Two Lake Charles veterans find strength in friendship

LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) - Allen Ardoin and Lannis Joseph have been friends since meeting as volunteers for the Red Cross two years ago. They say their shared military experience brought them together.

“It’s almost like we’ve been knowing each other all our lives, but we haven’t,” Joseph said.

“I think it’s because of the military background that we have, the structure that we have with the military. And giving to the community and looking out for everyone that our goals, our visions are aligned,” Ardoin said.

With that shared experience, they both understand the struggle to adjust to civilian life.

“When I came back, I still had everything still in my head. And actually, it’s still there,” Joseph said.

According to the National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report, more than 17 U.S. veterans die by suicide each day.

“It’s a horrifying statistic. And so, of course, at the VA we’re doing everything that we can to promote our services. The majority of veterans who commit suicide have not received care from a VA within the past year. So we want to make sure that veterans are able to receive the care that we offer,” said Dr. Lauren Lemoine, chief of psychology at the Alexandria VA Health Care System.

Joseph and Ardoin say being there for one another helps.

“We talk about those things sometime. And that helps. And as long as we talk about things positive, that helps,” Joseph said.

“Still, just showing up can also make a big difference in somebody’s life,” Ardoin said.