Transcript

There's no way that the citizens of your nation can thank you enough for doing what you are doing and what you've done.

If I were speaking to members of the military, I would want to say this: On behalf of the Lord and His Church, thank you. Thank you for sacrificing your time and devoting your all to serving your nation. There is no way that the citizens of your nation can thank you enough for doing what you are doing and what you've done. We all owe you a great debt of gratitude. When those in the military return to their homes, or even while they're serving, as strong and powerful as they are, they also constitute a vulnerable group that has a higher incidence of suicidal thoughts. As a Church, we need to be aware of this because you need friends. You don't need fewer friends as you come home from your military service. You need more. And as a Church, we want to reach out and help you. If you're having thoughts of self-harm, you need to talk to somebody. You need to talk to some friend, some trusted individual in your ward or branch, or someone in the military that cares about you, and get the help that you need. Sometimes it's hard to know what it is that you're feeling. It's hard to know what the label is. You don't know that what you're feeling is normal or abnormal and whether the stress is within the bounds that you'd expect or whether it's out of bounds. So it's best to get things checked out, to talk to people and get the help that you need. There's a high incidence, for reasons that are understandable, of post-traumatic stress disorder. But there are treatments that are available. And we need to get those treatments when there's an indication for it. You don't have to do it alone. There are those that will be with you that will help you. And as you get the help that you need, you'll be able to feel the Savior's love. You'll be able to go on with your life and continue doing what you've done in such a heroic way. And that's serving your fellowman.

Suicide Prevention and Military Service

Description
Elder Dale G. Renlund shares a message of hope to members serving in the military. He encourages them to reach out for help when they have thoughts of suicide.
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