ABSTRACT
Karl Menninger taught that, “The patient is always right.” Much of our treatment
of suicidal soldiers and veterans is figuring out how they are right, even if
they wear a green mask. The way to understand how the soldier is right is
in the natural progression from understanding to application to practice. Once
one knows the soldier or veteran, then treatment comes naturally. The proof
of suicide prevention is in the “ventions”—as in prevention, intervention, and
postvention. We are here most focused on suicide prevention and intervention
in the military. We begin with the question, Can the military prevent suicide
among soldiers and veterans?
