At 2:22 p.m. Monday, the sound of taps echoed across the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 76 as veterans, elected officials and community members bowed their heads in remembrance of service members who lost their lives to suicide. 

The ceremony marked Texas Veteran Suicide Prevention Day, designated by lawmakers during the 88th state legislative session in 2023, alongside the beginning of a suicide prevention campaign by the Texas Veterans Commission.

The Sept. 22 date was chosen to reflect the longstanding estimate that 22 veterans die by suicide each day.

That figure has become a rallying cry, though the most recent reporting from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs put the number at 6,407 in 2022, which is an average of 17.6 deaths per day.

Attendees sit in the meeting room at VFW Post 76 during the third annual Memorial Flag Ceremony honoring Texas Veteran Suicide Prevention Day on Monday. Credit: Diego Medel / San Antonio Report

While the numbers have shifted, the “22” remains a symbol that continues to mobilize the Legislature. This year, lawmakers passed House Bill 39, requiring de-identified data from death certificates of veterans who die by suicide to be reported to the Texas Veterans Commission.

“Tracking is important because now we can identify where we’ve failed,” said state Rep. Ray Lopez (D-San Antonio), who co-sponsored the measure. “We need to know the real number, the real trends, to design solutions that work.”

Texas is home to the largest veteran population in the nation, with about 1.4 million veterans calling the state home. Bexar is the county with the largest veteran population in the state with over 162,000 reported in 2024.

That scale, Sen. José Menéndez (D-San Antonio) said, places a special responsibility on lawmakers to lead by example.

“Veterans issues should never be partisan — this is about men and women who signed a blank check for this country,” Menéndez said. “With the largest veteran population in the nation, people look to Texas to set the standard. If we do this right, other states will follow.”

The new reporting requirements, combined with the Texas Veterans Commission’s prevention campaign, are intended to shape future recommendations on how to reduce the death toll.

Lawmakers and former mayor Ron Nirengberg sit during the he third annual Memorial Flag Ceremony honoring Texas Veteran Suicide Prevention Day on Monday at VFW Post 76. Credit: Diego Medel / San Antonio Report

That mission was at the heart of Monday’s ceremony. From the podium, state Rep. Josey Garcia (D-San Antonio), a retired Air Force veteran, said the day was not only about honoring the fallen but also about supporting those still here.

“My job is to be a voice of the veterans on this day where we remember the 22,” She said. ”I’m here to continue to fight for you all because I can’t tell you what it is to be one of the 22, but I sure as hell know what it is to feel like number 23, 24 or 25.” 

Garcia’s remarks underscored that the crisis extends beyond statistics to the lived experiences of veterans and their families.

Bexar County Commissioner Tommy Calvert (Pct. 4) drew on his own work abroad more than 20 years ago, when he led a global human rights organization that took him into war zones in southern Sudan.

There, he said, he witnessed child soldiers forced into combat, families torn apart by violence and soldiers of all ages coping with trauma through alcohol.

“The wounds of war are not always visible, but their impact is lasting,” Calvert said. “Honoring our veterans means more than speeches — it means connection, it means support, and it means making sure they never walk alone.”

Laura Koerner, the chair of the Texas Veterans Commission, reinforced that call for connection. She highlighted ongoing prevention initiatives, including its monthly “Buddy Check Day” on the 11th of each month, which encourages veterans to call and check in on one another.

Koerner referenced the initiative alongside ongoing investments in counseling, housing and peer-support programs through grant funding provided to local nonprofits as part of their suicide prevention initiative. 

The VFW Post 76 Honor Guard presents arms during the playing of taps at the third annual Memorial Flag Ceremony honoring Texas Veteran Suicide Prevention Day on Monday. Credit: Diego Medel / San Antonio Report

The new reporting requirements under House Bill 39 will remain in effect for a decade before lawmakers decide whether or not to renew them.

Advocates say those 10 years will be critical to measure progress — and to determine whether Texas can bend the numbers downward.