NEW YORK — They look intently at the camera, some impassively, some with smiles, all of them aware that they've just shared with an online audie...

"I hope you read my short letter with an open heart and mind, even though you do not know me. I've heard about your situation and wanted to personally reach out to you, because I believe in you, and because I believe in the potential and possibilities of your life."

Individuals who are truly suicidal are oftentimes past the point of wanting (or being able) to ask for help. Therefore, it is up to others to recognize the various warning signs and intervene.

We need an army of mental health professionals deployed to serve active duty service members, veterans, their families and even their immediate communities. Professionals must specialize in the specific climate of the military and the population so they apply treatments that work.

The suicide problem is just the very tip of a much larger iceberg. That one active duty soldier per day is desperate enough to kill himself speaks volumes of the less obvious, but significant, distress experienced by many other soldiers and veterans.