American Legion’s Be The One work to eliminate veteran suicide rates

Continuing our efforts to provide education during Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month, Henry Howard, the Deputy Director for Media and Communication with the American Legion, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss the Be The One program. Howard discussed the high suicide rate among veterans and the different help available to veterans.

The American Legion launched the Be The One initiative to serve veterans and reduce the veteran suicide rate to zero. The plan is that this program will continue to assist veterans for as long as possible, with no end date in sight. To do that, they are working to educate veterans and their families about how to become “The One.” According to Howard, being “The One” means you can provide assistance and direct veterans in need to help and resources they need. 

There are a variety of reasons as to why the suicide rate is higher in veterans. When veterans get injured, deployed or face a life-changing moment during their time in the service it can create a mental health struggle. Older veterans now have to deal with losing their friends, which creates a new issue leading to increased suicide rates, Howard said. There’s no one fix for helping veterans, but Be The One has several different partners available to help, Howard said.

The prevalence of equine and other animal help centers has proven to be an asset to veterans struggling with mental health issues. Howard talked about the unique relationships formed over time with the veterans and animals. It’s not just the animal help centers that Be The One will direct veterans to, but they will also encourage exercise and hiking groups. The biggest difficulty Be The One faces after being approached by a veteran in need is to find the outlet that best helps that individual face their traumas and begin a path to recovery.

To hear more on the Be The One program, press play on the show above.