IL HR0168

Between 2008 and 2016, more than 6,000 veteran suicides occurred annually across the United States, with 6,079 veterans dying by suicide in 2016 including 162 in Illinois.

Veterans experience higher suicide rates than the general population, with the 2016 veteran suicide rate 1.5 times greater than non-veterans despite veterans representing only 8 percent of the population.

House Resolution 168 expresses support for veterans struggling with mental illness and pays tribute to those who have died by suicide.

The resolution encourages the State of Illinois to create a memorial at Oak Ridge Cemetery dedicated to veterans who have died by suicide, to be placed alongside existing war memorials.

Copies of the resolution are to be delivered to members of the General Assembly, the Governor, and the Director of Veteran Affairs.