By Delayna Earley
The Island News
Port Royal took steps to shine a light on a glaring issue facing veterans in America on Friday.
Local military leaders, Port Royal Town Council members and a veterans group met on Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, to unveil a new speed limit sign on Paris Avenue in front of Port Royal Elementary School that they hope brings awareness to the large number of veterans who commit suicide every day in this country.
“22 veteran suicides per day is 22 too many,” is written on a sign below the speed limit sign.
The speed limit sign lowers the limit to 22 mph, which represents the number that is often cited as the number of veterans who commit suicide every day in the United States.
Lowering the speed limit from 25 mph to 22 mph was decided on in July 2023 with a 5-0 vote when former Port Royal Mayor Joe DeVito brought forward the proposal after being encouraged to do so by members from the local AMVETS, a nonprofit organization that serves veterans.
DeVito said that a conversation with a member of AMVETS about the number of suicides and continuous complaints from members of the community about drivers speeding down Paris Avenue gave him the idea to lower the speed limit to 22 mph.
“I’m not a vet, but this was very important to me,” DeVito said of the sign being unveiled. “I didn’t know the number; I had no idea that the number was that high.”
DeVito said reached out to his connections at AMVETS with his idea, and he was happy when Janice Shelton, head of the Port Royal AMVETS, and John Norman drafted a letter to him about lowering the speed limit.
The speed limit was applied to all of Paris Avenue, but the speed limit signs in front of Port Royal Elementary School explain why the speed limit is 22 mph.
Port Royal Mayor Kevin Phillips said that Port Royal is a military town, and it is built on the military, with Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, Naval Hospital Beaufort, and Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort not far away.
“Usually when we get together, we are cutting a ribbon and celebrating something,” said Mayor Phillips. “This isn’t something to really celebrate, but it’s still important and we wanted to bring the awareness.”
He said that this is a small gesture, but anything that the town can do to bring awareness to the situation will help.
Phillips said that about 50 people came out to the unveiling on Friday, which made him so happy to see so many people show their support for the active and veteran military community.
Representatives from both MCAS Beaufort and Parris Island were in attendance at the event.
Col. Mark Bortnem, the commanding officer of MCAS Beaufort, said that this area is very significant to the military.
During World War II, 250,000 recruits went through Parris Island in their training just as he did many years later.
Also, like he did, many of the Marines who train at Parris Island make their way back to this area following their time in the service or in their retirement, leading to many veterans living in the area.
“On par with other cities like Norfolk, Va., or San Diego, Calif., Beaufort is a military town,” Col. Bortnem said. “And the Beaufort and Port Royal area, so many folks were either raised in the military or are deeply connected to it.”
Col. Bortnem said that anything we can do to bring attention to the fact that we are losing veterans at an “alarming rate” and to get the community together to prevent it is something that they are in support of.
“Seeking help is a sign of strength,” said Sgt. Major Joshua Toles of the support battalion at Parris Island. “This sign is going to serve as a visual reminder of how important it is to take advantage of the resources that we have available for us so that we can prevent the suicides that we are experiencing.”
Sgt. Major Toles continued to say that the local communities, such as Port Royal, are vital in the support that they provide to veterans in the area.
“Thank you for your recognition,”Sgt. Major Toles said at Friday’s event.
Delayna Earley formerly worked as a photojournalist for The Island Packet/The Beaufort Gazette, as well as newspapers in Indiana and Virginia. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.
