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CANBERRA, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Forty-one returned Australian military veterans have taken their own lives so far in 2016, which is the same number of Australian servicemen killed in Afghanistan since 2003.
Local media reported on Sunday that veterans were not getting enough post-service support from the Australian Defence Force (ADF), with many families reporting that soldiers are returning from battle with depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Families have slammed the ADF and the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA), saying many of the suicides could have been prevented with adequate help, and they've called for wide-spread reform about how the ADF and DVA treats returned servicemen and women.
Former Australian chief of army, Peter Leahy, told News Corp that the government needed to take notice of the growing problem, and offer veterans and their families adequate support after they return from the war zones.
"The number of suicides and the incidence of despair, depression and broken lives among our veteran community is a national shame," Leahy said on Sunday.
"Before we lose any more lives we need action and we need it now. It is time to stop talking about the problem."
The News Corp report also found that charity groups were being asked to plug the gap in veteran welfare, as the DVA was too slow in handing out entitlements. Some veterans reportedly waited four years or more for their entitlements because of a negative "insurance company" mentality.
One widow told News Corp that neither she nor her late husband, a fight sergeant in the air force, received any help from the defence department after he returned from service.
"Families need support. I got none. No one contacted me. Not once," Bonny Perry said.
Despite many soldiers feeling like their concerns are "brushed off", DVA spokesperson Stephanie Hodson told News Corp that the agency would continue to do all it could to help veterans transition back into society.
"We will do anything we can to prevent any suicide that we possibly can," Hodson said.
Meanwhile, defense spokesman Nicole Sadler said while the risks of enlisting in the military are well known, the ADF was always looking to improve its wellbeing programs for returned personnel.
"This includes how we select, prepare and support them through all stages of their career and their transition out," Sadler said.
"We are always looking for ways to prevent and reduce those (suicide) numbers."
