Frank Larkin

Frank Larkin is chief operating officer of Troops First Foundation and chair of Warrior Call.

EL PASO , TX — FRIDAY, MARCH 22, 2013 — Lt. Gen. Dana Pittard, center, addresses a group of soldiers about suicide prevention and risks among troops stationed at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas. During his last three years as commander of the base Pittard has overhauled treatment of mental health problems, emphasizing close monitoring of troubled soldiers and getting them help immediately after indications that they are mulling suicide. “We’re really emphasizing getting help,” he said. More than 349 U.S. service members committed suicide last year, the highest number ever recorded and more than were killed in combat in Afghanistan in 2012. Fort Bliss is proactively trying to curtail suicide among its troops and as one of the largest Army installations it boasts one of the lowest suicide rates. Many service members have turned to suicide after multiple combat tours over the last decade in Iraq and Afghanistan. At Fort Bliss, measures like suicide intervention skills training, behavioral health specialists and a Warrior Resilience Center are helping lower the incidence rate. ( Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times) ORG XMIT: 1406986

Guest op-ed: The phone call that can save a veteran’s life

September 21, 2023 at 6:48 a.m.

The rate of veteran suicide is a national crisis, but even one phone call to a veteran can make a difference, Warrior Call's Frank Larkin writes in a guest column.

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