Be the one to ask. Be the one to listen. Be the one to stay.
If today feels like too much, you are not weak and you are not alone. Help is free, confidential, and one call away, right now.
Open to all veterans, service members, Guard and Reserve, and their families, whether or not you are enrolled with the VA.
Why this post says it, and means it.
Be The One is The American Legion's mission to end veteran suicide. It asks something simple and hard: be the one who notices, the one who asks the question out loud, and the one who does not look away.
This post's founding commander is a clinical social worker. He spends his working life with people in their hardest hours. For him, this is not a campaign. It is the reason he opened a post. When you reach out here, you reach someone who understands the weight, and who will stay on the line.
Worried about a brother or sister in arms?
You do not need the right words. You need to be there. It comes down to three things.
Ask
Ask directly and plainly if they are thinking about hurting themselves. Asking does not plant the idea. It opens the door.
Listen
Do not rush to fix it. Let them be heard without judgment. Being listened to is often what carries someone through the night.
Stay
Do not leave them alone with it. Sit with them, call 988 together, and connect them to help that lasts past the moment.
The watch includes you.
This post keeps a standing watch, and that watch is for its own people too. If you are struggling, reach out to us or to the crisis line above. If you are steady today, be the one for someone who is not.