A silent watch is being held in Norwalk to raise awareness about Veterans' suicides.

The event will be from 7 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. Sept. 18 at VFW Post 2743, 140 Milan Ave. Veterans and area residents are invited to maintain a silent watch for 20 to 30 minutes at a casket draped with an American flag. Veterans should wear their uniform or service cap. For rotation scheduling, call Thom Price at 419-577-2376 by Sept. 16.

“This is a movement to bring about awareness to veterans suicides and I hope we can count on all of you to help this year,” said Tim Chandler, Silent Watch founder and a retired master sergeant with the U.S. Air Force and Ohio Air National Guard.

A booth with information about veteran suicide awareness will be at the VFW Pavilion on Sept. 18. At 7:30 p.m., an honor guard will perform a flag ceremony with a three-volley salute.

Silent Watch, which started in Ashland County, has been scheduled in area communities including Ashland, Bucyrus, Mansfield, and Port Clinton. The event is being done in conjunction with Suicide Awareness Month. Find “Silent Watch, Veterans Suicide Awareness” on Facebook.

An average of 16.8 veterans died by suicide each day in 2017, according to the Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report published in September. The average number of veteran suicide deaths per day has equaled or exceeded 16 since 2007.