If you are on social media, watch the news, turn on a computer, or even read a newspaper, it would hard to miss the veteran suicide epidemic that has been plaguing our country ever since we fought and won our independence from Great Britain after the Revolutionary War.

However, it has taken centuries for us as Americans to finally bring attention to the fact that 1 out of 3 combat service members suffer from some type of invisible injury of combat trauma, traumatic brain injury or both.

We finally have multiple terms to describe combat trauma, one of the most well known referred to as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD.

It is estimated that 22 veterans commit suicide a day, which is a horrific and disturbing number to think about.

The very men and women that fought, sacrificed and were willing to die for the freedoms many Americans take for granted each and every day, come back from war only to start a different kind of battle within themselves.

These men and women leave the military, a lot of them not knowing what direction to go in next. Soldiers are programmed to follow a specific mission with a certain end goal in mind.

Without this type of structure and mindset our veterans are forced back into civilian life and surrounded by people who see them as “normal” and unharmed by the experiences and images in their heads; from what they have had to endure in order to keep us all safe back here at home.

For centuries this issue was never officially addressed even though all the signs were there. Panic disorders, substance abuse, depression and suicidal feelings are all directly correlated to what we now call PTSD.

As soldiers you also adapt a certain type of toughness and resilience normal civilians do not posses.

A combat war hero coming back from fighting for our country and then admitting he needs help, not dealing with a physical injury that can be seen by others, but a mental disorder that wasn’t talked about for so many years, is something a lot of veterans would never dream of doing, because they were taught to be both mentally and physically tough.

One organization that has recently helped to spread the word about the alarming veteran suicide rate is a veteran empowerment group called Honor Courage Commitment.

For about a year now you might have seen friends or family members videotaping themselves doing push-ups, posting it online and then nominating people to do the same.

For the most part this wasn’t just another reason for them to show off their muscular arms and talk about how they just “killed their workout.”

The challenge, referred to as the #22PushupChallenge, proposed a unique but symbolic reason as to why Americans nationwide decided to accept the nomination from their friends and to post their own videos online.

The goal is for Americans to collectively do 22 million push-ups, 22 push-ups at a time, which is to bring attention to the fact that 22 veterans take their own lives daily.

However, the mission does not stop once you post your video to the social media platform of your choice.

Now that we have the knowledge, a clever way to spread awareness, more acceptance and understanding of mental health conditions that many veterans live with. Also, updated studies and programs that focus on ways to treat, detect and prevent another United States veteran from taking their own lives, what is our next step to bring the number 22 down to 0?

As Americans we also have a duty to help, protect and serve. Regardless of your political views, your religious views or your personal views on the wars our country has fought in over centuries, we all have a responsibility to do our part for our country.

The burden should not just be on a small percentage of brave individuals that are willing to risk everything so that we can live in a free country, it should be shared between each and every person that calls themselves an American.

There are so many different ways to contribute including volunteering your time to help our service men and women who signed up to fight for us, not asking for anything in return.

The reason we remain “the land of the free and the home of the brave,” is because of these veterans and until the suicide rate for veterans is 0, we will all remain in this fight together.