Since the program started in 2019, more than 1.4 million veterans have been reached out to check on their well-being.
In 2024, 4,624 American Legion posts conducted Buddy Checks. As a result, 341,049 veterans were reached by phone, text, email or in person to check on their well-being.
The American Legion’s 106th birthday is March 15. And Resolution No. 18, passed during the 2019 Spring Meetings, encourages Buddy Checks during the weeks of the Legion’s birthday and Veterans Day. But Buddy Checks are not restricted to the two weeks suggested within Resolution 18 as many Legion posts have set up quarterly or even monthly Buddy Check programs, sometimes incorporating the Legion’s Be the One veteran suicide prevention program into the process.
The American Legion’s Buddy Check program is designed to give Legionnaires the tools to make contact, engage in conversation, assess risks and direct veterans in need to the appropriate services. Resources are available to help Legionnaires make Buddy Checks at legion.org/buddycheck.
These resources include a toolkit that explains the program, provides steps to conducting a successful Buddy Check, gives sample scripts and more; a door hanger that is printer-friendly and can be customized as a leave-behind when Legion Family members visit a veteran who is not a home; a fillable media advisory; and more.
- Dispatch