When will this Day be celebrated? November 17th of each calendar year.
What is National Alex Scott Lawson Day?
A day to celebrate the lives and loss of US Americans who served our country but were unable to survive their mental and emotional wounds. A day when all Americans should have time off work and take time out of their lives to come together and remember and honor the men and women of our country that volunteered to sign their name making a promise to do what ever it takes to defend the American people and the rights and freedoms we enjoy and so often take for granted. These veterans did not have a huge welcome home, most people never understood their battle continued even after their service to our country ended.
It should be a somber day of honor and remembrance of the lives lost, not on the battlefield but right here at home. The struggle of horrific pain that these strong men and women often keep hidden inside. There should be testimony from other veterans of how it is a life long battle. This Day should be an opportunity for survivors to meet other survivors and share their stories, to draw support from one another.
Why is this day being created?
America loses 22 American veterans a day to suicide. These men and women should never be forgotten. They gave everything to our country and for our country and then came home severely broken – often feeling rejected and useless. They were lost. They suffered physical injuries, mental injuries and emotional injuries. They carried scars that could never be erased. They saw things no human should ever see. They felt things no human should ever have to feel. They fought their hardest, gave their all, and often it wasn’t enough. They met new friends, loved them, trained rigorously with them, learned from them, protected them, went into battle with them and often held them in their arms as they watched them die. They committed to doing the hardest work there is, willingly giving up there youth, their health, sacrificing relationships and missing out on watching their children grow. And in the end, they lost their battle with life as well. They sacrificed their own freedoms to protect ours.
They didn’t fight out of hate for the enemy in front of them but rather love for the ones beside them. The ones behind them. We need to always remember them, their pain and the ones they left behind. The family they left behind needs a time and place to come together and remember these very special humans. The ones they raised, the ones they formed and encouraged to be strong. The ones they taught to make a stand for what they believed in, the ones they loved dearly. The survivors that will forever have a dark spot, a large empty hole in their heart, a sharp pain in their chest because these men and women are gone.
How should this day be observed?
It should be a National holiday marked on every calendar. People should be given the opportunity to take the day off and attend an event without punishment for missing work. Events should be planned by local veteran organizations.
- The public should be educated about depression and suicide.
- There should be an outreach to help others sitting on the edge.
- A gathering of hurt souls, broken hearts and shattered spirits.
- A gathering of friends and loved ones paying tribute to these special people.
- There should be a roll call of submitted names of veterans who lost their battle within along with a brief history on who they were as an individual.
- Taps should be played as well as other songs.
- There should be opportunities to not only mourn their loss but also celebrate the veteran’s life.
Who created this day? This day was created by Susan Ratliff in 2022.