Violence against Americans by members of the military is a wakeup call
It's time to reassess how we care for each other and ourselves.
On the first day of 2025, U.S. Army veteran Shamsud-Din Jabbar intentionally drove a pickup truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing 14 people before police fatally shot him. In Las Vegas later that day, authorities say U.S. Army Master Sgt. Matthew Livelsberger shot himself in a Tesla Cybertruck that exploded seconds later in front of the Trump International Hotel. Extreme acts of violence committed by Americans against Americans is cause for concern. It is also an opportunity to reassess how we care for each other and ourselves.
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So far, there is no evidence that the events are linked or that the two U.S.-born citizens knew each other, although they were stationed at Fort Liberty, formerly known as Fort Bragg, in North Carolina at different times and deployed in separate units to Afghanistan in 2009, according to The Washington Post.
Authorities say there was an Islamic State flag on the truck Jabbar used in his attack. Early reporting indicates the 42-year-old had isolated himself and become radicalized while struggling with financial issues and the aftermath of three divorces. Livelsberger, 37, left behind a wife and baby. The Green Beret, whose deployments included the Republic of Congo, Ukraine and Tajikistan, had became isolated after a traumatic brain injury in 2019, according to a former girlfriend.
More information will eventually emerge, but what’s missing now is context about the prevalence of suicide among U.S. veterans. Most do not make such public protests against life, as Jabbar and Livelsberger did, but the ripples of private pain are no less disturbing to loved ones. The United States recorded its highest-ever number of suicides in 2022, and the military community makes up an important part of this story.
Suicide was the second leading cause of death among veterans under 45 years old in 2022, according to the Veterans Administration. The VA conducts the largest national analysis of veteran suicide rates each year and it just released its 2024 report. After accounting for differences in age, it found that both male and female veterans were significantly more likely to die by suicide compared to their non-veteran counterparts. This highlights the serious mental health challenges faced by veterans and the need for focused support and intervention for this group.
The report identifies key areas of action but makes clear that they can’t be a solo mission: “The VA alone cannot end Veteran suicide.”
Expanding and tailoring crisis prevention and intervention services
Securing firearm storage (Check KeepItSecure.net and the Firearm Industry Trade Association for cable locks and more.)
Building and sustaining community collaborations
To be clear, addressing the systemic dehumanization and culture of silence pervasive in the military could do a lot for its members’ mental health. But let’s focus on the VA’s recommendations. Expanding services is going to take Congressional and private funding, which will require public pressure to take the issue seriously. As an individual, it can be hard to know how to “change the system,” so it might be easier to think about community collaborations. Stuck again? Start with securing your firearms and talking to others about it.
People considering suicide are trying to solve a problem of such intense suffering that “they feel there’s no other option than death,” according to Tony DuBose, a global expert in dialectic behavior therapy and head of training at Behavioral Tech. Putting distance between a gun and a person struggling with PTSD, depression and other mental health challenges can be lifesaving. I hear a lot of folks talking about getting a gun to feel safer, or taking pride in their conceal carry permit. I hear very little from these camps about the relationship between guns and health. More guns mean more deaths, so this isn’t a bad conversation to have with a friend, relative, neighbor or colleague.
Other ways to help veterans (and non-veterans) is to practice compassionate curiosity about someone’s lot in life — as well as the world around you.
People in the military are sent to war to protect America’s interests and often end up in morally compromising situations that dehumanize both them and the people whose countries they’re occupying. The VA has found moral injury can cause grief, guilt, shame, social alienation and lack of trust — all of which increase the potential for suicidality. The department encourages veterans to get trauma-focused and mindfulness-based therapies, which help people learn to tolerate uncomfortable emotions they want to escape. Music, art and letter writing are other approaches the VA has suggested that can help people find meaning and purpose in their life. Somatic, or body-based techniques, also can help regulate the nervous system, easing the potential for shut down or violence.
Any of us could benefit from these practices, which is all the more reason to socialize these ideas and activities.
Alienation, a lack of trust and psychological distress don’t just feed self-harm, they can drive people to harm others, as in Jabbar’s case and another collective trauma that happened four years ago — the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. The insurrection was partially led by veterans, prompting former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to order a “stand-down” to address extremism in the ranks. The University of Maryland’s National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism found that more than 80% of extremists with military backgrounds identified with far-right, anti-government or white supremacist ideologies. The rest aligned with far-left, jihadist or other motivations.
Combat experiences, mental health struggles and substance abuse all fueled the radicalization. To address this, experts recommend using public health approaches that focus on education, prevention, treatment and evaluation of these issues, as well as unemployment, harmful relationships and past criminal behavior.
This tracks with the experience of Heather Shaner, a Washington, DC lawyer who’s represented scores of Jan. 6 rioters. Shaner, the subject of a short film I produced called PUBLIC DEFENDER, is ultra-liberal and felt personally terrorized by the insurrection, yet has poured her heart and soul into helping non-violent offenders rebuild their lives. Many of them, she says, were either isolated and manipulated by misinformation or struggling with PTSD from rough backgrounds and other unmanaged mental health issues.
Hurt people hurt people, including themselves. Individuals in crisis need expert support, but communities can help mitigate harm with preventive care.
“What I have learned from years and years of working, is the only thing that changes people is love and education,” Shaner told me. “In order to get their attention, you have to respect them, and you have to listen to them. And if you don't listen, you don't know what their questions are or what their answers will be.”
We have a choice this new year: Lose our humanity or lean into it.
If you or someone you know needs help, visit 988lifeline.org or call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988. For current or former military service members, please call 988 and press 1.
You’re invited …
… to catch me discussing the fallout of the Capitol insurrection on NPR’s 1A with Jenn White on Monday, Jan. 6, at 11 am.
… to join me on Jan. 9 for an inspiring evening of film, storytelling and community at the MLK Memorial Library in Washington, DC. Spark Media in collaboration with the Pulitzer Center and Peoplehood are hosting a free screening of PUBLIC DEFENDER, the New Yorker short documentary directed by Spark Media’s Andrea Kalin that I helped produce. The story following lawyer Heather Shaner’s journey representing January 6 rioters is a profound exploration of justice, empathy and the complexities of human connection.
I’ll be with my fellow filmmakers, our participants and executive producer Richard Schiff, the Emmy Award-winning actor best known for this roles in The West Wing and The Good Doctor. We’ll be talking about the power of storytelling in bridging divides. Plus, the evening starts with a relationship-building workshop led by Peoplehood.
Come for part or all of the evening …
5:30 PM: Relationship Building Workshop facilitated by Peoplehood
7:00 PM: PUBLIC DEFENDER screening
8:00 PM: Panel discussion
Address: MLK Library: 901 G St NW, Washington, DC 20001
Sign up here to secure your free spot and consider bringing a gently used paperback book for our DC Books to Prisons drive.
Learn more about the film and the emotional and intellectual labor behind it in my conversation with director Andrea Kalin.
Kate, this piece comes from such a compassionate perspective. I appreciate you. Thank you for sharing.