Be the One ‘going to move the needle’ with veteran suicide
Soon after stepping behind the stage podium at The American Legion’s 105th National Convention in New Orleans, Medal of Honor recipient David Bellavia addressed an important issue – veteran suicide.
“It’s an issue we have to talk about. It frustrates me, and it angers me,” said Bellavia to convention attendees on Aug. 28. “But I want to give thanks to what The American Legion is doing. They’re doing something different that no one else is doing.”
That something is the Legion’s Be the One mission to end veteran suicide by empowering Amerian Legion members and others to know how to respond to, and help, a veteran in crisis. The Legion is achieving this through a variety of available resources and free suicide prevention training with Columbia University Lighthouse Project.
“The American Legion and their partners are doing something. This is going to move the needle,” said Bellavia, a former U.S. Army staff sergeant who earned the nation’s highest award for his actions on Nov. 10, 2004, during the second Battle of Fallujah.
Bellavia stated a sentiment that some feel when it comes to suicide. It’s one that can cause the ask of, “Are you OK?” to go unspoken.
“It’s uncomfortable talking about suicide. It makes me uncomfortable. I don’t like talking about it. I don’t want to talk about the enemy that takes our own. We know what to do when the enemies shoot at us. What do we do when that decision is made back home?”
For veterans struggling to find their identity out of military uniform, their validation and their why, Bellavia asked Legionnaires to be a mentor, to help a veteran in crisis with the available resources, to Be the One.
“We have to mentor our veterans who are struggling and show them that they are loved. Some of them are going to need a hug. Some are going to need tough love. But are we doing all we can do? Do we have the tools and the skills to actually get through all of the things that are clouding this generation? Far too many are being lost. Make a difference. Be the One.
“Get in someone’s business that doesn’t want to share with you,” he added. “That’s odd for us to want to get into someone’s business when we think they’re struggling. It’s rude. If that’s the difference between keeping someone here and losing them, let’s be rude. Let’s get involved. Let’s show that we care.”
Upone his return home from Iraq, it was the Vietnam veterans who showed Bellavia that someone cared by treating him with respect and making the ask, “How are you?”
“They stared at me with tears of pride and love. Vietnam veterans, you didn’t hear this when you came home, welcome home. We love you back,” Bellavia said to applause. It also was veterans who showed Bellavia that “our heroes aren’t just guys who play pro sports. Our heroes are the men and women who walk down our streets, who created jobs and employed us, who coached our (baseball) team and taught us in school. Veterans – all of them. Willing to do whatever their country asked them to do.”
In closing, Bellavia made an ask to The American Legion.
“I need to know that we can fix this. Do we need the VA, do we need Congressman, do we need presidents, do we need money? We need care and we need guidance, and we need leadership. You veterans who come before us, we’re asking you to be a part of this solution. Fix this problem with us. Be a part of the solution that shows love, that shows empathy. And we’re going to end this. We’re going to end this, and we’re going to make a difference. Remind people that they’re valued, they’re appreciated. That they have a tomorrow.
“We need you now more than ever.”