Why Would The U.S. Army Need The Help Of A Rapper?

I will be the first to admit that I am not a fan of rap, at all.  A good friend of mine who is also not fan, at all, sent me a video that said I had to see.  Since it was from Erik Jon Barrett (USMC), I knew it warranted my time and now I am asking the same of you.

“Red Flags,” a rap/hip-hop song written and recorded by former Army tank gunner Jeff Barillaro sends a strong message to 'be on watch' for suicidal tendencies among their peers. In fact, the message is so strong, the U.S. Army which have the highest branch suicidal rate, is informally being used as a prevention tool to help the branch stem the ongoing suicide crisis.

Through the end of March, the Army reported 81 apparent suicides this year among active-duty, Army Reserve and National Guard troops — one death every 26.7 hours. (Some cases remain under investigation). The fatal pace has increased slightly. During 2012, the Army reported 324 suicides within those groups — one death every 27 hours, according to the Pentagon. The latest estimate from the Department of Veterans Affairs showed that 22 veterans commit suicide daily - Bill Briggs, NBC News

From the well-decorated Iraq War veteran who lost his pride when he took off his uniform and gained anger while dealing with PSTD or the active-duty soldier devastated by 'survivor guilt' after the combat loss of a close friend; they all have one thing in common.

"Red Flags" is a great reminder to us all that sometimes, the real war begins once these soldiers come home and it doesn't matter what branch of the service they left. A Soldiers Silent Cry here in Northern Colorado deals with the suicide issue locally and ways you can help.  Please take a visit to their FB page and take a minute to look up ways to help within your own state.