Be the One Symposium features progress, hope

During The American Legion’s second annual Be the One Symposium, panelists discussed solutions, highlighted new research and provided hope in the battle to reduce the number of veterans lost to suicide.

For Waco Hoover, a Marine Corps veteran and Be the One chairman, the symposium signified progression in the mission that is the top priority for The American Legion.

“When we launched Be the One, we knew it would not be a quick fix,” he said. “We’re in this for the long haul. But in the past year, we’ve seen progress. The stigma of mental health treatment is eroding. More veterans and servicemembers are talking about their battles. Research is discovering new innovative ways to help our veterans. And forums like this one help carry that momentum forward so that we can — and are — saving the lives of our brothers and sisters.”

Adam Marr, co-host of The American Legion Tango Alpha Lima podcast, served as emcee of the symposium, which took place at the start of the organization’s national convention in New Orleans on Aug. 22. Speakers focused on solutions to the suicide epidemic in health-care delivery, mental health, tech and AI. 

Among the speakers was former Army Capt. Christopher Molaro, who is now the chief executive officer and founder of NeuroFlow. Molaro recounted his connections with comrades lost to suicide.

“Aside from losing a few classmates at West Point, I was a platoon leader in the 1st Cav Division and deployed to Iraq in 2010-2011,” he recalled. “And I lost one of my soldiers to depression. He died by suicide three months after we got home from Iraq. That was a huge leadership failure on my part.”

A subsequent investigation revealed that the soldier was receiving care for his physical injuries but nothing was prescribed for his issues related to drinking and sleeplessness. “No one followed up to see if he was getting better. That incident, while personal to me, is more the norm than the exception.”

That motivated Molaro to turn to technology to be part of the solution. NeuroFlow blends suicide prevention technology with compassionate human outreach to identify and support at-risk individuals before a crisis occurs.

Army veteran Michael “Rod” Rodríguez, president and chief executive officer of the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation, moderated a panel focused on military families.

As co-director of the RAND Epstein Family Veterans Policy Research Institute, Rajeev Ramchand has been involved in researching the issue for the past decade. In that time, the awareness has increased but so has the frustration, he pointed out. “We’ve been at this a long time,” he said of fighting veterans suicide. “And we haven’t seen the reductions that we want to see, even with substantial investment in resources.”

That leads Ramchand to believe that caregivers hold the key to the prevention. “So how can we intervene at the family level?” That question leads to solutions like educating family members on warning signs, having discussions about securing firearms and others. “If we want them to play a role in suicide prevention, we need to support them. It’s very hard work and it can be very stressful to have these conversations. If it’s not done appropriately, it can exacerbate the situation.”

Another panelist was Besa Pinchotti, the chief executive officer of the National Military Family Association. Her connection to military families stemmed from being the daughter of an immigrant of Kosovo. “My family faced a lot of trauma,” she says of the war in Kosovo. “When U.S. forces went into Kosovo, that saved the life of my family.”

Pinchotti discussed her organization’s Operation Purple Camp, which is a safe place that builds camaraderie among children in military families.

“At these camps, kids are building connections with one another, they are leaving their cell phones at home, they are out in nature and they are meeting kids who are just like them, and those are the connections that take them through the next challenge.”

Navy veteran Nick Howland, executive director of the Fire Watch, presented a case study, “Case Study: Reducing Veteran Suicide by 27% in Northeast Florida.”

Fire Watch, which partners with Psych Armor, is a community-based approach to saving the lives of veterans which thus far trained over 7,000 people, including many American Legion members. They use localized data to see where there is a greater risk of veteran suicide by county throughout Florida. They focus their attention on getting resources to veterans more quickly in the hot spots as determined by the data.

The results show promise.

Since 2019, in Florida counties where Fire Watch is active, suicides have fallen 16%. In the same time frame other counties in the state have increased 8%.

“The real meat of what we have discovered in our program is that we have found a way to engage civilians in the fight to end veteran suicide, and that’s exciting,” he said.

Still more work can be done. And Howland is looking forward to American Legion posts serving as a partner in the effort.

“It’s a state crisis and a national crisis,” he said. “But we are winning the fight where we are, we just have to fight harder.”

Marine Corps veteran Chris Earl, chief executive officer and founder of Regiment Gaming, presented on “Combating Veteran Suicide through the Power of Gaming.”

Regiment has leveraged the camaraderie found in veteran gaming communities to foster connection and friendships. And that has led to veterans emerging from isolation and desperation to overcome suicidal ideation.

“Gaming is not just a social activity, it is a social phenomenon,” he said. “Online gaming communities are virtual town squares where connections are forged, support networks are being built and lives are being saved. Gaming provides a platform where veterans can connect not just as gamers, but as comrades.”

Earl vows to continue the efforts Regiment has already made. “We are changing veterans lives for the better.”

Hoover appreciates all the support from the Legion's partners in widening the impact, reach and effectiveness of Be the One. 

“We’re grateful for all our partners who stand with us in this mission. Their commitment, support and passion is truly making a difference — not just for The American Legion but for our veterans and their families.”