MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — A double shooting in Palm City has sparked renewed concern for the mental health of military veterans during the holidays.
Martin County deputies said Shaun Dougherty, 60, who deputies described as a "highly intoxicated" military veteran, shot his girlfriend and her adult daughter at a condominium in a gated community located off of Greenwood Way in the Martin Downs area.
Deputies said Dougherty is known to suffer from PTSD.
According to a Mission Roll Call poll, 43% of veterans report having a noticeable increase in mental health challenges during the holidays.
"For me as an infantryman, I got a lot of friends that were lost in the Global War on Terror or lost limbs, and you feel guilty for surviving," Jimmy Jackson, an Army War veteran said.
Jackson is also the founder of a Vero Beach nonprofit called "Do you Give a Ruck?"
It provides veterans services to counteract thoughts of suicide and PTSD.
Hearing what happened in Palm City renewed Jackson's calls for mental health awareness in veterans.
U.S. Marine Corps veteran Matt Hewsylvanus Dunleavy, a member of American Legion Post 1318 in Port St. Lucie, agreed.
"We do have more people that open up during the holidays," Dunleavy said.
Dunleavy said while the holiday season is often a trigger, he sees many of his fellow veterans needing someone to talk to 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 12 months a year.
"They suffer every day," Dunleavy said. "We need to support them and comfort them when they need it."
There are resources across the Treasure Coast for that.
There are four Veterans Affairs clinics, six American Legion Posts and a county-run Veteran Services council in all three counties. That's not including several other nonprofits — like Jackson's.
However, Dunleavy and Jackson said while the resources are there, many veterans don't seek them out due to a lingering stigma surrounding mental health services.
According to the National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics, there are about 52,290 veterans living on the Treasure Coast, 23,772 of whom live in St. Lucie County.
However, St. Lucie Veteran Services told WPTV that 474 veterans seek their services every month — just 1.9% of the veterans who live in that area.
"We need to find them, we need to reach out and find our veterans," Dunleavy said. "Because a lot of times, they're embarrassed, and they shouldn't be. They should be proud."
Jackson agreed, adding that's the reason he started his nonprofit — to help others who have a hard time reaching out themselves.
"I want to say to our local veterans, sometimes it's best to swallow your pride," Jackson said. "Come out, be part of your brothers and sisters. In a lot of ways we can heal together."
If you or a veteran you know is struggling, there are several ways to seek help. Below is a list of resources:
* Veteran Crisis Line: Dial 988, then press 1
* U.S Department of Veteran Affairs Clinics
- Locations in Stuart, Port St Lucie, Fort Pierce, and Vero Beach
* American Legion Posts
- Locations in Stuart, Port St. Lucie, Jensen Beach, Fort Pierce, White City and Vero Beach
* Veteran Services of Martin, St Lucie and Indian River
* "Do You Give A Ruck?" located in Vero Beach
