September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. (U.S. Air Force photo/Christine Groening) 21 Dec 2020 Military.com | By Karen Guenther Karen Guenther, a former ICU nurse, is the president, CEO and founder of Semper Fi & America's Fund. Since 2004, the fund has provided immediate financial assistance and lifetime support for veterans during their time of recovery and transition back into civilian life. Lives will unfortunately be lost. As the head of a nonprofit providing lifetime support to service members, suicide is a grim reality that my counterparts and I face every day. Around the holidays, there is an unfortunate uptick in untimely deaths. This will likely be exacerbated by COVID-19 -- not just for veterans but for civilians as well.