'The war continues': How Florence is honoring veterans lost to suicide this Veterans Day

Veterans Day is a day to celebrate those who have served, but for some, it's a solemn day to recognize the battle our troops continue to fight after returning home.

For Deb Winkler, it's now been 10 years since her son, Cpl. Matthew Winkler, took his own life.

"He came back from serving two tours in Afghanistan as a senior intelligence specialist [and] could just not get his bearings back in civilian life," Winkler said. "[He] attempted to get help, but at the time, getting help was quite different than it looks like now 10 years later."

Doug Witt is one of the many now providing that help, turning pain into purpose with NorthKey Community Care, after serving overseas as an Army combat engineer.

"I was isolated, and I turned to drugs and alcohol and almost died by suicide a few times," Witt said. "Now that I've found my way into recovery and found some hope, it's my job to be a hope dealer and to help other veterans find some hope."

WATCH: How Florence continues to honor veterans lost to suicide on Veterans Day

For the last 11 days, the city of Florence has been honoring troops like Matthew and Doug, with 22 dog tags a day, 242 in total, all hanging from The Witness Tree.

"As they deal with the problems and the issues from that service, the people are still there to support them, and people still care," said veteran and Florence firefighter Jeremiah Meister. "We're still around. Hopefully this tree shows that."

Each of the 242 dog tags now on the Witness Tree in Florence serves not only as a reminder, but a call to action to check on a veteran in need this Veterans Day and beyond.

"We don't want this tree anymore. We don't want the dog tags anymore. I want every veteran to be taken care of and every veteran to be safe when they get home just like they were before they left," Meister said.

If you are or know a veteran in need, you can find resources by clicking the links below.