May 23, 2024 • 7 mins
This Memorial Day weekend, a group that counsels veterans is holding a special service for those veterans and first responders who died by taking their own lives. It's taking place at the American Legion Post 5 and cemetery in Tampa, at Kennedy and Dale Mabry. We speak with Ellsworth "Tony" Williams, who leads a group called Veterans Counseling Veterans whose purpose includes preventing veteran suicides.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Gordon Bird here Beyond the News.We're approaching Memorial Day weekend and there is
a special ceremony being held over thatweekend for families and friends of veterans and
first responders of a special category,those who lost their lives by taking their
own lives. We're speaking with EllsworthWilliams. He's CEO and president of the
(00:24):
Group of Veterans Counseling Veterans. Hegoes by Tony and thank you very much,
mister Williams, and welcome to Beyondthe News. I'm so glad you
invited me, sir, I reallyappreciate it. Tell us about this event
and that is happening in Tampa onSaturday, and what led to your creating
And I understand this is the tenthannual Memorial Day ceremony of this time.
(00:48):
Yeah, it's excited about it's atenth annuale And the reason why you know,
one about Brenda chelveter's prime mission ispreventing veterans' suicide. And what happens
is this actually tells them because thisspecial, this special ceremony is it actually
provides the families and veterans and firstwho lost the veteran of responded to suicide,
gives them a safe space to honorthat veteran, testify without the stigma.
(01:12):
And I just noticed that that's somethingthat there's not usually when the veterans
died by suicide. It kind ofends right there, but there's still a
story to be told that happens after. And that's the cross that that's buried,
that's carried by those who lost thatveteran suicide. And so I had
this ceremony. I wanted to doit during a moral Day because that's the
time when we when we actually honorthose who died for their services. And
(01:36):
that's why I do always do itevery every year, maybe one or two
days before actual moral Day, togive them that that that special time to
honor and mourn and and give graceto those who may have who may have
lost that veteran or transponded to suicide. Now you also include first responders in
this special service. Tell us thebackground behind that. There's actually a twofold
(01:57):
for that background one. It's mywife has actually retired law enforcement and she
now back to work. She nowworks back in the community as a resource
officer. And every time somebody diedby suicide and lawful. Then she would
she would find out and she wouldtell me. I said, wow,
So I noticed that there really wasn'tmuch doing going on and with the first
bonders. And there are also someveterans who actually also you know they when
(02:19):
they gathered service they be a firstresponder or someone aren't doing it dually.
So I said, you know what, I don't hear much about that.
And of course it goes close tomy wife when she tells you all the
time about the suicide. I said, you know what, I'll do both.
And that's that's how the first bondersI forgot actually three years ago that
included a PARTLCK program. And asyou point out, these stories do not
end. And and the families andthe people who knew and loved these veterans
(02:45):
and first responders continue to be impactedby their passing. Tell me how the
response has been from uh, thesefamilies that are affected, and how they
value this this type of service.It's I'll tell you, first of all,
when you attend these kind of services, very very emotional and but it's
(03:07):
but it's gratisfying. At the sametime, people have come to me and
told families company and said, youknow, I really really appreciated this.
I finally could come and and andand your stories that they feel so safe.
They feel so safe because I spendtime. I have a time set
aside for that. And every timeI have one of these, uh these
ceremonies, I have someone who's aguest speaker, our guest speaker for this
(03:30):
this year. He attended last year. He's a he's a full bird colonel,
retired retired Air Force colonel. Andhis sister is a marine, proud
Marine, and about five six yearsago she was unceremoniously evicted from her house
from my ho a and I meanown ceremonies. I mean she was pretty
much thrown out the door with justa bath ob and slipper, and being
(03:53):
a proud Marine, she she gota hotel and then next and the next
day, that night she drank abottle of to freeze. And this is
a time where he could actually talkabout this, where he could not do
that in other environments. That's howface Space was. So he was there
last year and after seeing that,he said, yes, I will be
a keynote speaker. But that's justhim being there as one of the results
(04:15):
of having these ceremonies, you don'tknow who you're touching. And as you
point out your group veterans counseling veterans, obviously you're working to promote veterans' mental
health and to avoid events like this. Tell us about the work that your
group does on an ongoing basis.Yes, it's a veteran counts veterans.
(04:35):
We actually we're on our tenth year, so we're actually we're going to have
a tenth year anniversary pretty soon,and it's everything we do is tied to
preventing veterans' suicide. So just lastweek, last month and April, we
had a third annual Military Sexual TraumaConference, and we have that one because
women veterans and people don't realize this, but first of all, Florida has
(04:56):
the second largest woman veteran population inthe country one hundred and sixty five thous
and women over twelve percent of thosehave experienced sexual saw and the result of
that is women veterans have twice theway of suicide. They're not only veterans
because of military sexualssault. So that'swhy we have that program. We do
that one and then we also families, families that are in crisis or dysfunctional.
(05:17):
They contribute a lot to the veteransof choosing suicide, something that the
VA doesn't do. They don't treatthe families, and so we actually do
as well. In fact, we'regonna have in November. November it's called
Military and Veterans Family Month. We'regoing to have our own Veterans Mental Wellness
Family program again to try to provideservices and response and services and coping and
(05:39):
for their families and if finally,what people don't realize as well in Florida,
Florida is like the third incomes ofsuicide, and people died by suicide
in Florida are actually seniors, arelike sixty five and older. So who's
taking care of the six final andolder who have died by suicide? Especially
in Florida. We're going to havea conference the first time you know,
people know about this on the seventeenthof August. We're going to have a
(06:02):
Serving our Agent Veterans conference and soall of those things that we hear and
then I'm sorry, in September,we're gonna have a Veterans and Family Mental
Wellness Summit and everything you see hereabout when you hear Veterans Council Veterans,
the families always included because over seventypercent of the people who are veterans have
a family member and they're just ascrucial and preventing veterans suicide, not just
(06:27):
a veteran. And people who wantmore information. Your website is Vets Counseling
vets dot org. Tell us againif you could about the time and place
of the event that's coming up thisSaturday. Okay again, it's the twenty
fifth of May, that it runsfrom eleven to twelve thirty. We actually
feed you, we have dinner thereand it's going to be at thirty eight
ten West Kennedy Boulevard, who areco located with the American Legions Post five
(06:50):
on dow Maybury and in Kennedy eleveno'clock to twelve thirty one. I do
want to add on this this conference, with this ceremony we're doing, it's
very it's bipartist and so one ofour speakers is a Republican veteran UH County
Commissioner, Donna Cepeda. And thenwe also have with Luis Vita, whose
Democrat. So it doesn't matter whenthese kind of these kind of occasions like
(07:12):
this, doesn't matter if you're youknow, uh B on R or left
the right. It's about being aveteran. So that's one thing I'm really
proud about that this is just abipartisan event. Everybody gets together and on
that Veteran CEO Ellsworth Williams, TonyWilliams and President of Veterans Counseling Veterans,
thank you very much for joining uson Beyond the News
Gordon Bird here Beyond the News.We're approaching Memorial Day weekend and there is
a special ceremony being held over thatweekend for families and friends of veterans and
first responders of a special category,those who lost their lives by taking their
own lives. We're speaking with EllsworthWilliams. He's CEO and president of the
(00:24):
Group of Veterans Counseling Veterans. Hegoes by Tony and thank you very much,
mister Williams, and welcome to Beyondthe News. I'm so glad you
invited me, sir, I reallyappreciate it. Tell us about this event
and that is happening in Tampa onSaturday, and what led to your creating
And I understand this is the tenthannual Memorial Day ceremony of this time.
(00:48):
Yeah, it's excited about it's atenth annuale And the reason why you know,
one about Brenda chelveter's prime mission ispreventing veterans' suicide. And what happens
is this actually tells them because thisspecial, this special ceremony is it actually
provides the families and veterans and firstwho lost the veteran of responded to suicide,
gives them a safe space to honorthat veteran, testify without the stigma.
(01:12):
And I just noticed that that's somethingthat there's not usually when the veterans
died by suicide. It kind ofends right there, but there's still a
story to be told that happens after. And that's the cross that that's buried,
that's carried by those who lost thatveteran suicide. And so I had
this ceremony. I wanted to doit during a moral Day because that's the
time when we when we actually honorthose who died for their services. And
(01:36):
that's why I do always do itevery every year, maybe one or two
days before actual moral Day, togive them that that that special time to
honor and mourn and and give graceto those who may have who may have
lost that veteran or transponded to suicide. Now you also include first responders in
this special service. Tell us thebackground behind that. There's actually a twofold
(01:57):
for that background one. It's mywife has actually retired law enforcement and she
now back to work. She nowworks back in the community as a resource
officer. And every time somebody diedby suicide and lawful. Then she would
she would find out and she wouldtell me. I said, wow,
So I noticed that there really wasn'tmuch doing going on and with the first
bonders. And there are also someveterans who actually also you know they when
(02:19):
they gathered service they be a firstresponder or someone aren't doing it dually.
So I said, you know what, I don't hear much about that.
And of course it goes close tomy wife when she tells you all the
time about the suicide. I said, you know what, I'll do both.
And that's that's how the first bondersI forgot actually three years ago that
included a PARTLCK program. And asyou point out, these stories do not
end. And and the families andthe people who knew and loved these veterans
(02:45):
and first responders continue to be impactedby their passing. Tell me how the
response has been from uh, thesefamilies that are affected, and how they
value this this type of service.It's I'll tell you, first of all,
when you attend these kind of services, very very emotional and but it's
(03:07):
but it's gratisfying. At the sametime, people have come to me and
told families company and said, youknow, I really really appreciated this.
I finally could come and and andand your stories that they feel so safe.
They feel so safe because I spendtime. I have a time set
aside for that. And every timeI have one of these, uh these
ceremonies, I have someone who's aguest speaker, our guest speaker for this
(03:30):
this year. He attended last year. He's a he's a full bird colonel,
retired retired Air Force colonel. Andhis sister is a marine, proud
Marine, and about five six yearsago she was unceremoniously evicted from her house
from my ho a and I meanown ceremonies. I mean she was pretty
much thrown out the door with justa bath ob and slipper, and being
(03:53):
a proud Marine, she she gota hotel and then next and the next
day, that night she drank abottle of to freeze. And this is
a time where he could actually talkabout this, where he could not do
that in other environments. That's howface Space was. So he was there
last year and after seeing that,he said, yes, I will be
a keynote speaker. But that's justhim being there as one of the results
(04:15):
of having these ceremonies, you don'tknow who you're touching. And as you
point out your group veterans counseling veterans, obviously you're working to promote veterans' mental
health and to avoid events like this. Tell us about the work that your
group does on an ongoing basis.Yes, it's a veteran counts veterans.
(04:35):
We actually we're on our tenth year, so we're actually we're going to have
a tenth year anniversary pretty soon,and it's everything we do is tied to
preventing veterans' suicide. So just lastweek, last month and April, we
had a third annual Military Sexual TraumaConference, and we have that one because
women veterans and people don't realize this, but first of all, Florida has
(04:56):
the second largest woman veteran population inthe country one hundred and sixty five thous
and women over twelve percent of thosehave experienced sexual saw and the result of
that is women veterans have twice theway of suicide. They're not only veterans
because of military sexualssault. So that'swhy we have that program. We do
that one and then we also families, families that are in crisis or dysfunctional.
(05:17):
They contribute a lot to the veteransof choosing suicide, something that the
VA doesn't do. They don't treatthe families, and so we actually do
as well. In fact, we'regonna have in November. November it's called
Military and Veterans Family Month. We'regoing to have our own Veterans Mental Wellness
Family program again to try to provideservices and response and services and coping and
(05:39):
for their families and if finally,what people don't realize as well in Florida,
Florida is like the third incomes ofsuicide, and people died by suicide
in Florida are actually seniors, arelike sixty five and older. So who's
taking care of the six final andolder who have died by suicide? Especially
in Florida. We're going to havea conference the first time you know,
people know about this on the seventeenthof August. We're going to have a
(06:02):
Serving our Agent Veterans conference and soall of those things that we hear and
then I'm sorry, in September,we're gonna have a Veterans and Family Mental
Wellness Summit and everything you see hereabout when you hear Veterans Council Veterans,
the families always included because over seventypercent of the people who are veterans have
a family member and they're just ascrucial and preventing veterans suicide, not just
(06:27):
a veteran. And people who wantmore information. Your website is Vets Counseling
vets dot org. Tell us againif you could about the time and place
of the event that's coming up thisSaturday. Okay again, it's the twenty
fifth of May, that it runsfrom eleven to twelve thirty. We actually
feed you, we have dinner thereand it's going to be at thirty eight
ten West Kennedy Boulevard, who areco located with the American Legions Post five
(06:50):
on dow Maybury and in Kennedy eleveno'clock to twelve thirty one. I do
want to add on this this conference, with this ceremony we're doing, it's
very it's bipartist and so one ofour speakers is a Republican veteran UH County
Commissioner, Donna Cepeda. And thenwe also have with Luis Vita, whose
Democrat. So it doesn't matter whenthese kind of these kind of occasions like
(07:12):
this, doesn't matter if you're youknow, uh B on R or left
the right. It's about being aveteran. So that's one thing I'm really
proud about that this is just abipartisan event. Everybody gets together and on
that Veteran CEO Ellsworth Williams, TonyWilliams and President of Veterans Counseling Veterans,
thank you very much for joining uson Beyond the News
Popular Podcasts
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.