BERKS CO. Pa. – Veteran suicide is a difficult topic to talk about, and it affects more people than the average person realizes.
“I’ve sat with widows who lost their husbands. I’ve listened to daughters talk about losing their dads. I’ve heard the guilt, the anger and the questions that don’t have answers,” says Matt Cahill, the Founder & Executive Chair of Green Star Families of America.
Veteran suicide accounted for 26% of all suicides in Berks County in 2025, despite veterans making up less than 5% of the population.
It’s a staggering statistic that the director of Berks County Veterans Affairs, Jay Ostrich, says needs to change.
“Folks, the status quo is killing. So, we are obligated to answer the call with something other than the status quo,” says Ostrich. “Because doing the same things over and over again and expecting a different outcome is the very definition of insanity, but it’s where our veterans sit throughout the commonwealth.”
Ostrich says he’s grateful to state Senator and fellow veteran Tracy Pennycuick for shining a light on the issue of veteran suicide and Green Star families.
Green Star veterans are vets who died by suicide in connection with their military service.
“I will also be introducing legislation to establish the Veterans Suicide Prevention Task Force,” says Pennycuick. “This task force will study veteran suicides in Pennsylvania and will examine the proximity to veterans support efforts and the mental health services available to those veterans.”
Advocates emphasize everyone has to do their part, check in regularly, learn warning signs, and take every expression of hopelessness seriously.
“Honor the veteran’s service, recognize the family, listen and fix what failed,” says Cahill. “The veteran died by suicide; the family didn’t. Speak openly, honestly, and truthfully about suicide, because we will be silent no longer.”