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Highlights from the Summary of Interim Report

44

At least 44 former service member daily suicide/SIM rate**

25%

States undercount former service member death at an error rate of 25%*

56%

Receiving a demotion during military service increases the odds of dying by suicide/SIM by 56%*

3

Those who served in the military for less than three years were at greatest risk for suicide/overdose*

*this is applicable in the eight states we studied: Alabama, Florida, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, and Oregon
**SIM: self-injury mortality

Objective:

Operation Deep Dive™ is a community-based, current and former service member, death prevention study taking place across the country. This four-year study was initially funded by a grant from the Bristol- Myers Squibb Foundation.

Operation Deep Dive™ Hypothesis:

By analyzing common military service experiences and community factors associated with early mortality, we can prevent former service members' premature non-natural or natural death through early engagement and prevention measures for those with the highest probability of early mortality.

Operation Deep Dive™ is the first research study of its kind to:

  • Identify at a national, state, or local level the current or former service member with the highest probability of dying prematurely (i.e., suicide, overdose, cancer, heart disease) by correlating death record data shared by the states to detailed military experiences shared by the Department of Defense.

  • Identify the community environments that contribute to the lower or higher premature death of former service members through qualitative interviews with friends, families, and co-workers that seek to re-construct the last year of the former service member's life.

  • Identify the impact of adverse disciplinary action on the premature death of current and former service members.

  • Utilize findings to develop national, state, or local suicide and overdose prevention strategies and identify possible changes in clinical and public health practice for patients with military service experience.

Objective

Donate to Operation Deep Dive

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Want to join our efforts, but not sure where to start? Donate today and take advantage of this incredible opportunity to lend your support. It’s a great way to contribute to our cause, and every little bit counts towards paving the path for a better tomorrow. Your donation will go towards the formation of a proactive approach to prevent veteran suicide.

Donate

Operation Deep Dive™ is Seeking Interview Participants

You can help prevent suicides and premature deaths among former service members.

How can you help?

By participating in an Operation Deep Dive™ interview that aims to examine the lives of former service members lost to suicide or premature death (i.e., overdose, asphyxiation, accidental gunshot, drowning, suicide by law enforcement, or high-speed, single-driver accident) within the last 24 months.

Your insights will contribute greatly to the formation of a proactive approach to preserving the life of service members and veterans!
Image by Richard Catabay

Participant requirements

  • Must be 18​ or older

  • A relative, loved one, friend, or co-worker to a deceased former service member who has died by suicide or premature death (i.e., overdose, asphyxiation, accidental gunshot, drowning, suicide by law enforcement, or high-speed, single-driver accident) within the last 24 months​​

Contact us:

If you would like to get additional information about being a participant, please contact

Interviews

What Participants Are Saying

"...thank you again for your minutes (180!:) to conduct the interview, your patience with listening, compassion for your fellow brothers and sisters who have gone home, and your passion for Operation Deep Dive. I am humbled and grateful for you, your service with ODD, and this program you represent. A true pleasure, and oddly enough, a joy to participate."

"I think the work your doing is incredibly important and I believe could help save lives and families. I promise to continue to play my role within the population." 

"...Thank you. I very much appreciated your care & kindness. God bless you and the work you all do your needed and we are blessed to have your help." 

Additional Resources

Interview Toolkit
Research Study Overview
2019 Report
2020 Report
Resources

OpDD Videos

Channel info

Nonprofits & Activism

mental health, suicide, usa, veteran, suicide research, texas, veteran support, suicide prevention, vso, veterans, veteran suicide, awareness, university of alabama

OpDD Videos

Call of Duty: Military to First Responders - Part 1

Read more Cheree Tham of America's Warrior Partnership conducts a fireside chat with three veterans about their journey transitioning from military service to first responders. By continuing to serve their communities as first responders, these veterans were able to find continued purpose and fulfillment. This is part 1 of 3 in this series. Veteran Crisis Line: 988 and then press 1 TAPS National Military Survivor Helpline: 800-959-TAPS (8277)

Nonprofits & Activism

Call of Duty: Military to First Responders - Part 3

Read more Cheree Tham of America's Warrior Partnership conducts a fireside chat with three veterans about their journey transitioning from military service to first responders. By continuing to serve their communities as first responders, these veterans were able to find continued purpose and fulfillment. This is part 3 of 3 in this series. Veteran Crisis Line: 988 and then press 1 TAPS National Military Survivor Helpline: 800-959-TAPS (8277)

Nonprofits & Activism

Call of Duty: Military to First Responders - Part 2

Read more Cheree Tham of America's Warrior Partnership conducts a fireside chat with three veterans about their journey transitioning from military service to first responders. By continuing to serve their communities as first responders, these veterans were able to find continued purpose and fulfillment. This is part 2 of 3 in this series. Veteran Crisis Line: 988 and then press 1 TAPS National Military Survivor Helpline: 800-959-TAPS (8277)

Nonprofits & Activism

Call of Duty: Military to Law Enforcement - Part 4

Read more Cheree Tham of America's Warrior Partnership conducts a fireside chat with three veterans about their journey transitioning from military service to law enforcement. By continuing to serve their communities as law enforcement, these veterans were able to find continued purpose and fulfillment. This is part 4 of 4 in this series. Veteran Crisis Line: 988 and then press 1 TAPS National Military Survivor Helpline: 800-959-TAPS (8277)

Nonprofits & Activism

Call of Duty: Military to Law Enforcement - Part 3

Read more Cheree Tham of America's Warrior Partnership conducts a fireside chat with three veterans about their journey transitioning from military service to law enforcement. By continuing to serve their communities as law enforcement, these veterans were able to find continued purpose and fulfillment. This is part 3 of 4 in this series. Veteran Crisis Line: 988 and then press 1 TAPS National Military Survivor Helpline: 800-959-TAPS (8277)

Nonprofits & Activism

Call of Duty: Military to Law Enforcement - Part 2

Read more Cheree Tham of America's Warrior Partnership conducts a fireside chat with three veterans about their journey transitioning from military service to law enforcement. By continuing to serve their communities as law enforcement, these veterans were able to find continued purpose and fulfillment. This is part 2 of 4 in this series. Veteran Crisis Line: 988 and then press 1 TAPS National Military Survivor Helpline: 800-959-TAPS (8277)

Nonprofits & Activism

Call of Duty: Military to Law Enforcement - Part 1

Read more Cheree Tham of America's Warrior Partnership conducts a fireside chat with three veterans about their journey transitioning from military service to law enforcement. By continuing to serve their communities as law enforcement, these veterans were able to find continued purpose and fulfillment. This is part 1 of 4 in this series. Veteran Crisis Line: 988 and then press 1 TAPS National Military Survivor Helpline: 800-959-TAPS (8277)

Nonprofits & Activism

Operation Deep Dive Facebook Live with Alaska Warrior Partnership

Read more Learn more about Operation Deep Dive: americaswarriorpartnership.org/deep-dive Learn more about Alaska Warrior Partnership: alaskawarriorpartnership.org

Nonprofits & Activism

Operation Deep Dive™ with Stop Soldier Suicide

Read more Cheree Tham of America's Warrior Partnership discusses Operation Deep Dive with Chuck Eastman and Amy Dozier of Stop Soldier Suicide. Learn more about Operation Deep Dive™ at americaswarriorpartnership.org/deep-dive. Learn more about Stop Soldier Suicide at stopsoldiersuicide.org.

Nonprofits & Activism

Help Prevent Veteran Suicide with AWP and Indy Warrior Partnership - Operation Deep Dive

Read more Cheree Tham of AWP and Matt Hall of Indy Warrior Partnership discuss Operation Deep Dive - a community-based, former service member, suicide and self-injury prevention study taking place across the country. This four-year study is a partnership between America’s Warrior Partnership and researchers from The University of Alabama. Learn more at americaswarriorpartnership.org/deep-dive

Nonprofits & Activism

Upstream Suicide Prevention Strategies with AWP and The CDC

Read more Welcome to the Facebook Live between America's Warrior Partnership and the CDC to discuss Upstream Suicide Prevention Strategies. Host: —Cheree Tham, Co-Founder and Vice President of Programs, America's Warrior Partnership Speakers: —Kaitlin Cashwell, Director of Community Integration, America's Warrior Partnership —Dr. Deborah Stone, Lead Behavioral Scientist, Center for Disease Control and Prevention The following links are helpful resources referenced during the discussion. www.americaswarriorpartnership.org/deep-dive www.cdc.gov/suicide https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/suicideTechnicalPackage.pdf --technical package https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/programs/index.html — CDC funded programs https://vetoviolence.cdc.gov/apps/violence-prevention-practice/#!/ —planning and implementation for suicide prevention/technical package https://www.cdcfoundation.org/sites/default/files/files/VSPEJune2020Presentation.pdf — CDC Foundation information about VSPE

Nonprofits & Activism

Help Prevent Veteran Suicide in Maine - Operation Deep Dive

Read more Cheree Tham of AWP and Deaconess Kim Slininger, Founder and Executive Director of Spirit Warrior L3C to discuss Operation Deep Dive - a community-based, former service member, suicide prevention study taking place across the country. Learn more at americaswarriorpartnership.org/deep-dive

Nonprofits & Activism

Prevent Veteran Suicide in Nevada - Operation Deep Dive & City of Las Vegas

Read more You're watching a Facebook Live from August 18, 2021. America's Warrior Partnership hosted Gregory Gray from the City of Las Vegas to speak about Operation Deep Dive - a community-based, veteran suicide and non-natural causes of death prevention study taking place in 13 states across the United States. Please visit americaswarriorpartnership.org/deep-dive to learn more.

Nonprofits & Activism

Operation Deep Dive - Empowering Communities to Prevent Military Veteran Suicide

Read more Facebook Live video with Dr. Eric Caine and Cheree Tham on 7/23/2020.

Nonprofits & Activism

suicide, mental health, veteran, suicide prevention, awareness, veterans

Operation Deep Dive Facebook Live with Combined Arms (Jan. 13, 2021)

Read more To learn more, please visit www.americaswarriorpartnership.org/deep-dive.

Nonprofits & Activism

veterans, veteran suicide, suicide prevention, university of alabama, usa, suicide research, texas, vso, veteran support

Operation Deep Dive Facebook Live with Reveille Foundation (February 17, 2021)

Read more To learn more, please visit www.americaswarriorpartnership.org/deep-dive.

Nonprofits & Activism

Operation Deep Dive Facebook Live with Tierney Center for Veteran Services (3.17.21)

Read more To learn more, please visit www.americaswarriorpartnership.org/deep-dive.

Nonprofits & Activism

Operation Deep Dive's Facebook Live with Panhandle Warrior Partnership

Read more Operation Deep Dive's Facebook Live with Panhandle Warrior Partnership in Florida - Please visit americaswarriorpartnership.org/deep-dive for more info.

Nonprofits & Activism

2021 Report
Interim Summary Report
Methodology Report
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