Republican Women, American Legion team up to fight veterans' suicide

The Washington County Republican Federated Women Club announced its official partnership with American Legion Post 24 at the Jonesborough Visitor's Center on Monday afternoon. The goal behind the partnership is to help prevent veteran suicide by promoting the Legion's "Be The One" campaign. "At its core, the Be The One top priority mission is to reduce the number of veterans and service members who die by suicide," said Lynn Riley, Armed Services chair for the Washington County Republican Federated Women. "Some of us have personal circumstances where veteran friends of ours have committed suicide, so it's personal for a lot of us." The keynote speaker, Todd McKinley, serves as a commander of the American Legion Department of Tennessee. He said the reported number of veterans committing suicide ranges between 18 to 22 per day, leading to the American Legion's advocacy of peoples' involvement of Be The One. "The American Legion believes one is too many," he said. "That's why the American Legion has prioritized raising awareness about this issue, providing free suicide prevention training, and reassuring those who find themselves struggling that it's okay to not be okay." He explained one way people can participate in the campaign is to make "buddy checks," where someone makes a phone call to a person they haven't heard from in a while to ensure they are okay. "That's the first thing about being the one is just talking to people and letting them know you care," he said. McKinley added the American Legion is "taking action" by spreading awareness about the Be The One campaign through grassroots efforts by hosting symposiums, suicide prevention trainings and classes, awareness hikes and 5-Ks for people to participate in, and connecting veterans to needed resources. McKinley also said spreading the word about the Be The One campaign and encouraging involvement in its promotion will help "trend the number" down. "Awareness is really where we have started," McKinley said. "Post 24 is doing a good job, and I think the American Legion in the state of Tennessee is doing a good job. I'm glad to see that this federated club is stepping up to be the one…Getting people educated on the signs, symptoms, things of that nature and what they can actually do will go a long way in saving lives and trend this number downward."