On Tuesday President Trump signed an executive order aimed at increasing efforts to reduce veteran suicides.

“By investing in research and scientific advances we can better understand the trauma our brave soldiers face and how to restore their faith and their health,” said President Trump.

The President’s executive order creates a new task force which will be in charge of creating a “public health roadmap” to improve veterans’ quality of life and end veteran suicides.

Brian Baty is the Board Chairman of WNY Heroes, a non-profit dedicating to assisting local veterans by offering a number of programs like the peer to peer program.

“We gather local veterans, we seperate them in groups female, male where they can commiserate amongst eachother, that they don’t feel like they’re alone,” said Brian Baty, WNY Heroes Board Chairman.

According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, about 20 veterans die from suicide everyday.

“When they’re serving our country overseas, they are band of brothers. And all of a sudden they’re not a band of brothers anymore and they feel very alone in what they’re dealing with when they return,” said Baty.

But there is help available for struggling veterans and Baty believes the President’s executive order will create more awareness.

“At times feeing they’re shunned by the government, not being able to get the benefits they need, those types of things. We are in constant contact, the problem is that they need to contact us,” said Baty.

The new task force will have one year to come up with a detailed plan.

If you’d like to learn more about programs offered for local veterans through WNY Heroes, head to the following link: https://wnyheroes.org/