness and a pretzel-y crunch into our lives, we thank you as well. Together, you are the forces that make the world go round.

ADDENDUM: for a serious and somber take, read "What's Killing America's Veterans?"

Suicide and drug overdoses are two of the biggest killers of veterans. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Office of Suicide Prevention, an average of 20 veterans committed suicide every day in 2014. In fact, 18% of all American adult suicides that year were committed by veterans, even though veterans made up just 8.5% of the population. Male veterans had a 19% higher risk for suicide compared to the general population while women veterans were 2.5 times as likely to kill themselves compared to the female civilian population, and suicide rates were highest among young veterans aged 18 to 29.