OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ) – Oshkosh Police is looking to help reduce the number of veteran suicides.
The department has received ‘challenge coins’ to hand out to veterans, with each containing contact information for someone who can be reached at all hours.
Oshkosh PD’s Brian Schuldes says “what we’re hoping to accomplish is getting veterans to reach out for help when needed – to lessen the potential of any type of suicide among our veteran group.”
The coins are often used in the military as a symbol of brotherhood.
Oshkosh Police is one of roughly 50 departments throughout the state that are participating.
According to the most recent U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs data, from 2014, an average of 20 veterans took their lives each day.
