At the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, in the year 1918, a war that had taken the lives of nearly 10 million soldiers and at least double that number of civilians simply … stopped. The Great War had been the greatest catastrophe the planet had ever seen, but its end, an armistice at an appointed hour that merely stopped the bullets flying for a time, put into motion events that led to a worse conflagration a generation later.

The eleventh hour — that is, the latest possible time before it is too late — finds its way into our lexicon in numerous ways. It’s rarely a good thing.

So in a way, it is meaningful and symbolic that the eleventh hour is invoked when we discuss our veterans, those who were sent into the trenches, metaphoric or not, and come home as shattered and shellshocked as any doughboy, his lungs scarred by gas, his mind scarred by what he witnessed in the barren no-man’s land between the lurching battlelines.

Part of the total cost of warfare must be the cost to care for the men and women who return with physical or mental disabilities, provide them with a living, provide them with the opportunities that were offered to them if they would take up the nation’s cause, and care for their families if they cannot.

If the cost be too high, then the cost of war itself is too high, and those in power must find a new way to deal with the crises that shake the geopolitical landscape.

On this day, we honor our veterans. But we must do so with more than poppy wreaths and lapel posies. We must do so with more than speeches and parades.

We must do so with real, practical assistance.

Some 8,000 veterans commit suicide every year, a death toll of 22 per day, according to a 2012 Veterans Administration study. The VA acknowledges that the numbers might be significantly underestimated.

Vietnam veterans have gone largely untreated for post-traumatic stress disorder, and many have self-medicated with illegal drugs or alcohol. As they age into retirement years, symptoms of anxiety and depression are expected to get worse.

Mental health hospitalizations for active duty forces has risen 87 percent since 2000 — mental health is now the leading cause of hospitalization for active duty troops. For those who are hospitalized, there is a “greatly elevated” suicide risk, according to a new study by the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center.

And as the deployments end, the military is downsizing, adding another stressor to military families and separation from comrades, uprooting from communities, schools, and careers.

Substance abuse is also becoming a serious problem in activeduty and veteran populations alike.

Many veterans don’t seek help because of the stigma of mental illness, and many active-duty troops don’t because they are afraid it will negatively affect their careers. But even those who look for help are having difficulty getting the help they need. There are not enough therapists trained in the specific needs of mental illness among military personnel and veterans. There are often long waits for appointments and therapists cycle in and out of the system, making it impossible for vets to emotionally connect with an individual.

Our veterans are facing the eleventh hour. Their needs cannot be ignored in order to balance a budget or cut taxes. It is time to consider veterans’ benefits and health care part of the cost of sending them to war.