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Indiana veteran on mission to prevent veteran suicide

'I wanted to do something to help my fellow vets': Skip Cissna is hoping his new community outreach will help save a life

NEW ALBANY, Ind. — For hours on Friday, Skip Cissna stood along Grant Line Road in New Albany with a sign that he hopes will send a message to those who need it. 

"I wanted to do something for my fellow vets," said Cissna, who joined the United States Air Force in 1972. "I found Mission 22 is the real deal."

Cissna is an ambassador for Mission 22, a now worldwide nonprofit that originated in Nashville, Indiana. The nonprofit fights against veteran suicide through treatment programs and community outreach. 

"A lot of people don't know that on average there's over 20 veterans that commit suicide every single day," said Cissna. "And once they know this, you can't unlearn it." 

Cissna held a sign reading "If you are looking for a reason to not kill yourself here it is." He hopes it speaks to veterans in the Kentuckiana region. 

"In this area there are people that commit suicide that are veterans, that deal with traumatic stress coming back from Afghanistan or Iraq," he said. "The veterans that are dealing with this, they are not alone. We are here to help." 

Cissna says he plans to move to different areas with the same message.

"I'm hoping that one person sees it and changes his or her mind," said Cissna. 

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