Veteran’s crisis line cards remind Veterans they are not alone

Norman Wooten, an Army Vietnam Veteran and patient at Bay Pines VA, believes raising awareness for suicide prevention with the Veteran’s Crisis Line is a never-ending labor of love.

Wooten began distributing cards in 2022, shortly after the Veterans Crisis Line (VCL) updated to a 988-press-1 option for the suicide hotline. The National Suicide Hotline Designation Act established 988 as the universal number for suicide prevention and mental health crises.  

“It all started with a phone conversation with my daughter who lives in Jacksonville. She asked if there was anything she could do to help, and I told her about the Veteran Crisis Line. She designed a card and sent me a couple hundred. They were gone in days,” Wooten said.

Has handed out over 4,000 cards

VCL has since received more than 60,000 calls a month from Veterans seeking help. Wooten has handed out more than 4,000 cards to Veterans and others in need.

“I pass out a card almost every day. Walking down the street, you can see the hopelessness and wanting in some people’s eyes, and I want them to know I understand their pain and that they are not alone.”

Wooten (pictured above) served two years in Vietnam as a helicopter crew chief, mechanic and door gunner. The experiences from his time in service have had a lasting impact on his life. He noticed many Veterans grappling with the same challenges he dealt with when he returned home from Vietnam.

“It is okay to talk about these things.”

“I was dealing with ethical dilemmas and survivors’ guilt. At the time, it was something we did not talk about because we were not supposed to express emotions. [But] It is ok to talk about these things, and that is something I try to get people to understand,” he said.

After reaching what he believed was his lowest point, Wooten sought help from Bay Pines VA. For the last 15 years, he has been a recipient of mental health services for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.  He credits his faith and the love of his family with getting him started on the road to recovery.

“If I can help one person, I know it was all worth it. You never know what type of stress most people are dealing with on a daily basis, so I ask Veterans to let me help them because I want them to know that they are not alone.”