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Francis, who said she endured a dark period in which she required mental health care, is focusing on victims of PTSD and the high rate of military suicides. She said she wants to erase the stigma of mental illness for those who have served as well as civilians. In 2012, the U.S. military suffered the highest number of suicides ever recorded, prompting then-Defense Secretary Leon Panetta to declare it an epidemic. The telethon will also stream live online and be rebroadcast on the Armed Forces Network on Veterans Day on Monday. The event's first two hours will air Sunday on stations PIX11 in New York, WGN Chicago and KTLA Los Angeles. ___ Online:
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